'Monte-Cristo', 'Emelia Perez' frontrunners at France's Cesar film awards

PARIS — Home-made hit "Monte Cristo" topped the nominations released Wednesday for the Cesars, France's version of the Oscars, followed closely by international awards season frontrunner "Emelia Perez".

"Monte Cristo", a high-budget French adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' epic novel "The Count of Monte Cristo", was the second most-watched film in French cinemas last year and leads the Cesars nominations with 14.

Lead actor Pierre Niney is the frontrunner in the best actor category, but faces competition from Francois Civil who starred in the surprise French comedy hit of the year, "Un p'tit truc en plus" ("A Little Something Extra").

The film about a father and son who go to work in a holiday camp for people with disabilities topped the French 2024 box office and picked up 13 nominations.

"Emilia Perez", directed by Frenchman Jacques Audiard and the most-nominated film for the Oscars, was picked in 12 categories for the Cesars, including best film and best director.

The surreal musical odyssey about a narco boss who transitions to life as a woman shattered the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language film last week with 13 Oscar nominations.

It was also the second-most nominated film for Britain's BAFTA awards, according to the shortlist unveiled on January 15, behind Vatican thriller "Conclave".

The Cesars will be handed out in Paris on February 28 marking the 50th anniversary of the awards.

Winners are picked by the 4,951 members of the Cesars academy.