Albert Serra's 'Pacifiction' movie wins best actor and cinematography at French César Awards

The latest movie by Catalan director Albert Serra, 'Pacifiction,' won best actor for Benoît Magimel and best cinematography for Artur Tort awards at the French César Awards. The film was nominated for nine prizes, including best director, movie, sound, music, and costume design.

Meanwhile, the Catalan co-production 'The Beasts' ('As Bestas'), which was heavily awarded at the Spanish Goya Awards recently, won best foreign film.

The 48th French César Academy awards ceremony occurred on Friday in the Parisian Olympia theatre, where 'The Night Of The 12th' won best movie, best director for Dominik Moll, and best-adapted screenplay.

During the ceremony, Magimel emotionally thanked the award, while Tort acknowledged it was a privilege being recognized by the French Cinema Academy, "it is extraordinary," he said.

'Pacifiction' arrived at the ceremony after winning three awards at France's Lyon's film festival, Lumière, and five Catalan cinema awards, Gaudí. It even premiered at the Cannes film festival. Despite all these recognitions, 'Pacifiction' did not win any prize at the Spanish Goya Awards.

Serra's movie takes place on Tahiti island, in French Polynesia, with the idea of talking about a current world but framed in a context of visual fantasy, and set in an overseas territory.

'As Bestas' directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen is loosely based on true events that occurred when a foreign couple moved to a hamlet in the Galician countryside and it examines among other things how green energy can disrupt rural life.