Roman Polanski Draws Protests, Wins Prizes at Stormy Cesar Awards

The stormiest and most beleaguered Cesar Awards ever took place in Paris on Friday, with “Les Miserables” being named 2019’s best French film while protesters lined the streets outside the Salle Pleyel protesting the nominations for Roman Polanski’s “J’accuse,” which is known as “An Officer and a Spy” outside France.Despite the furor, Polanski won two Cesar awards, one for best director and another for adapted screenplay, which he shared with his co-writer Robert Harris.

His film also won for its costumes.It was Polanski’s fifth Cesar in the directing category, the most of any director.

His previous awards were for “Tess,” “The Pianist,” “The Ghost Writer” and “Venus in Fur.”Despite all the attention on Polanski, the Oscar-nominated “Les Miserables” was the big winner of the night, taking home four awards.

In addition to the best-film prize, director Ladj Ly’s taut drama also won for most

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