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It seems like history is made just about every year at the Oscars now, whether it’s the first non-English language film to win Best Picture (“Parasite“), or the first film from a streaming service to win Best Picture (Apple’s “Coda“), or the first actress to win three lead Oscars since Katharine Hepburn (Frances McDormand for “Nomadland”). So who prevailed this year, who (if anyone) came out of nowhere, and who did the seemingly impossible? Follow along below for our live blog of all the winners and what it all meant in the context of this awards season. And check out the complete list of winners here.

SEE2023 Oscar winners list: Complete results in all 23 categories

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” had a few chances to make history. It came into these awards with 11 nominations including Best Picture. A win in that top category would be the first ever for a science-fiction film.

Mediawan Group has acquired a majority stake in Hugo Selignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi, the thriving Paris-based outfit behind Cedric Jimenez’s “Bac Nord” which world premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

The deal follows Mediawan & Leonine Studios’s joint acquisition of Drama Republic, a major U.K. TV production banner, which was announced the start of Cannes by Mediawan’s co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton and Leonine Studios CEO Fred Kogel.

The acquisition of Chi-Fou-Mi underscores Mediawan’s drive to become a major purveyor of premium content; and will solidify Mediawan’s footing in the French film business.

Chi-Fou-Mi is a 10 year-old company boasting an access to A-list French talent and a track record with popular and ambitious French films such as Gilles Lellouche’s “Le Grand Bain,” Antonin Baudry’s Omar Sy starrer “Le chant du Loup,” Jeanne Herry’s “Pupille,” Romain Gavras’ “Le Monde est à toi” and...

Cedric Jimenez, the French director of “The Connection,” the Rosamund Pike-starrer “HHhH” and “Bac Nord,” will next be directing “November,” an action-packed thriller set against the backdrop of the Paris terror attacks of 2015 with a prestigious cast led by Oscar-winning Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), Anais Demoustier (“Alice and The Mayor”) and Sandrine Kiberlain (“In Safe Hands”).

Written by Olivier Demangel, the screenwriter of Mati Diop’s “Atlantics,” “November” unfolds during the five days following the attacks which shook Paris, and revolves around the sprawling investigation carried on by a highly-secretive police brigade called Sdat (anti-terrorist sub-directorate) to track down the terrorists – including the two masterminds — behind the attacks.

Budgeted at $20 million, “November” is produced by Hugo Selignac at Chi-Fou-Mi Films, who had teamed with Jimenez on “Bac Nord,” and Mathias Rubin at Recifilms. Studiocanal is co-producing and is handling French distribution, as well as international sales on the film,...

Alice Pol, Eddy Mitchell, Miou-Miou, Pablo Pauly, Gustave Kervern, Sarah Stern, Pascale Arbillot and Zabou Breitman star in Nicolas Pleskof’s first feature, a Kazak production sold by Bac Films. Nicolas Pleskof has been shooting his first feature film Murder Party since 26 November. A comedy thriller, the filmmaker’s debut work boasts a cast composed of Alice Pol, Eddy Mitchell, Miou-Miou, Pablo Pauly (nominated for the Best New Hope César as well as the Lumières Revelation award in 2018 for Step by Step; touring French cinemas next year in Garder ton nom), Gustave Kervern (at his best...

Leading the cast are Pierre Niney, Emmanuelle Bercot and Gilles Lellouche. A Single Man production sold by StudioCanal. Revealed with SK1 (nominated for the Best Feature Debut and Best Adaptation César awards in 2016) followed by Through the Fire (1 million tickets sold in France in 2018), Frédéric Tellier began filming his third feature, Goliath on 24 August. The cast of this politically engaged thriller, at the crossroads of environmental issues, politics and lobbying, the result of an investigation into GMOs and pesticides, includes Pierre Niney (in competition in Venice next week in Lovers and on screens in early 2021 in Black Box and Oss 117: Alerte rouge en Afrique noire), Emmanuelle Bercot and Gilles Lellouche (recently nominated for a Best Actor César award for In Safe Hands; in French cinemas on 10 November in Farewell Mr...

Élodie Bouchez, Yannick Choirat, Nuno Lopes, Thomas Scimeca, Maya Sansa and Laetitia Dosch will star in the filmmaker’s first feature, produced by Tabo Tabo Films. Just as France’s Health and Safety Guide for Film Production Activities is undergoing validation by the ministries of Health and Work, and the compensation fund for film shoots, steered by the Cnc, is set to launch on 1 June, actor Matthieu Rozé is busy pre-producing Azuro, the first feature film he has directed, which he is due to shoot from 7 July on southern France’s Blue Coast. Shining bright at the head of the cast is Élodie Bouchez. Standing tall alongside her are Yannick...

‘Fidelity’ is making its Euroepean debut at the Rotterdam festival.

Fidelity, Russian director Nigina Sayfullaeva’s steamy drama about female sexuality, has sold to multiple territories worldwide. The deals were confirmed this weekend by the film’s Berlin-based sales agent, M-Appeal.

It has sold the film to Capelight Pictures for Germany, Austria and Switzerland; to At Entertainment for Japan; to Entermode Corp for South Korea and to MovieCloud for Taiwan.

Fidelity is making its European premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, screening first on Monday January 27,

M-Appeal said it has received further multiple bids on Fidelity, about a...

The filmmaker is reuniting with Vincent Lindon and Sandrine Kiberlain who will lead the cast of this Nord-Ouest production, set to be sold by Wild Bunch. The first clapperboard slammed today on Stéphane Brizé’s 9th feature film: Pour le meilleur et pour le pire. For the 5th time, the filmmaker has turned to his favourite actor Vincent Lindon who is recreating, in league with Sandrine Kiberlain (crowned Best Actress at the 2014 Césars for 9 Month Stretch, nominated another five times in 1998, 1999, 2010, 2015 and 2019 for In Safe Hands; and whom we’ll be seeing in French cinemas...

Haugesund, Norway — Celine Sciamma’s intellectually dexterous, bittersweet love tale “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has claimed another heart, taking home The Norwegian Film-Critics’ Prize at the Haugesund Film Festival’s closing night on Thursday.

The festival, which runs over August 17-23, capped its 47th edition with a screening of André Løyning and Kristian Landmark’s documentary

Sciamma’s revisionist romance won the screenplay prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May and will next head to Toronto, where it will screen as a Special Presentation.

“With elegance, sophistication and courage, the film explores how love and vitality can – at least momentarily – throw off the shackles of an oppressive social order. Exquisite acting performances and cinematography, combined with a soupcon of mythological symbolism, add up to a work of serious artistic merit,” noted the jury members in their verdict.

The Eurimages Lab Award went to director Guro Bruusgaard’s “Him.

Studiocanal has come on board “Bac Nord” from Cedric Jimenez (“The Man With the Iron Heart”), a French crime thriller with Gilles Lellouche set in the dangerous northern neighborhoods of Marseille.

The movie reteams Studiocanal with Hugo Sélignac and Vincent Mazel at Chi-Fou-Mi Productions, the Paris-based company behind the Cesar-nominated “Sink or Swim,” one of France’s highest-grossing local movies in 2018, and “In Safe Hands,” both of which were handled by Studiocanal.

“‘Bac Nord’ marks our fifth collaboration with Hugo Selignac, a talented and ambitious French producer,” said Nicolas Dumont, Studiocanal’s exec VP of French production, theatrical distribution and home entertainment. Dumont cited Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim,” Jeanne Herry’s “In Safe Hands,” Francois Damiens’s “Mon Ket” and Romain Gavras’ “The World Is Yours.”

Studiocanal is co-producing the film with France 2 Cinéma and has acquired all rights, including the international sales.

“Bac Nord” will follow a police...

Aladdin only drops 15%, while Godzilla sequel posts underwhelming £2.3m opening weekend.

Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26

Full screen RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (May 31-June 2)Total gross to date Week 1 Aladdin (Disney) £4.9m £19.8m 2 2 The Secret Life Of Pets 2 (Universal) £2.9m £11.9m 2 3 Rocketman (Paramount) £2.5m £12m 2 4 Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (Warner Bros) £2.3m £3.5m 1 5 Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (Warner Bros) £660,000 £12.5m 4 Disney

Following its £5.7m opening weekend, Aladdin impressed again this time out, dropping a slender 15% with £4.9m, a result that belied the good weather in the UK. That figure was enough to see it hold onto the...

Aladdin only drops 15%, while Godzilla sequel posts underwhelming £2.3m opening weekend.

Disney

Following its £5.7m opening weekend, Aladdin impressed again this time out, dropping a slender 15% with £4.9m, a result that belied the good weather in the UK. That figure was enough to see it hold onto the number one spot despite challenges from Universal’s The Secret Life Of Pets 2 and Warner Bros’ Godzilla: King Of The Monsters.

Aladdin is now up to £19.8m in the UK to date. It should comfortably surpass fellow Disney title Dumbo in the coming weeks, which is on £24.9m so far, and...

Trio of new openers take on Aladdin, Rocketman and The Secret Life Of Pets 2.

There are three high-profile new openers at the UK box office this weekend, all of which will battle with strong holdovers to land in the top five on the chart.

Last week saw Disney’s Aladdin, Paramount’s Rocketman and Universal’s The Secret Life Of Pets 2 all post impressive debuts, and midweek takings will have likely been boosted by the schools holiday in the UK this week.

Warner Bros will be hoping its big-budget monster movie Godzilla: King Of The Monsters will smash through the competition.

France’s top producer Hugo Selignac, who had a banner year in 2018 with “Sink or Swim” and “In Safe Hands,” is set to produce the next projects of high-profile filmmakers Cedric Jimenez (“The Man With the Iron Heart”) and Quentin Dupieux (“Deerskin”).

Jimenez’s project, “Bac Nord,” is an ambitious thriller following a police brigade working in the dangerous northern neighborhoods of Marseille, where the level of crime is higher than anywhere else in France.

“Bac Nord” will be headlined by a strong cast of French stars, including Gilles Lellouche, the director “Sink of Swim” and actor of “Little White Lies 2,” as well as Francois Civil (“Wolf’s Call”), who just won the Chopard Trophy Award for rising talent; Karim Leklou, who earned a Cesar nomination for best newcomer for his performance in “The World Is Yours”; Adele Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”); and Kenza Fortas, who just won...

Domestic violence drama earns four prizes in Paris.

Xavier Legrand’s domestic violence drama Custody (Jusqu’à La Garde) was named best film at the 44th Cesar Awards in Paris on Friday (23).

Legrand’s feature directorial debut and Venice 2017 Silver Lion winner began the night on a field-leading 10 nominations alongside Gilles Lellouche’s comedy Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain), and also won awards for Legrand’s original screenplay, best actress Lea Drucker, and editor Yorgos Lamprinos.

Jacques Audiard was named best director for The Sisters Brothers at the ceremony in the Salle Pleyel, presided over by Kristin Scott Thomas.

Xavier Legrand’s feature debut “Custody,” a tense portrait of a family torn by domestic violence, won best film, actress (for Lea Drucker), and original screenplay at the 44th Cesar Awards, which took place at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. The awards are France’s highest film honors.

“Custody,” which marks Legrand’s follow up to his Oscar-nominated short, tells the story of a boy named Julien (Thomas Gioria), who is forced by a court ruling to split his time between his mother (Drucker) and estranged father (Denis Ménochet), whom he regards as a violent monster, amid his parents’ bitter divorce. “Custody” world-premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it won two awards, and went on to play at Toronto in the competitive Platform section.

In her speech, Drucker paid homage to all the brave women who have inspired her and also dedicated the award to women who...

Since 2011, France’s Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma has steadfastly held its annual awards ceremony the Friday before the Academy Awards. And if launching the Césars two days before the Oscars holds a real, practical benefit — allowing those walking both red carpets time to linger over their last flutes of Champagne before boarding the 12-hour flight — it also resonates on a more figurative level.

Though both ceremonies have evolved alongside one another in recent years and have made similar changes, the César committees have consistently been just ahead of their American counterparts when introducing such shifts.

Take, for example, the overall number of nominees: In 2009, the Césars expanded its best picture field from five nominees to seven, predating the Oscars’ similar move by a year. The César chiefs were so pleased by this change that, in 2012, they opted to expand the categories of actor, actress and director to...

Alain Attal, whose Paris-based company is behind Gilles Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim” and Jeanne Herry’s “In Safe Hands,” won the Toscan du Plantier Award, Gaul’s equivalent to the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck award, at a Paris ceremony on Feb. 18.

Attal, the founder of Tresor Films, was named France’s best producer of 2018 at the event, which was hosted by the French Academy of Arts and Science — just a few days before the Cesar Awards, France’s top film awards.

Attal said on stage that he shared the trophy with Hugo Selignac who runs the company Chi-Fou-Mi Productions and was featured in Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch last year. Together with Selignac, Attal produced Lellouche’s ensemble comedy-drama “Sink or Swim” which has 10 Cesar nominations; and “In Safe Hands,” nominated for seven Cesar Awards.

“Sink or Swim” follows a group of disenchanted men on the verge of...

Alain Attal took the French Academy's producing prize ahead of the upcoming Cesar Awards.

The prize has become an early predictor for the top prize on the big night, and Attal's win puts the two films he produced in the lead for a best film trophy: Gilles Lellouche's Cannes comedy Sink or Swim and Jeanne Herry's adoption drama In Safe Hands.

The prolific Attal is behind more than 30 films — including Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties, starring Clive Owen and Marion Cotillard; Maiwenn's My King; and Nicole Garcia's Under the Land of the Moon — under his Les ...

Alain Attal took the French Academy's producing prize ahead of the upcoming Cesar Awards.

The prize has become an early predictor for the top prize on the big night, and Attal's win puts the two films he produced in the lead for a best film trophy: Gilles Lellouche's Cannes comedy Sink or Swim and Jeanne Herry's adoption drama In Safe Hands.

The prolific Attal is behind more than 30 films — including Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties, starring Clive Owen and Marion Cotillard; Maiwenn's My King; and Nicole Garcia's Under the Land of the Moon — under his Les ...

Gilles Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim,” Mikhaël Hers’s “Amanda,” Louis-Julien Petit’s “Invisibles” and Eva Husson’s “Girls of the Sun” are set to screen at the 24th edition of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema showcase which is co-organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and UniFrance.

After world-premiering out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival, “Sink or Swim” became a box office hit in France and got nominated for 10 Cesar Awards. The film is headlined by a popular French cast, including Mathieu Amalric (“At Eternity’s Gate”), Guillaume Canet (“Rock’n Roll”), Virginie Efira (“Elle”) and Leila Bekhti (“Midnight Sun”).

“Girls of the Sun,” which competed at Cannes, stars Golshifteh Farahani (“Paterson”) as a resistance fighter part of an all-female battalion made up of former captives of extremists who have vowed to reconquer their own land.

Inspired by a true story, “Invisibles” follows the journey of...

Studiocanal has sold near all of the world outside the U.S. on Hugo Gélin’s “Love at Second Sight.” The European production-distribution-sales giant, part of Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, has also kicked off promising sales on a panoply of new foreign-language titles, such as Yvan Attal’s “My Dog Stupid,” Cedric Klapisch’s “Someone Somewhere” and animated feature “Samsam.”

“Our mission at Studiocanal is to ensure we make high-quality European cinema with strong global potential,” said Anna Marsh, Studiocanal Evp, international distribution.

Described by Marsh as a “key title, a high concept movie which really appeals.” “Love at Second Sight” stars François Civil as a young best-selling novelist who forgets the love of his life in one world to wake up in another where she’s a world-famous pianist who’s never met him.

Combining large ambition, a questioning take on gender equality in relationships, and a director whose 2017 debut,...

Netflix is closing in on a deal for Antonin Baudry’s “The Wolf’s Call” (“Le Chant du Loup”), an anticipated big-budget French submarine thriller, for multiple territories.

The streaming service is in advanced negotiations to pre-buy “The Wolf’s Call” from Pathé International for North America, Latin America, Spain and Scandinavia, as well as for France, where Netflix would get exclusive Svod rights 36 months after the local theatrical release. The film will be released on Netflix in North America, Latin America, Spain and Scandinavia this summer. Pathé will distribute “The Wolf’s Call” in French theaters starting next Wednesday.

“The Wolf’s Call” will be released by independent distributors in other territories. Pathé has already pre-sold the film to Germany (Concorde), Japan (Klockworks), Cis (Total Films), Middle East (Gulf), Portugal (Cinemundo), Czech Republic (MediaSquad), former Yugoslavia (Fox Vision), Turkey (Pixel Yapim) and Hong Kong (Sun Dream), among other territories.

After winning best director at the Venice Film Festival, Jacques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers” picked up three awards, including best film, director and cinematography, at the 24th Lumières Awards, France’s équivalent to the Golden Globes. The ceremony took place on Monday at the Institut du Monde Arabe.

Although it has not made its way into the awards season in the U.S. despite its fall festival bow, the movie is well-positioned in France where it will be vying for nine Cesar Awards, France’s équivalent to the Oscars, on Feb. 22.

Produced by Pascal Caucheteux’s Why Not, “The Sisters Brothers” stars starring Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly and Jake Gyllenhaal.

“The Sisters Brothers” won over Jeanne Herry’s adoption drama “In Safe Hands,” Mikhaël Hers’ “Amanda,” Alex Lutz’s “Guy” and Emmanuel Mouret’s “Mademoiselle de Joncquières.”

Xavier Legrand’s heart-pounding domestic violence drama “Custody” won best first film.

Mother love - best actress for Elodie Bouchez in In Safe Hands Photo: UniFrance

A French film made in English has won best film and best director for Jacques Audiard at the Lumières, often described as France’s answer to the Golden Globes. The accolades are awarded by the foreign press and media working in France.

Audiard’s film (his first foray into English) The Sisters Brothers with John C Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix is described as “a dark comedy Western.” It also won a prize for best cinematography for Benoît Debie.

Way out West … Joaquin Phoenix in The Sisters Brothers Photo: UniFrance

The other notable winner at the 24th edition of the awards was Jeanne Henry’s adoption drama In Safe Hands / Pupille with Gilles Lellouche, Sandrine Kiberlain and Elodie Bouchez who best actress for her performance as the prospective parent. The film is screening in the Glasgow Film Festival later this month.

Further best film nominees include Pierre Salvadori’s The Trouble With You and Jacques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers.

Gilles Lellouche’s Sink Or Swim and Xavier Legrand’s Custody lead the way with 10 nominations for France’s César Awards, announced this morning (Jan 23) in Paris.

Custody premiered at Venice in 2017, where it won the SIlver Lion, while comedy Sink Or Swim, which stars Mathieu Amalric, Virginie Efira and Guillaume Canet, screened out of competition at Cannes last year.

Closely following with nine nods are Pierre Salvadori’s The Trouble With You, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2018, and Jacques...

French actor-turned-director Gilles Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim” and Xavier Legrand’s feature debut “Custody” lead the race for this year’s Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, with 10 nominations each, including best picture and best director.

“Sink or Swim” (“Le Grand Bain” in France), a star-driven dramedy about a men’s synchronized swimming team, world-premiered at Cannes out of competition and was released by Studiocanal. The ensemble film, which was one of the highest-grossing French films in 2018, picked up multiple nominations in the best supporting actor and actress categories, for Jean-Hugues Anglade, Philippe Katerine, Leila Bekhti and Virginie Efira.

“Custody” follows a boy named Julien (Thomas Gioria), who is forced by a court ruling to split his time between his mother (Léa Drucker) and estranged father (Denis Ménochet), whom he regards as a violent monster, amid his parents’ bitter divorce. “Custody” world-premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival,...

After recording its third-highest number in the last 50 years in 2017, French theatrical admissions are on track for a 4% drop this year, with an estimated 201 million sold. In dollar terms, however, the French box office is expected to clock in at about €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion), on par with last year, bolstered by the increase of ticket sales for premium large formats such as Imax, Dolby Cinema and 4Dx.

While fewer Hollywood blockbusters drew in French audiences compared with last year, two domestic films managed to sell more than 5 million tickets (grossing more than $37 million each) and four ranked in the top 10. A pair of French comedies released by Pathé, “Les Tuche 3” and Dany Boon’s “La ch’tite famille,” ranked second and third, behind Disney’s “Incredibles 2,” which took in about $44.5 million.

The other top-grossing French films of 2018 were Gilles Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim” (pictured), a star-driven dramedy about a men’s synchronized swimming team,...

Lumières are the Golden Globes of France.

A mixed bag of nominations for the 24th edition of France’s Lumière awards was unveiled in Paris on Monday (Dec 17).

Jacques Audiard’s Us-set, English-language The Sisters Brothers, period comedy-drama Mademoiselle de Jonquières, adoption drama Pupille and Venice-winning relationship drama Custody came out as the front-runners with four nominations each.

Following with three nominations each were Alex Lutz’s comedy-drama Guy, about a man who discovers he is the illegitimate son of a fading variety star and decides to follow him on tour; comedy The Trouble With You, sexual abuse drama Little Tickles,...

The delicate and emotionally precarious path of a newborn put up for adoption is the subject of writer-director Jeanne Herry’s second feature, In Safe Hands (Pupille), which follows several adults and one bright-eyed baby boy from his birth to the moment he finally lands a home.

Intelligently observed and backed by a strong cast, this well-performed ensemble piece oscillates between documentary-style study of the French social care system and Lifetime-style tearjerker that tends to overdose on the saccharine. Released by StudioCanal to strong reviews, the film could find a decent local audience over the holiday season, with possibilities for limited ...

The delicate and emotionally precarious path of a newborn put up for adoption is the subject of writer-director Jeanne Herry’s second feature, In Safe Hands (Pupille), which follows several adults and one bright-eyed baby boy from his birth to the moment he finally lands a home.

Intelligently observed and backed by a strong cast, this well-performed ensemble piece oscillates between documentary-style study of the French social care system and Lifetime-style tearjerker that tends to overdose on the saccharine. Released by StudioCanal to strong reviews, the film could find a decent local audience over the holiday season, with possibilities for limited ...