The French! Sacre bleu! The nominations are out for the Cesar Awards, their version of the Oscars. They nominated the god awful, unwatchable “Annette” along with director Leos Carax and actor Adam Driver. But they snubbed their own French actress, Marion Cotillard! She’s one of their biggest stars. They are one crazy gang over there!

Best Film

“Aline,” Valerie Lemercier, produced by Edouard Weil, Alice Girard, Sidonie Dumas
“Annette,” Leos Carax, produced by Charles Gillibert
“Bac Nord,” Cedric Jimenez, produced by Hugo Selignac
“Happening,” Audrey Diwan, produced by Edouard Weil, Alice Girard
“La Fracture,” Catherine Corsini, produced by Elisabeth Perez
“Lost Illusions,” Xavier Giannoli, produced by Olivier Delbosc, Sidonie Dumas
“Onoda, 10,000 Nights in the Jungle,” Arthur Harari, produced by Nicolas Anthome, Lionel Guedj

Best Director

Valerie Lemercier, “Aline”
Leos Carax, “Annette”
Audrey Diwan, “Happening”
Xavier Giannoli, “Lost Illusions”
Arthur Harari, “Onoda, 10,000 Nights in the Jungle”
Julia Ducournau, “Titane”

Best Actress

Leila Bekhti, “The Restless”
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, “La fracture
Laure Calamy, “Une femme du monde
Virginie Efira, “Benedeta”
Vicky Krieps, “Serre moi fort”
Valerie Lemercier, “Aline”
Lea Seydoux, “France”

Best Actor

Damien Bonnard, “The Restless”
Adam Driver, “Annette”
Gilles Lellouche, “Bac Nord”
Vincent Macaigne, “Medecin de nuit”
Benoit Magimel, “Living”
Pio Marmai, “La fracture”
Pierre Niney, “Boite noire”

Best Cinematography

Caroline Champetier, “Annette”
Christophe Beaucarne, “Lost Illusions”
Paul Guilhaume, “Paris, 13th District”
Tom Harari, “Onoda, 10,000 Nights in the Jungle”
Ruben Impens, “Titane”

Best Supporting Actress

Jeanne Balibar, “Lost Illusions”
Celine de France, “Lost Illusions”
Aissatou Diallo Sagna, “La fracture
Adele Exarchopoulos, “Mandibules
Danielle Fichaud, “Aline”

Best Supporting Actor

Francois Civil, “Bac Nord”
Xavier Dolan, “Lost Illusions”
Vincent Lacoste, “Lost Illusions”
Karin Leklou, “Bac Nord”
Sylvain Marcel, “Aline”

Best Female Newcomer

Noee Abita, “Slalom”
Salome Dewaels, “Lost Illusions”
Agathe Rousselle, “Titane”
Anamaria Vartolomei, “Happening”
Lucie Zhang, “Paris, 13th District”

Best Male Newcomer

Sandor Funtek, “Supremes”
Sami Outalbadi, “Une histoire d’amour et de desir”
Thimothee Robart, “Magnetic Beats”
Matika Samba, “Paris, 13th District”
Benjamin Voisin, “Lost Illusions”

Best First Film

“Gagarine,” Fanny Liatard, Jeremy Trouilh
“Magnetic Beats,” Vincent Mael Cardona
“La Nuee,” Just Philippot
“La panthere des neiges,” Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier
“Slalom,” Charlene Favier

Best Foreign Film

“Compartment n. 6,” Juho Kuho Kuosmanen
“Drive My War,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi
“First Cow,” Kelly Reichardt
“The Worst Person in the World,” Joachim Trier
“Parallel Mothers,” Pedro Almodovar
“The Father,” Florian Zeller

Best Original Screenplay

Valerie Lemercier, Brigitte Buc, “Aline”
Leos Carax, Ron Mael, Russel Mael, “Annette”
Yann Gozlan, Simon Moutaïrou, Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard, “Boite Noire”
Catherine Corsini, Laurette Polmanss, Agnes Feuvre, “La fracture”
Arthur Harari, Vincent Poymiro, “Onoda, 10,000 Nights in the Jungle”

Best Adapted Screenplay

Yael Langmann, Yvan Attal, “Les choses humaines”
Audrey Diwan, Marcia Romano, “Happening”
Xavier Giannoli, Jacques Fieschi, “Lost Illusions”
Celine Sciamma, Lea Mysius, Jacques Audiard, “Paris, 13th District”
Mathieu Amalric, “Serre moi fort”

Best Animated Film

“Even Mice Belong in Heaven,” Denisa Grimmova, Jan Bubenicek
“The Summit of Gods,” Patrick Imbert
“La traversée,” Florence Miailhe

Best Documentary

“Animal,” Cyril Dion
“Bigger Than Us,” Flore Vasseur
“Debout les femmes!” Gilles Perret, Francois Ruffin
“Indes Galantes,” Philippe Beziat
“La panthere des neiges,” Marie Amiguet

Best Original Score

Ron Mael, Russell Mael, “Annette”
Guillaume Roussel, “Bac Nord
Philippe Rombi, “Boite Noire”
Rone, “Paris, 13th District”
Warren Ellis, Nick Cave, “La panthere des neiges”

Best Sound Editing

Olivier Mauvezin, Arnaud Rolland, Edouard Morin, Daniel Sobrino, “Aline
Erwan Kerzanet, Kaita Boutin, Mawence Dussere, Paul Haymans, Thomas Gauder, “Annette”
Nicolas Provost, Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard, Marc Doisne, “Boite Noire”
Francois Musy, Renaud Musy, Didier Lozahic, “Lost Illusions”
Mathieu Descamps, Pierre Bariaud, Samuel Aïchoun, “Magnetic Beats”

Best Editing

Nelly Quettier, “Annette”
Simon Jacquet, “Bac Nord”
Fredric Baillehaiche, La fracture”
Cyril Nakache, “Lost Illusions”

Best Costumes

Catherine Leterrier, “Aline”
Pascaline Chavanne, “Annette”
Madeline Fontaine, “Delicieux”
Thierry Deletre, “Eiffel”
Pierre-Jean Laroque, “Lost Illusions”

If Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” had played at Sundance for real in the Eccles Auditorium or at the Library, there would have been wild applause, a standing ovation, and a crazy Q&A on stage. That’s how good it is. It’s the perfect kind of throwback Sundance movie.

What really makes it an event is that Raiff is 24 years old, this is his second film, he wrote, directed and stars in it. Also, Dakota Johnson, free of shackles, literally, does her best work here so far (although I also really liked her in “The High Note” with Tracee Ellis Ross).

If this were they heyday of Sundance, Harvey Weinstein and Bob Shaye would be arm wrestling to see who gets to release this sweet coming of age story made by a wunderkind from a rare point of view– the young man, not the young woman. This is “Ladybird” from the male perspective.

Raiff plays a newly minted college graduate, Andrew, who comes home to his mother’s new home with her second husband and their 12 year old son. He gets a job as a party starter at a venue that mostly does bar mitzvahs. There’s some indication that Andrew might be Jewish, but Raiff is definitely not. I think the backstory is that the mother– played by Leslie Mann– has married a Jewish guy, Brad Garrett, and they’re raising the 12 year old Jewish. No matter.

Andrew meets Dakota Johnson’s Domino, who’s a decade older, and her daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) who is autistic. They’re living with Domino’s fiance, who travels a lot for business. There’s an obvious spark between Andrew and Domino, and he immediately hits it off with Lola.

It doesn’t sound like much of a set up, the triumphs are in the details. Raiff is a star. He looks a little young Jack Nicholson crossed with Richard Benjamin. He might become a big deal actor, but I suspect he’s going to be a director primarily. For someone so young he has quite a way with moving everyone around and knowing where to put the camera. Andrew is 22 but he seems older and wiser, certainly more than Domino– at least at first. He’s also very witty, a lot more self-aware than most college grads.

Dakota Johnson’s performance reminded me of her mom, Melanie Griffith, in “Working Girl.”  The trick to the screenplay it that Domino is a slow starter character who eventually accepts being an authority. She’s in almost every scene, you can’t wait to see her again, and she gradually carries the movie. She’ll get a lot of awards attention next year.

Sundance sales are slow so far. I see on Deadline.com  that DisneySearchlight — home of the cannibal movie — is closing in on Emma Thompson’s excellent “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.” I hope “Cha Cha” gets a great distributor who will really take care of  it.  It’s my favorite Sundance film so far, among a group that includes “Leo Grande,” “892,” “When You Finish Saving the World,” and “Call Jane.”

I’m glad I didn’t have money on “West Side Story.” But I did think it would sweep all the awards. Now it’s been dissed by the cinematographers awards from the American Society of Cinematographers. What the hell happened here? Janusz Kaminski is a two time Oscar winner. With Steven Spielberg’s landmark films, “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” His work on “WSS” deserves an Oscar. But the five movies chosen are also all worthy.

Listen, Academy voters, this Thursday you have to right this ship and give “WSS” the accolades it deserves.

My choice, from this group, is “Macbeth.” And the Spotlight award should go to “Jockey.”

Documentary Award

Jessica Beshir for Faya Dayi
Isabel Bethencourt and Parker Hill for Cusp
Daniel Schönauer for The Hidden Life of Trees
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Spotlight Award
Ruben Impens, SBC for Titane
Pat Scola for Pig
Adolpho Veloso, ABC for Jockey
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Feature Film
Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC for The Tragedy of Macbeth
Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS for Dune
Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF for Nightmare Alley
Ari Wegner, ACS for The Power of the Dog
Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC for Belfast
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Motion Picture, Limited Series or Pilot Made for Television
Steve Annis for Foundation | Pilot Episode: “The Emperor’s Peace”
Tim Ives, ASC for Halston | Episode: “The Party’s Over”
James Laxton, ASC for The Underground Railroad | Episode: “Chapter 9: Indiana Winter”
Christophe Nuyens, SBC for Lupin | Pilot Episode: “Chapter 1”
Ben Richardson, ASC for Mare of Easttown | Episode: “Illusions”
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Episode of a One-Hour Series Non-Commercial Television
Stuart Biddlecombe for The Handmaid’s Tale | Episode: “The Wilderness”
David Garbett for Sweet Tooth | Episode: “Big Man”
David Greene, ASC, CSC for Chaplewaite | Episode: “The Promised”
Jon Joffin, ASC, CSC for Titans | Episode: “Souls”
Boris Mojsovski, ASC, CSC for Titans | Episode: “Home”
Kate Reid, BSC for The Nevers | Episode: “Hanged”
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Episode of a One-Hour Series Commercial Television
Thomas Burstyn, CSC, NZSC for Snowpiercer | Episode: “Our Answer for Everything”
Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC for Snowfall | Episode: “Weight”
Ronald Paul Richard for Riverdale | Episode: “Chapter Eighty-Nine: Reservoir Dogs”
Brendan Steacy, CSC for Clarice | Episode: “Silence is Purgatory”
David Stockton, ASC for Mayans M.C. | Episode: “The Orneriness of Kings”
Gavin Struthers, ASC, BSC for Superman & Lois | Episode: “Heritage”
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Episode of a Half-Hour Series Television
Marshall Adams, ASC for Servant | Episode: “2:00”
Michael Berlucchi for Mythic Quest | Episode: “Backstory!”
Adam Bricker for Hacks | Episode: “There is No Line”
Paula Huidobro for Physical | Episode: “Let’s Get Together”
Jaime Reynoso, AMC for The Kominsky Method | Episode: “And it’s Getting More and More Absurd”
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