William the conqueror

Guillaume Gallienne, centre, sweeps the board at the Césars

An actor from the theatrical tradition of the Comedie Francaise scooped the top awards in film at the Césars, France's answer to the Oscars.

Guillaume Gallienne's Me, Myself And Mum (Les Garçons Et Guillaume, à Table) which had ten nominations, was rewarded with five of the top prizes including best film, best debut feature,best actor and best adapted screenplay.

The autobiographical tale which explores the awkward upbringing of Gallienne, who was raised by his domineering mother as the daughter she never had, causing him to experience some sexual identity confusion, was a surprise box office hit last year in France, scoring favourably alongside many of Hollywood's blockbusters including The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It was one of last year's rare profitable French-language films while Gallienne, who plays himself and his mum in the film, remains a popular stage actor.

The Cannes Grand Prix winner Blue Is The Warmest Colour, a much-admired tale of a passionate lesbian love affair, surprisingly took only one award - best female newcomer prize for Adèle Exarchopoulos. The best actress trophy went to Sandrine Kiberlain for her role in Albert Dupontel's 9 Month Stretch (9 Mois Ferme), in which she plays an unmarried judge who discovers she's pregnant.

Another unexpected winner for best director was Roman Polanski for Venus In Fur, a theatrical two-hander between Mathieu Amalric and his wife Emmanuelle Seigner. He was genuinely surprised at the ceremony in the Chatelet Theatre last night (February 28) when he gasped “I really, really didn’t expect this." He was not the only one.

The best newcomer actor (male) gong was bestowed on Pierre Deladonchamps for the erotically charged gay-themed thriller Stranger By The Lake (now on release in the UK).

Surprise appearance: Julie Gayet at the Césars

A frisson of excitement was provided by actress and producer Julie Gayet, who hit the headlines for her alleged affair with President François Holland. She turned up at the ceremony hosted by Cécile de France as the mistress of ceremonies and François Cluzet as the chairman, for her first public appearance since the amorous revelation although she was not rewarded for her supporting role in Bertrand Tavernier's poltical satire Quai d'Orsay. That award was given to Adèle Haenel for Suzanne, by up-and-coming auteur Katell Quillévéré who offers an emotionally astute drama about two sisters discovering life’s unpredictability – the hard way. Not so far removed from the winners and loser at the Césars.

The winners were:

BEST PICTURE
Me Myself and Mum (Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!)

BEST ACTRESS
Sandrine Kiberlain, 9 Month Stretch (9 Mois Ferme)

BEST ACTOR
Guillaume Gallienne, Me Myself And Mum (Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!)

BEST DIRECTOR
Roman Polanski, Venus In Fur

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adèle Haenel, Suzanne

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Broken Circle Breakdown

BEST SHORT FILM
Avant Que De Tout Perdre, Xavier Legrand

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Thomas Hardmeier, The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet

BEST EDITING
Valérie Deseine, Me Myself And Mum (Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Wolfy The Incredibly Secret (Loulou L’Incroyable Secret), Eric Omond

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Mademoiselle Kiki Et Les Montparnos, Amélie Harrault

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Guilaume Gallienne, Me Myself And Mum (Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Sur Le Chemin De L’Ecole, Pascal Plisson

NEWCOMER (Male)
Pierre Deladonchamps, Stranger By The Lake

NEWCOMER (Female)
Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is The Warmest Colour

BEST SOUND
Jean-Pierre Duret, Jean Mallet & Mélissa Petitjean, Michael Kohlhaas

BEST ART DIRECTION
Stéphane Rozenbaum, Mood Indigo (L’Ecume Des Jours)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Martin Wheeler, Michael Kohlhaas

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Niels Arestrup, Quai d’Orsay

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Albert Dupontel, 9 Month Stretch (9 Mois Ferme)

BEST COSTUMES
Pascaline Chavanne, Renoir

BEST DEBUT FEATURE
Me Myself And Mum (Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table!)