Kristen Stewart Wins Supporting Actress Honor at France's Cesar Awards

By Steve Pond

Kristen Stewart has been named the best supporting actress of 2014 at the Cesar Awards, France's version of the Oscars. The award makes her the first American actress ever to win a Cesar. Stewart won for her role in Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, in which she plays the assistant to an actress portrayed by Juliette Binoche. She was the first American actress ever nominated in the category, and the first to be nominated in 30 years in any acting category.

Watch Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria:

Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu, which is in the running for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, has been honored with several Cesars for its direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing, sound, original score. It also won Best Film, beating out a group of nominees that included Saint Laurent, Sils Maria, and Les Combattants (Love at First Fight), which was named the best debut feature at the Friday night ceremony in Paris.

Also Read: TheWrap Screening Series: ‘Timbuktu’ Director Reveals How Islam Was ‘Taken Hostage’

Xavier Dolan’s Mommy, which was submitted by Canada in the Oscar foreign language race but did not make the shortlist, beat a formidable group of competitors in the Best Foreign Film category. Nominees included this year’s Oscar nominees Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ida, and Two Days, One Night, as well as last year’s winner 12 Years a Slave and the Cannes Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep.

Related: Kristen Stewart Dishes on Super-Talented Co-Stars, Discusses Her Superhero Potential

Here’s the complete list of nominees. Winners are indicated by *WINNER.

Best Film
Les Combattants (Love at First Fight)
Eastern Boys
La Famille Bélier
Saint Laurent
Hippocrate
Clouds of Sils Maria
Timbuktu *WINNER

Best Director
Céline Sciamma, Girlhood
Thomas Cailley, Les Combattants (Love at First Fight)
Robin Campillo, Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti, Hippocrate
Bertrand Bonello, Saint Laurent
Olivier Assayas, Clouds of Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu *WINNER

Best Actress
Juliette Binoche, Clouds of Sils Maria
Catherine Deneuve, Dans La Cour (In the Courtyard)
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Emilie Dequenne, Pas Son Genre (Not My Type)
Adèle Haenel, Les Combattants (Love at First Fight) *WINNER
Sandrine Kiberlain, Elle L’Adore
Karin Viard, La Famille Bélier

Best Actor
Pierre Niney, Yves Saint Laurent *WINNER
Romain Duris, Une Nouvelle Amie (The New Girlfriend)
Gaspard Ulliel, Saint Laurent
Guillaume Canet, La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur (Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart)
Niels Arestrup, Diplomatie (Diplomacy)
François Damiens, La Famille Bélier
Vincent Lacoste, Hippocrate

Best Supporting Actress
Marianne Denicourt, Hippocrate
Claude Gensac, Lulu Femme Nue
Izïa Higelin, Samba
Charlotte Le Bon, Yves Saint Laurent
Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria *WINNER

Best Supporting Actor
Eric Elmosnino, La Famille Bélier
Jérémie Renier, Saint Laurent
Guillaume Gallienne, Yves Saint Laurent
Louis Garrel, Saint Laurent
Reda Kateb, Hippocrate *WINNER

Best Newcomer (Female)
Lou de Laâge, Respire
Joséphine Japy, Respire
Louane Emera, La Famille Bélier *WINNER
Ariane Labed, Fidelio, L’Odyssée D’Alice
Karidja Touré, Bande De Filles (Girlhood)

Best Newcomer (Male)
Kevin Azaïs, Les Combattants (Love at First Fight) *WINNER
Ahmed Dramé, Les Héritiers (Once in a Lifetime)
Kirill Emelyanov, Eastern Boys
Pierre Rochefort, Un Beau Dimanche (Going Away)
Marc Zinga, Qu’Allah Bénisse La France (May Allah Bless France!)

Best Original Screenplay
Les Combattants(Love at First Fight)
La Famille Bélier
Hippocrate
Clouds of Sils Maria
Timbuktu *WINNER

Best Adapted Screenplay
La Chambre Bleue(The Blue Room)
Diplomatie(Diplomacy) *WINNER
Pas Son Genre (Not My Type)
Lulu Femme Nue
La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur (Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart)

Best Foreign Film
Winter Sleep
Boyhood
12 Years A Slave
Two Days, One Night
Mommy *WINNER
Ida
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Debut Feature
Les Combattants(Love at First Fight) *WINNER
Elle L’Adore
Fidelio, L’Odyssée D’Alice
Party Girl
Qu’Allah Bénisse La France (May Allah Bless France!)

Best Score
Bande De Filles (Girlhood)
Bird People
Les Combattants (Love at First Fight)
Timbuktu *WINNER
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Editing
Les Combattants (Love at First Fight)
Hippocrate
Party Girl
Saint-Laurent
Timbuktu *WINNER

Best Cinematography
La Belle Et La Bête(Beauty and the Beast)
Saint Laurent
Clouds of Sils Maria
Timbuktu *WINNER
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Set Design
La Belle Et La Bête (Beauty and the Beast) *WINNER
La French
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Costumes
La Belle Et La Bête(Beauty and the Beast)
La French
Saint Laurent*WINNER
Une Nouvelle Amie (The New Girlfriend)
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Documentary
Caricaturistes – Fantassins De La Démocratie(Cartoonists – Foot Soldiers of Democracy)
Les Chèvres De Ma Mère
La Cour De Babel
National Gallery
The Salt Of The Earth *WINNER

Best Sound
Bande De Filles(Girlhood)
Bird People
Les Combattants (Love at First Fight)
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu *WINNER

Best Animated Film
Minuscule – La Vallée Des Fourmis Perdues *WINNER
Jack Et La Mécanique Du Coeur
Song of the Sea

Best Short Film
Aïssa
La Femme De Rio *WINNER
Inupiluk
Les Jours D’Avant
Où Je Mets Ma Pudeur
La Virée A Paname

Best Animated Short
Bang Bang!
La Bûche De Noël
La Petite Casserole D’Anatole
Les Petits Cailloux *WINNER

Photo: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images