César (cinema), French honorary distinction awarded every year in several disciplines in cinema by a jury of professionals. Established in 1976, under the initiative of Georges Cravenne, the César ceremony is, like the Hollywood Academy Awards (Oscars), an event intended to promote national cinema and to award prizes for the best works of the year. The name comes from the sculptor César, who created the statuette that is handed to prizewinners.

See also French Cinema.