Fatima and Mustang win big at Cesar Awards

Immigration drama Fatima and French Oscar entry Mustang were the big winners at the 2016 Cesar Awards.
Fatima, which documents the struggles of a single mother who emigrates from Morocco to France with her two teenage daughters, beat Deniz Gamze Erguven’s Mustang to claim the Best Film prize at Friday’s (26Feb16) ceremony in Paris, while Zita Hanrot was named Breakout Actress and director Philippe Faucon landed the Best Adapted Screenplay honour.
Erguven, who will compete for the Best Foreign Film Oscar on Sunday night (28Feb16), didn’t go home empty-handed though – she landed awards for Best First Film and Best Original Screenplay, while Mustang, about five Turkish sisters who are forced into arranged marriages, also scored Best Editing and Best Music.
Meanwhile, Vincent Lindon emerged victorious as Best Actor for The Measure of a Man, Catherine Frot (Marguerite) was named Best Actress, and supporting honours went to Benoit Magimel (Standing Tall) and Sidse Babett Knudsen (L’Hermine).
The Best Director prize was presented to Arnaud Desplechin for My Golden Years, and Rod Paradot earned the Breakout Actor award.
Other winners at the French version of the Academy Awards included The Little Prince for Best Animated Film, Valley of Love for Best Cinematography, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s 2015 Best Picture Oscar honouree Birdman, which was declared Best Foreign Film.