The ceremony announcing the winners of this year’s Cesar Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars, included a loud cry for culture in the era of the coronavirus, with an actor stripping naked on stage to make a statement to explain about the ongoing closure of cinemas and theaters.
Corinne Masiero took the stage on Friday evening to present the prize for the best costume with a donkey suit and tampons for earrings.
“Is that too garbage?” Masiero asked the audience with a social distance before taking off the donkey costume to reveal what looked like a blood-soaked dress, saying, “I have one last.”
Masiero, 57, the unconventional star of the hit detective series “Capitaine Marleaus,” then took off the dress and showed messages on her body. The words on her front read, “No culture, no future.” The message on her back was addressed to French Prime Minister Jean Castex: “Give us back art, Jean.”
The audience applauded, but some social media commentators denounced what they said was a descent into vulgarity at the 46th Cesar Awards.
The #MeToo movement kicked off the ceremony last year, where famed director Roman Polanski received the best director award for “An Officer and a Spy” amid protests from women’s groups and some booing and strike.
Polanski, who did not attend the event, is wanted in the United States after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse with a minor, but fled the US in 2019. accused Polanski of raping her in his Swiss chalet in 1975 when she was 18. Polanski denied the charges.
Most of the political views expressed this year were about reviving France’s dormant cultural scene. Part-time actors are currently occupying several theaters in France, including the famous Odeon Theater in Paris, to demand more government support.
As for the awards themselves, one film, “Adieu les Cons” (“Bye Bye Morons”), the crazy adventure of a dying hairdresser in search of the child she gave up when she was 15, took seven awards , including Best Picture and Best Director. for Albert Dupontel. The Best Actor Award went to Sami Bouajila for “Fils” (“Son”) and Laure Calamy was voted Best Actress for her performance in “My Donkey, My Lover, and I.”
Jean-Pascal Zadi, voted the most promising actor for his role in “Tout simplement noir” (“Simply Black”), promoted equality in his acceptance speech. Fourteen-year-old Fathia Youssouff, voted the most promising actress for “Mignonnes” (“Cuties”), told aspiring youngsters to follow their dreams.