Anatomy of a Fall director Justine Triet emerged as the second woman to win the Best Director prize in the history of César Awards on Friday, with her courtroom drama sweeping the 49th edition of the awards show this year at the Olympia Theater in Paris

Tonie Marshall was the last woman filmmaker to win the best director trophy at Cesar Awards for her 1976 film Venus Beauty.

Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall took home the titles of Best Film and Best Director. It also clinched Best Actress for Sandra Hüller's remarkable performance. Additionally, the film won accolades for Original Screenplay, Editing, and got the Supporting Actor trophy for Swann Arlaud. The movie, currently in contention for five Oscars, features Hüller as a novelist entangled in a trial following the mysterious death of her husband at their secluded chalet.

Another notable winner of the evening was Thomas Cailley's Animal Kingdom, which captivated audiences as the opening film of Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2023. The film showcased its technical prowess by securing victories in categories such as Best Sound, VFX, Original Music, Costumes, and Cinematography.

A highlight of the ceremony was the honorary tribute to acclaimed director Christopher Nolan. Marion Cotillard, who collaborated with Nolan in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, introduced the director on stage. The César Awards also paid homage to Agnes Jaoui, a beloved French actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker.

Full list of César Awards 2024 winners:

Best Film — Anatomy of a Fall

Best Director — Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actor — Arieh Worthalter, The Goldman Case

Best Actress — Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Supporting Actress — Adèle Exarchopoulos, All Your Faces

Best Supporting Actor — Swann Arlaud, Anatomy of a Fall

Female Revelation — Ella Rumpf, Marguerite’s Theorem

Male Revelation — Raphaël Quenard, Junkyard Dog

Best Original Screenplay — Justine Triet, Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Adapted Screenplay — Valérie Donzelli, Audrey Diwan, Just the Two of Us

Best Cinematography — David Cailley, The Animal Kingdom

Best Costume — Ariane Daurat, The Animal Kingdom

Best Production Design — Stéphane Taillasson, The Three Musketeers (Parts 1 & 2)

Best Sound — Fabrice Osinski, Raphaël Sohier, Matthieu Fichet, Niels Barletta, The Animal Kingdom

Best First Film — Junkyard Dog by Jean-Baptiste Durand

Best Animated Feature — Chicken For Linda! by Chiara Malta & Sébastien Laudenbach

Best Visual Effects — Cyrille Bonjean, Bruno Sommier, Jean-Louis Autret, The Animal Kingdom

Best Original Music — Andreas Laszlo de Simone, The Animal Kingdom

Best Editing — Laurent Sénéchal, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Documentary — Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania

Best Foreign Film — The Nature of Love by Monia Chokri