Romanian drama lands Cesar 2017 nomination for best foreign film

Romanian film Bacalaureat (Graduation) by director Cristian Mungiu is nominated for the 2017 Cesar awards in the Best Foreign Film category. The film, which also brought the Romanian filmmaker a Best Director award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, is nominated alongside Brazilian–French drama Aquarius, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho; Toni Erdmann, a film directed by German Maren Ade, co-produced by Romanian Ada Solomon, and an Oscar runner-up; 2016 Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake of British director Ken Loach; Oscar contender Manchester by the Sea by director Kenneth Lonergan; La fille inconnue (The Unknown Girl) directed by the Dardenne brothers; and Juste la fin du monde (It’s Only the End of the World) by French Canadian director Xavier Dolan. The César Award is the national film award of France, and was first granted in 1976. This year the event is at its 42nd edition. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on February 24, two days before the Oscars. Romanian Cristian Mungiu and French Olivier Assayas shared the Best Director award at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In 2007 Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or trophy for the 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days film. In 2012 he won the Best Screenplay award for Beyond the Hills, while the leading actresses in the film shared the Best Actress award. The full list of Cesar 2017 nominations can be checked here. Director Roman Polanski was supposed to preside this year’s César awards ceremony but dropped out after protests from French feminist groups, The New York Times reports. Movie about German expat’s life in Bucharest enters competition for the Oscar editor@romania-insider.com