Posted: Mon., Feb. 4, 2002, 3:13am PT

'Amelie' up for 13 of France's Cesars

'Ward,' 'Lips' nominated in nine categories

By Alison James

Jeunet

PARIS -- Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Amelie" has received 13 Cesar nominations, France's equivalent of the Oscar, it was announced Monday.

But the Cesar Academy has snubbed two of France's biggest grossing movies, Francis Veber's "The Closet" and "La Verite Si Je Mens 2" – the sequel to the buddy movie "Would I Lie To You?" – showering noms instead on Francois Dupeyron's "The Officer's Ward" and Jacques Audiard's "Read My Lips", which feature in nine categories apiece.

Christophe Gans' "Brotherhood of the Wolf," another Gallic box office smash, comes away with four nominations in the lesser categories of best music, decor, sound and costumes.

U.S. fare dominates the best foreign film category, with the Coen brothers' "The Man Who Wasn't There," David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive," Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic" and Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" competing against Nanni Moretti's "The Son's Room."

The awards ceremony takes place March 2.

And the nominees are…

Best film
"The Officer's Ward" Francois Dupeyron
"Chaos" Colline Serreau
"Amelie" Jean-Pierre Jeunet
"Under the Sand" Francois Ozon
"Read My Lips" Jacques Audiard

Best director
Jacques Audiard "Read My Lips"
Patrice Chereau "Intimacy"
Francois Dupeyron "The Officers' Ward"
Jean-Pierre Jeunet "Amelie"
Francois Ozon "Under The Sand"

Best actress
Emmanuel Devos "Read My Lips"
Catherine Frot "Chaos"
Isabelle Huppert "The Pianist"
Charlotte Ramping "Under the Sand"
Audrey Tautou "Amelie"

Best actor
Michel Bouquet "The Way I Killed My Father"
Eric Caravaca "The Officers's Ward"
Vincent Cassel "Read My Lips"
Andre Dussollier "Tanguy"
Jacques Dutronc "C'est la Vie"

Best supporting actress
Nicole Garcia "Betty Fisher and Other Stories"
Annie Girardot "The Piano Teacher"
Noémie Lvovsky "My Wife's An Actress"
Isabelle Nanty "Amelie"
Line Renaud "Chaos"

Best supporting actor
Edward Baer "Betty Fisher and Other Stories"
Jamel Debbouze "Amelie"
Andre Dussollier "The Officers' Ward"
Jean-Paul Roussillon "One Swallow Brought Spring"
Rufus "Amelie"

Best female newcomer
Rachida Brakni "Chaos"
Marion Cotillard "Pretty Things"
Hélène Fillières "A Hell of a Day"
Hélène de Fougerolles "Who Knows?"
Isild Le Besco "Roberto Succo"

Best male newcomer
Eric Berger "Tanguy"
Stefano Cassetti "Roberto Succo"
Gregori Derangere "The Officers' Ward"
Jean-Michel Portal "The Officers' Ward"
Robinson Stévenin "Transfixion"

Best first film
"Gregoire Moulin Versus Humanity" Artus de Penguern
"My Wife's An Actress" Yvan Attal
"No Man's Land" Danis Tanovic
"Travelling Birds" Jacques Perrin, Michel Debats, Jacques Cluzaud
"One Swallow brought Spring" Christian Carion

Best screenplay
Jacques Audiard and Tonino Benacquista "Read my lips"
Francois Duperyron "The Officers' Ward"
Guillaume Laurent and Jean-Pierre Jeunet "Amelie"
Colline Serreau "Chaos"
Danis Tanovic "No Man's Land"

Best soundtrack
Bruno Coulais "Travelling Birds"
Alexandre Desplat "Read My Lips"
Joseph Lo Duca "Brotherhood of the Wolf"
Yann Tiersen "Amelie"

Best cinematography
Bruno Delbonnel "Amelie"
Tetsuo Nagata "The Officers' Room"
Mathieu Vadepied "Read My Lips"

Best décor
Aline Bonetto "Amelie"
Antoine Fontaine "The Lady and the Duke"
Guy-Claude Francois "Brotherhood of the Wolf"

Best sound
Marc-Antoine Beldent, Pascal Villard, Cyril Holtz "Read My Lips"
Jean-Paul Mugel, Cyril Holtz "Brotherhood of the Wolf"
Jean Umansky Gerard Hardy, Vincent Arnardi "Amelie"

Best editing
Herve Schneid "Amelie"
Juliette Welfling "Read My Lips"
Marie-Josephe Yoyotte "Travelling Birds"

Best costumes
Dominique Borg "Brotherhood of the Wolf"
Catherine Bouchard "The Officers' Room"
Madeline Fontaine "Amelie"
Pierre-Jean Larroque "The Lady and the Duke"

Best short film
"A Summer Night Rendezvous" Florence Miailhe
"Pieces of My Wife" Frederic Pelle
"Les Fille du Douze" Pascale Breton
"Millevaches (Experience)" Pierre Vinour
"The Apple the Fig and the Almond" Joel Brisse