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Claire Denis AND Virginie Despentes.
The Polanski noms aren't helping and are part of the issues, though.

It's strange that there doesn't seem to be an English translation floating around though, which makes me a bit skeptical on the mood of the piece when all the U.S. articles are citing one-liner pullquotes in English, as if perhaps they are just looking at the translated spaces around Polanski's name?

The basic issues behind the whole comittee collectively quitting is a long French story about how Terzian had been handling the Academy for almost 20 years and how the accumulation of issues (both internal and more contextual) just became too much.

I'm not sure most foreigners would be able to navigate through it easily, so I guess it's easier to focus on the Polanski noms to sum up how foreign to our current societal changes the Academy seemed to be.

Is this piece then just another example of journalism that is ignorant at best and deceitful at worst? (Since we have a lot of that in the US anyways these days.)

This piece literally says that "the mass resignation of the 21 members of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema is over Roman Polanski's movie An Officer and A Spy leading the nominations this year". Though you seem to be saying the issue is more deep-rooted than this single film.

And the academy itself voted for this film in various categories, right? So the protest cannot be over this film?

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FWIW, I find the Cesars generally seem to represent decent taste. I am struck by the major nominations for films like Slack Bay and Stranger by the Lake which wouldn't have a chance in hell at the Oscars.

From what I understood in France, and this understanding seems shared on various dedicated boards, yes, Polanski noms are only a secondary part of the various issues that led to the resign. The main one is Terzian's authoritarian attitude within the Academy.

Bracing article from CNN.

The English speaking media will scream bloody murder without nuance if Polanksi's film wins any kind of major award.

They essentially see this as a referendum on the moral soundness of the entire french film industry.

I don't know who votes for these but I think this could be a perilous night for them and might damage the institution.

The man is allowed to make movies without conflict but can’t win awards for them. This is so stupid.

Although it's understandable that seeing Polanski win awards is upsetting to many who believe it sends the wrong message, it's also upsetting that voters who genuinely think it' the best film of the year and want to honor it as such are being implicitly accused of immorality.

Nasir007 wrote:Bracing article from CNN.

The English speaking media will scream bloody murder without nuance if Polanksi's film wins any kind of major award.

They essentially see this as a referendum on the moral soundness of the entire french film industry.

I don't know who votes for these but I think this could be a perilous night for them and might damage the institution.

That cnn article ought to get in some me too trouble for the way it sanitizes/normalizes rape and downplays the events; Cnn says he “pled guilty to having sex with a thirteen year old.”

That’s some impressive excusing rhetoric on their part. Polanski pled guilty to drugging, raping and anally raping (twice) a thirteen year old, with a finding of fact on the sequence of events substantiated by multiple witness testimony and the rape and anal rape and drugs confirmed by police medical personnel within hours of the rapes.

But hey all that is just “having sex” according to cnn.

Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Not disputing what he actually did, of course, but that’s what he pled guilty to.

This year's Césars ceremony will be an absolute blast, between this, the collective resignation of the main board, the recent open letter for a better inclusiveness within the Academy, and the change of rules concerning the Public Award (which has been automatically awarded to the French movie having had the most success in France - usually dumb bad comedies that logically aren't getting any nomination - to an Academy vote within the 5 best successes - meaning it could go to Les misérables or Hors normes, movies that did 3 times less than the #1 2019 French movie and that are 10 and 8 times nominated this year).

Brian C wrote:Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Not disputing what he actually did, of course, but that’s what he pled guilty to.

And the other details were never tested in court under cross-examination. CNN is behaving perfectly correctly here.

To add to this year’s clusterfuck, Brad Pitt has apparently declined his honorary Cesar award

Polanski's outrage is pretty audacious. He even accused Harvey Weinstein of ruining his reputation when The Pianist was in Oscar contention - the irony! Given what he's effectively gotten away with, Polanski has barely suffered whatsoever.

*other than his family being murdered by the Nazis and then again by the Manson family

tenia wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 4:54 pm This year's Césars ceremony will be an absolute blast, between this, the collective resignation of the main board, the recent open letter for a better inclusiveness within the Academy, and the change of rules concerning the Public Award (which has been automatically awarded to the French movie having had the most success in France - usually dumb bad comedies that logically aren't getting any nomination - to an Academy vote within the 5 best successes - meaning it could go to Les misérables or Hors normes, movies that did 3 times less than the #1 2019 French movie and that are 10 and 8 times nominated this year).

Sure enough, they gave it to Les Misérables. Dany Boon is probably crying in a stall

EDIT I guess a Boon title wasn’t in contention this year, so he was probably crying anyways

Polanski just won for the screenplay, and all the thinkpiece authors started revving their engines

God, it's such a shame that the Polanski will never ever make it here

Polanski has won Best Director at the Cesars every time he’s been nominated. He just did it again, and Claire Denis and Emmanuelle Bercot were the presenters! A w k

Never Cursed wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 10:35 pm God, it's such a shame that the Polanski will never ever make it here

I don’t think any upcoming blu rays overseas will have English subs either, though I’m sure someone will create some shortly after the French blu ray comes out in three weeks. Still a shame though

domino harvey wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:16 pm Polanski has won Best Director at the Cesars every time he’s been nominated. He just did it again, and Claire Denis and Emmanuelle Bercot were the presenters! A w k

Both Adele Haenel and Celine Sciamma walked out of the ceremony when he was announced as the winner.

Portrait of a lady on fire's original twitter account tweeted their walkout!

She's saying "La honte," if you can't figure it out. Of course, she didn't leave when Polanski won earlier in the night...

domino harvey wrote:

tenia wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 4:54 pm This year's Césars ceremony will be an absolute blast, between this, the collective resignation of the main board, the recent open letter for a better inclusiveness within the Academy, and the change of rules concerning the Public Award (which has been automatically awarded to the French movie having had the most success in France - usually dumb bad comedies that logically aren't getting any nomination - to an Academy vote within the 5 best successes - meaning it could go to Les misérables or Hors normes, movies that did 3 times less than the #1 2019 French movie and that are 10 and 8 times nominated this year).

Sure enough, they gave it to Les Misérables. Dany Boon is probably crying in a stall

EDIT I guess a Boon title wasn’t in contention this year, so he was probably crying anyways

De Chauveron, director of the biggest French success this year, did cry and said he wasnt coming.
I watched the whole thing yesterday with my GF and OMG what a trainwreck from start to finish. It's usually just very long and unfunny, but this year, it was also soooo weird and unassuming.
Haenel and co didnt leave earlier because the price wasnt for Polanski himself and alone. I guess it would have an original script, they might have, but the Best Director award clearly was the core contention this year, with even our Minister of Culture saying yesterday morning awarding it to Polanski would send a negative message, but awarding the movie in other sections was fine because it's a collective work.
It is said about 100 persons walked out, Foresti didnt stay for the final picture and tweeted later she was "disgusted", and people like Haenel and Arlaud went somewhere else than the usual Fouquet's, where everyone else went.

swo17 wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 7:44 pm *other than his family being murdered by the Nazis and then again by the Manson family

Which is no way justifies/excuses his subsequent actions...