George Clooney to be honored at France’s Cesar Awards

PanARMENIAN.Net - George Clooney will be feted at the 42nd edition of the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, with an honorary prize, Variety reports.

The award will be given to Clooney during a ceremony which will gather the bulk of the French film industry and will be held in Paris on Feb. 24.

“The most charismatic actor of his generation, George Clooney embodies the Hollywood glamour that big cinema stars have. His charm, sense of humor, personality and engagement are at the heart of our perpetual and eternal admiration,” said France’s Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema.

Clooney, whose next directorial effort, “Suburbicon,” will be released this year, was in France last May for the world premiere of “Money Monster” at the Cannes Film Festival.

Clooney succeeds Michael Douglas, last year’s recipient of the honorary Cesar Award. Previous honorees have included Meryl Streep, Sean Penn and Roman Polanski.

The Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema recently made headlines after naming Polanski president of the upcoming Cesar Awards. The decision sparked protests from feminist organizations, leading Polanski to withdraw from the presidency, a largely ceremonial role. He has not yet been replaced.

Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” with Oscar-nominated Isabelle Huppert, and Francois Ozon’s period drama “Frantz” lead the Cesar Awards nominations, with 11 each.