THE stormiest and most beleaguered Cesar Awards ever took place in Paris on Friday, with “Les Miserables” being named 2019’s best French film while protesters lined the streets outside the Salle Pleyel protesting the nominations for Roman Polanski’s “J’accuse,” which is known as “An Officer and a Spy” outside France.

Despite the furor, Polanski won two Cesar awards, one for best director and another for adapted screenplay, which he shared with his co-writer Robert Harris. His film also won for its costumes. After Polanski’s best-director award was announced, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” actress Adele Haenel and director Celine Sciamma walked out of the theater.

It was Polanski’s fifth Cesar in the directing category, the most of any director. His previous awards were for “Tess,” “The Pianist,” “The Ghost Writer” and “Venus in Fur.”

Despite all the attention on Polanski, the Oscar-nominated “Les Miserables” was the big winner of the night, taking home four awards.

In addition to the best-film prize, director Ladj Ly’s taut drama also won for most promising actor (Alexis Manenti) and best editing, as well as taking the audience award, the one category that is chosen by members of the public rather than the 4,000-plus voters in the Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences.

The best actor prize went to Roschdy Zem for “Oh Mercy!” and the best actress to Anais Demoustier for “Alice and the Mayor,” while the supporting actor and actress awards were given to Swann Arlaud for “By the Grace of God” and Fanny Ardant for “La Belle Epoque,” respectively.

The awards for the most promising actor and actress went to Alexis Manenti for “Les Miserables” and Lyna Khoudri for “Papicha,” respectively.

Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy,” which dramatizes the Dreyfus affair in which a 19th-century French officer was unfairly convicted of treason, led all films with 12 nominations from the Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences. The nominations for Polanski, who has been subject to multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, caused widespread protests not just about the nominations but about the organization itself.

Earlier in February, more than 400 members of the French Academy signed an open letter calling for a “complete overhaul” of the organization, which is run by an unelected board of directors. In response, the entire board resigned, effective after the ceremony, and asked that a mediator oversee reforms.

This week, Polanski announced that he would not attend the ceremony because he anticipated it would turn into a “public lynching.” None of the nominees from his film attended the show, which did not stop women’s groups from organizing protests outside the venue. (SD-Agencies)