On Friday evening (February 24th) the César, France's national film prize, was awarded. Brad Pitt (59) made a surprise appearance with cheers and standing ovations. The Hollywood star presented director David Fincher (60) with the honorary César. In his laudatory speech, he praised the 60-year-old, with whom he had worked for "Sieben" (1995) and "Fight Club" (1999), among other things.

Among other things, Pitt called Fincher "warm-hearted, perfectionist, intelligent and loyal". His life changed forever "when I had coffee with David Fincher in 1994. I don't know if it matters what we do, but I know what matters are the people we hold on to and the indelible ones Traces that they leave in our being," explained the actor on stage. Other directors often try to emulate him, but "invariably fail because they think it's all about the imagery," Pitt said. "But if it were just about the pictures, we wouldn't be looking at his work tonight and honoring him. Everything always counts for him."

The best film in the evening was "In the night of the 12th." by Dominik Moll (60). The German-born French director also shared the awards for "Best Director" and "Best Adapted Screenplay" with Gilles Marchand. The crime drama also came out on top in "Best Sound", "Best Supporting Actor" and "Best Young Actor". Furthermore, Virginie Efira (45) was honored as "Best Leading Actress" in "Revoir Paris" and Benoit Magimel (48) for "Pacifiction" as "Best Leading Actor".

The French film prize is named after the French sculptor César Baldaccini (1921-1998) who designed the trophy for the prize. The award was first presented in 1976. The "Nuit des césars" (in English: "The Night of the Césars") takes place every year in February in Paris.