2015 Cesar Award Nominees

France's Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for this year's Cesar Awards - the country's equivalent to the Oscars - in a morning ceremony at the famed Fouqet's restaurant on the Champs Elysees.

Sean Penn will receive the Academy's honorary Cesar this year, organizers announced Monday.Alain Resnais will get a tribute at the awards ceremony.

The 40th annual awards will be held on Feb. 20 - just two days ahead of the Oscars - at Paris' Chatelet Theatre. 

Here are nominees in some key categories:

Best Film
Love at First Fight
Eastern Boys
The Belier Family
Hippocrates
Saint Laurent
Sils Maria
Timbuktu

Best Director
Celine Sciamma for Girlhood
Thomas Cailley for Love at First Fight
Robin Campillo for Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti for Hippocrates
Bertrand Bonello for Saint Laurent
Olivier Assays for Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako for Timbuktu

Best Actress
Juliette Binoche for Sils Maria
Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night
Catherine Deneuve for Dans la Cour
Emilie Dequenne for Not My Type
Adele Haenel for Love at First Fight
Sandrine Kiberlain for Elle l’Adore
Karin Viard for The Belier Family

Best Supporting Actress
Marianne Denicourt for Hippocrates
Claude Gensac for Lulu in the Nude
Izia Higelin for Samba
Charlotte Le Bon for Yves Saint Laurent
Kristen Stewart for Sils Maria

Best Actor
Niels Arestrup for Diplomatie
Guillaume Canet for Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart
Francois Damines for The Belier Family
Romain Duris for The New Girlfriend
Vincent Lacoste for Hippocrates
Pierre Niney for Yves Saint Laurent
Gaspard Ulliel for Saint Laurent

Best Supporting Actor
Eric Elmosnino for The Belier Family
Guillaume Gallienne for Yves Saint Laurent
Louis Garrel for Saint Laurent
Reda Kateb for Hippocrates
Jeremie Renier for Saint Laurent

Best Original Screenplay
Thomas Cailley, Claude le Pape for Love at First Fight
Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain for The Belier Family
Thomas Lilti, Baya Kasmi, Julien Lilti and Pierre Chosson for Hippocrates
Oliver Assayas for Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako, Kessen Tall for Timbuktu

Best Adapted Screenplay
Mathieu Almaric, Stephanie Cleau for The Blue Room
Cyril Gely, Volker Schlondorff for Diplomatie
Solveig Anspach, Jean-Luc Gaget for Lulu in the Nude
Lucas Belvaux for Not My Type
Cederic Anger for Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart

Best Costume
Pierre-Yves Gayraud for The Beauty and the Beast
Carine Sarfati for The Connection
Anais Romand for Saint Laurent
Pascaline Chavanne for The New Girlfriend
Madeline Fontaine for Yves Saint Laurent 

Best Set Decoration
Thierry Flamand for The Beauty and the Beast
Jean-Philippe Moreau for The Connection
Katia Wyszkop for Saint Laurent
Sebastian Birchler for Timbuktu
Aline Bonetto for Yves Saint Laurent

Best Cinemaphotography
Christophe Beaucarne for The Beauty and the Beast
Josee Deshaies for Saint Laurent
Yorick le Saux for Sils Maria
Sofian el Fani for Timbuktu
Thomas Hardmeier for Yves Saint Laurent

Best Editing
Lilian Corbielle for Love at First Fight
Christel Dewynter for Hippocrates
Frederic Baillehaiche for Party Girl
Fabrice Rouad for Saint Laurent
Nadia Ben Rachid for Timbuktu

Best Sound

Pierre Andre and Daniel Sobrino for Girlhood
Jean-Jacques Ferran, Nicolas Moreau, Jean-Pierre Laforce for Bird People
Jean-Luc Audy, Guillaume Bouchateau, Niels Barletta for Love at First Fight
Nicolas Cantin, Nicolas Moreau, Jean-Pierre Laforce for Saint Laurent
Philippe Welsh, Roman Dymn, Thierry Delor for Timbuktu

Best Animated Film
Le Chant de la Mer
Jack and the Cuckooclock Heart
Miniscule  

Best First Film
Love at First Fight by Thomas Cailley
Elle l’Adore by Jeanne Herry
Fidelio by Lucie Borleteau
Party Girl by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis
May Allah Bless France by Abd al Malik

Best New Actress
Lou de Laage for Breathe
Louane Emera for The Belier Family
Josephine Japy for Breathe
Ariane Labed for Fidelio
Karidja Toure for Girlhood

Best New Actor
Kevin Azais for Love at First Fight
Ahmed Drame for Les Heritiers
Kirill Emelyanov for Eastern Boys
Pierre Rochefort for Going Away
Marc Zinga for May Allah Bless France