Petit Pays, a movie by Franco-Rwandan author Gael Faye, has reached yet another milestone after French film director Eric Barbier, was shortlisted among this year’s edition of The Cesar Awards, for his adaptation of the heartbreaking tale in the film which he directed.
First held in 1976, the awards are delivered in a nationally televised award ceremony, known as the "Nuit des César” and is held in Paris each year in February.
The nominations for the award, now in its 46th edition, are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals
Also known as The Academy Award, The César Award is considered the highest film honor in France, the French film industry's equivalent to the Moliere Award for theatre, Victoires de la Musique for music.
The award was created by Georges Cravenne, who was also the creator of the Molière Award for theatre, but was named after French sculptor Cesar Baldaccini who designed it.
Barbier, who was nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, will be battling the prize against Olivier Assayas for his role in "Wasp Network”, Hannelore Cayre and Jean-Paul Salomé, in "La Daronne” as well as François Ozon and Stéphanie Demoustier, thanks to the adaptations in "Summer Of 85” and "La Fille Au Bracelet” respectively.
Emmanuel Mouret's 'Love Affairs' is leading the pack with most nominations having been shortlisted in 13 categories.
The way Eric Barbier directed "Petit Pays” is already making the movie stand great milestones following Gael Faye’s recognition by a French publishing house named FNAC as the best 2016 writer because of "Petit Pays”.
The novel also won Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, a French literary award created in 1987 as a sort of younger prestigious prize for French language literature.
In July last year, "Petit Pays” made it to Film Francophone d’Angoulême, an annual French film festival held in Paris in September.
The festival recognises the bestselling French movies in French-speaking countries.
Apart from Petit Pays, Eric Barbier also directed a number of popular movies like "Promise at Dawn”, "The Last Diamond”, "The Serpent”, "Toreros” and "Le Brasier” among others.