2021 César Awards: Winners and Highlights

The Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma announced the winners of the 2021 César Awards live from L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix in Paris. The ceremony was a scaled-down, in-person event that honored the best of French and international cinema from 2020.

The evening’s biggest winner was Albert Dupontel’s dark comedy Adieu Les Cons (Bye Bye Morons), which took home Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Dupontel. The film also won awards for Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor. Adieu Les Cons follows a seriously ill woman determined to reconnect with her long-lost child, with the help of a blind archivist.

In the Best Foreign Film category, Thomas Vinterberg’s darkly comic drama Another Round beat out Sam Mendes’ World War I epic 1917. Another Round, starring Mads Mikkelsen, was one of the international highlights of the year.

The controversial coming-of-age film Cuties, released internationally via Netflix, also earned recognition: Fathia Youssouf won the César for Best Female Newcomer.

A notable and widely discussed moment came when actress Corinne Masiero removed her clothing while presenting the Costume Design award, an on-stage protest in support of France’s cultural workers. The gesture was broadcast live on national television and sparked significant debate.

Full list of 2021 César Awards winners

BEST FILM – Adieu Les Cons (Bye Bye Morons)

Adolescentes (Adolescents)

Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes (Antoinette in the Cévennes)

Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait (Things We Say, Things We Do)

Summer of 85

BEST DIRECTOR – Albert Dupontel (Adieu Les Cons)

Maïwenn (DNA)

Sébastien Lifshitz (Adolescentes)

Emmanuel Mouret (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

François Ozon (Summer of 85)

BEST ACTRESS – Laure Calamy (Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes)

Martine Chevallier (Two of Us)

Virginie Efira (Adieu Les Cons)

Camélia Jordana (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Barbara Sukowa (Two of Us)

BEST ACTOR – Sami Bouajila (Un Fils)

Jonathan Cohen (Enorme)

Albert Dupontel (Adieu Les Cons)

Niels Schneider (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Lambert Wilson (De Gaulle)

BEST FOREIGN FILM – Another Round

1917

Corpus Christi

Dark Waters

The August Virgin

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Emilie Dequenne (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Fanny Ardant (DNA)

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (Summer of 85)

Noémie Lvovsky (La Bonne Epouse)

Yolande Moreau (La Bonne Epouse)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Nicolas Mairé (Adieu Les Cons)

Edouard Baer (La Bonne Epouse)

Louis Garrel (DNA)

Benjamin Lavernhe (Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes)

Vincent Macaigne (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER – Fathia Youssouf (Cuties)

Mélissa Guers (La Fille Au Bracelet)

India Hair (Poissonsexe)

Julia Piaton (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Camille Rutherford (Felicità)

BEST MALE NEWCOMER – Jean-Pascal Zadi (Tout Simplement Noir)

Guang Huo (La Nuit Venue)

Félix Lefebvre (Summer of 85)

Benjamin Voisin (Summer of 85)

Alexandre Wetter (Miss)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Albert Dupontel (Adieu Les Cons)

Caroline Vignal (Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes)

Emmanuel Mouret (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Filippo Meneghetti and Malysone Bovorashy (Two of Us)

Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kerven (Effacer L’Historique)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – Stéphanie Demoustier (La Fille Au Bracelet)

Olivier Assayas (Wasp Network)

Hannelore Cayre and Jean-Paul Salomé (La Daronne)

François Ozon (Summer of 85)

Eric Barbier (Petit Pays)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Alexis Kavyrchine (Adieu Les Cons)

Antoine Parouty and Paul Guilhaume (Adolescentes)

Simon Beaufils (Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes)

Laurent Desmet (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Hichame Alaouié (Summer of 85)

BEST EDITING – Tina Baz (Adolescentes)

Christophe Pinel (Adieu Les Cons)

Annette Dutertre (Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes)

Marital Salomon (Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait)

Laure Gardette (Summer of 85)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – La Bonne Epouse (The Good Wife)

Adieu Les Cons (Bye Bye Morons)

Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait (Things We Say, Things We Do)

De Gaulle

Summer of 85

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – Adieu Les Cons (Bye Bye Morons)

La Bonne Epouse (The Good Wife)

Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait (Things We Say, Things We Do)

De Gaulle

Summer of 85

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – Josep

Calamity: A Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary

Little Vampire

BEST DOCUMENTARY – Adolescentes (Adolescents)

La Cravate

Cyrille, Farmer: 30 Years, 20 Cows, Milk, Butter, Debts

History of a Look

A Country That Keeps Quiet

BEST FIRST FILM – Two of Us

Garçon Chiffon

Cuties

Tout Simplement Noir

Un Divan à Tunis

BEST SCORE – Rone (La Nuit Venue – Night Has Come)

Christophe Julien (Adieu Les Cons)

Stephen Warbeck (DNA)

Mateï Bratescot (Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes)

Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Summer of 85)

BEST SOUND – Adolescentes

BEST ANIMATED SHORT – L’Heure De L’Ours (The Hour of the Bear)

BEST SHORT FILM – Qu’Importe Si Les Bêtes Meurent (What Does It Matter If the Beasts Die)

The 2021 César Awards reflected a year in cinema shaped by bold storytelling, strong performances and a mix of established voices and new talents. The winners highlighted both the resilience of the French film industry and the continued international reach of its filmmakers.

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