A tribute to Brigitte Bardot at Thursday’s César Awards, which is France’s equivalent of the Oscars, was met with a mixed response, including audible boos. In a video shared on social media, jeers can be heard alongside applause, with one person shouting “racist!” during the homage.
Bardot, who passed away in December at 91, remains one of the most iconic stars of postwar French cinema, known for films such as And God Created Woman and Contempt. However, after stepping away from acting in the early 1970s, her later years were overshadowed by far-right political activism and multiple convictions for inciting racial hatred.
The complexity of her legacy was underscored when musician Chappell Roan deleted a tribute post following Bardot’s death, and admitted she was unaware of the actor’s controversial views and stating she did not support them.
Though celebrated in the 1950s and 60s for her bombshell persona, Bardot later became an animal rights advocate before increasingly voicing hardline political opinions. Her 2003 book A Cry in the Silence criticised gay men and lesbians, educators, and what she described as the “Islamisation of French society.” French courts repeatedly fined her for racist and homophobic remarks, particularly those directed at the country’s Muslim population.
The César Awards have a history of political moments and protests, including Corinne Masiero’s nude protest in 2021 and a walkout in 2020 after Roman Polanski won best director.
At this year’s ceremony, Carine Tardieu’s family drama The Ties That Bind Us took home the award for best film, while Richard Linklater won best director for Nouvelle Vague, his film about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless.
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