Amidst ongoing uproar around the César Awards, The About Elly star, who is also known for her international presence in films such as Extraction and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, has just been announced as one of the hosts of the 49th ceremony in Paris.
©️ Dat Huynh
The César Awards, which are often characterised as France’s answer to the Oscars, honours outstanding achievements in French cinema. Farahani, who began her acting career at the age of 14 as the lead role in Dariush Mehrjui’s The Pear Tree, was announced as one of the hosts of this year’s ceremony today via the Académie des César Instagram account.
Last month, both Golshifteh Farahani and fellow actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi appeared at the César Révélations, an event that happens before the awards, wearing long black coats and shirts from Chanel.
©️ Chanel
The awards this year come after a storm of controversy which has been ongoing since 2020, when Roman Polanski, a convicted rapist who is currently wanted in the US for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977, was awarded best director and best adapted screenplay awards. After sparking outrage and protests, both in public and within the French film industry, the Academy promised to do better—only to be accused of sexism during last year’s ceremony when only male directors were nominated, despite a hugely successful year for female directors such as Alice Diop, with her critically-acclaimed film Saint Omer.
In a further twist, it emerged that actor Sofiane Bennacer, who was due to be honoured as one of the 2023 César revelations, was under investigation over allegations of rape and sexual assault.
“The consensus emerged that in the event of an indictment or legal conviction of a participant in an eligible film for acts of violence, particularly of a sexist or sexual nature, the person implicated should not be celebrated in any way,” said the Academy. “Without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, the person indicted or convicted will not be invited to any of these events organized by the Association.”
©️ Clémence Purkat
The selection of Golshifteh Farahani this year as a host for the ceremony perhaps indicates a reflection on the Academy’s past shortcomings. Farahani’s versatile career has garnered her critical acclaim, and her ability to seamlessly transition between roles in Iranian, French, and English-language productions has made her a standout figure in contemporary cinema. As we anticipate the unfolding of the Academy’s latest and evolving measures, we can only remain optimistic for substantive transformations in this year’s awards and those that follow.