Posted: Sun., Jan. 29, 2006, 3:44am PT

Cesar noms feeling 'Beat'

Audiard pic receives 10 noms

By Alison James

'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' has been nominated for 10 Cesar awards.

See Nominees

PARIS -- Jacques Audiard's "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" got the most noms for France's Cesar awards, Gaul's equivalent of the Oscar, announced Friday.

Gallic remake of James Toback's "Fingers," starring Romain Duris as a low-life property dealer drawn to music, was nominated in 10 categories including film, director and  actor.

Christian Carion's "Merry Christmas," France's contender for foreign-language Oscar, nabbed six noms. Other front-runners include Xavier Beauvois' "The Young Lieutenant" and Michael Haneke's "Hidden," with four noms apiece.

Radu Mihaileanu's "Live and Become" and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's Palme D'Or winner "The Child" are also up for film and director.

Hit doc "The March of the Penguins," France's top export this year, was not cited in the major categories but took noms for first film, sound and original score for Gallic electro-pop artist Emilie Simon.

David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence," Alejandro Amenabar's "The Sea Inside," Woody Allen's "Match Point," Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" and Eytan Fox's "Tu marcheras sur l'eau" will battle it out for foreign film.

Awards takes place at Paris's Theatre du Chatelet on Feb. 25, hosted by comic actress Valerie Lemercier.

And the nominees are...

BEST FRENCH FILM
"The Beat That My Heart Skipped," Jacques Audiard
"The Child," Jean Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
"Merry Christmas," Christian Carion
"The Young Lieutenant," Xavier Beauvois
"Live and Become," Radu Mihaileanu

BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard, "The Beat that my heart skipped"
Xavier Beauvois, "The Young Lieutenant"
Jean Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, "The Child"
Michael Haneke, "Hidden"
Radu Mihaileanu, "Live and Become"

BEST ACTOR
Michel Bouquet, "The Last Mitterrand"
Patrick Chesnais, "Not Here To Be Loved"
Romain Duris, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Jose Garcia, "The Ax"
Benoit Poelvoorde, "In His Hands"

BEST ACTRESS
Nathalie Baye, "The Young Lieutenant"
Isasbelle Carre, "In His Hands"
Anne Consigny, "Not Here To Be Loved"
Isabelle Huppert, "Gabrielle"
Valerie Lermercier, "Palais Royal!"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Niels Arestrup, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Maurice Benichou, "Hidden"
Dany Boon, "Merry Christmas"
Georges Wilson, "Not Here to be Loved"
Roschdy Zem, "The Young Lieutenant"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Catherine Deneuve, "Palais Royal!"
Cecile de France, "Russian Dolls"
Noemie Lvovsky, "Backstage"
Charlotte Rampling, "Lemming"
Kelly Reilly, "Russian Dolls"

BEST MALE NEWCOMER
Walid Afkir, "Hidden"
Louis Garrel, "Regular Lovers"
Adrien Joliver, "Zim and Co."
Gilles Lellouche, "Love Is in the Air"
Aymen Saidi, "Saint Jacques...La Mecque"

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Melanie Doutey, "Never Say Never!"
Deborah Francois, "The Child"
Marina Hands, "Grey Souls"
Linh-Dan Pham, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Fanny Valette, "Little Jeusalem"

BEST FIRST FILM
"Anthony Zimmer," Jerome Salle
"Darwin's Nightmare," Hubert Sauper
"Cold Showers," Anthony Cordier
"The March of the Penguins," Luc Jacquet
"Little Jerusalem," Karin Albou

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Xavier Beauvois, Guillaume Breaud, Jean-Eric Troubat "The Young Lieutenant"
Christian Carion, "Joyeux Noel"
Jean Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, "The Child"
Michael Haneke, "Hidden"
Radu Mihaileanu, Alain-Michel Blanc "Live and Become"

BEST ADAPTATION
Jacques Audiard, Tonino Benacquista, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Patrice Chereau, Anne-Louise Trividic, "Gabrielle"
Constantin Costa-Gavras, Jean-Claude Grumberg, "The Ax"
Anne Fontaine, Julien Boivent, "In His Hands"
Gilles Taurant Georges-Marc Benamou, "The Last Mitterrand"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Armand Amar, "Live and Become"
Alexandre Desplat, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Philippe Rombi, "Merry Christmas"
Emilie Simon, "The March of the Penguins"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Stephane Fontaine, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Eric Gautier, "Gabrielle"
William Lubtchansky, "Regular Lovers"

BEST SET DESIGN
Loula Morin, "Grey Souls"
Olivier Radot, "Gabrielle"
Jean-Michel Simonet, "Merry Christmas"

BEST SOUND
Laurent Quaglio, Gerard Lamps, "The March of the Penguins"
Guillaume Sciama, Benoit Hillebrant, Olivier Do Huu, "Gabrielle"
Brigitte Taillandier, Pascal Villard, Cyril Holtz, Philippe Amouroux, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"

BEST COSTUMES
Pascaline Chavanne, "Grey Souls"
Alison Forbes-Meyler, "Merry Christmas"
Carolien de Vivaise, "Gabrielle"

BEST EDITING
Sabine Emiliani, "The March of the Penguins"
Francine Sandberg, "Russian Dolls"
Juliette Welfling, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"

BEST SHORT FILM
"After Shave," Hany Tamba
"Obras," Hendrick Dussollier
"Fear, Little Hunter," Laurent Achard
"Under the Blue," David Oelhoffen

BEST FOREIGN FILM
"A History of Violence," David Cronenberg
"Sea Inside," Alejandro Amenabar
"Match Point," Woody Allen
"Million Dollar Baby," Clint Eastwood
"Tu marcheras sur l'eau," Eytan Fox