Cate Blanchett honoured for lifetime achievement at Paris César Awards
The Australian actor jokingly told the audience to 'tais-toi', an informal way of telling someone to be quiet or 'shut up', after their extended applause
Australian actor Cate Blanchett picked up a lifetime achievement prize at this year's César Awards in Paris
Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock
The 47th annual César Awards took place yesterday evening (February 25) in Paris with the films Lost Illusions, Annette and Aline the big winners.
Australian actor Cate Blanchett was awarded this year’s honorary Cesar Award for lifetime achievement. She received her award from French acting legend Isabelle Huppert, who herself has been nominated for a record 16 César Awards, winning two.
The applause for Ms Blanchett went on so long that she eventually jokingly told the audience to 'tais-toi'. It means 'be quiet' in French, but could be translated as 'shut up' as well. It is used when speaking to someone you are familiar with, or someone younger than you. For example, a teacher may say it to a pupil.
The César Award is considered the highest film honour in France, and was first awarded in 1976.
Xavier Giannoli’s Lost Illusions (Illusions perdues) was the favourite going into the ceremony with 15 nominations. On the night, it picked up seven awards, including best film, best male newcomer (Benjamin Voisin) and best-adapted screenplay.
The drama, set in the 19th century, tells the story of an idealistic but poor young writer who breaks into the upper echelons of Paris’ literary scene, only to find its darker side. It is based on the novel of the same name by Honoré de Balzac, which was published in three parts between 1837 and 1843.
The musical romance Annette, meanwhile, picked up five awards, including best director for Leos Carax. The film stars Hollywood actor Adam Driver and French star Marion Cotillard.
Valérie Lemercier picked up best female actor for her starring role in Aline, a musical comedy loosely based on the life of Celine Dion
Benoît Magimel picked up the award for best male actor for his portrayal of a dying patient in Emmanuelle Bercot’s film Peaceful (De son vivant).
In a touching moment, Canadian actor and director Xavier Dolan gave an emotional tribute to the late French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who died aged 37 following a ski accident earlier this year.
Mr Ulliel won best actor at the 2017 César Awards for his performance in It’s Only the End of the World, which was directed by Mr Dolan.
Read more: Tributes flood in for French actor Gaspard Ulliel after fatal accident
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