The head of the French film academy Alain Terzian said it"should not take moral positions" about giving awards as Roman Polanski's new film"An Officer and a Spy" is up for 12 Cesars, the French equivalent of the Oscars.
The controversial director has been wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl since 1978 and is persona non grata in Hollywood. But their choice was condemned by the French equality minister, feminist groups and some film critics. Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa was equally scathing. "What message are they trying to send?" she told French radio.
Haenel, who was nominated for best actress for her performance in "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," touched a nerve last year by telling how she was sexually harassed from the age of 12 on her first film. Polanski, 86, won both best director and the critics' prize at the Venice film festival in August for "An Officer and a Spy," which has been a big hit at the French box office despite a wave of protests.
"Les Miserables," a tough drama set in the poor and restive suburbs of Paris — which is also in the running for a best foreign-language Oscar — picked up 11 Cesar nominations, just behind Polanski's film.