Young talent and a rare American up for gongs at 'French Oscars'

Young directing talent, a battle of Yves Saint Laurent biopics and Kristen Stewart as a rare American nominee are the focus of this year's Cesar awards, France's version of the Oscars. For the outside world, the spotlight will be on "Twilight" starlet Kristen Stewart, whose best supporting actress nomination for "Clouds of Sils Maria" makes her the first American woman in 30 years to be up for an award at the Cesars. The best actor category has also lined up an intriguing battle between two portrayals of fashion designer Saint Laurent -- by actors Pierre Niney and Gaspard Ulliel -- after two biopics were released within months of each other last year. The 40th annual Cesars will also be a celebration of young directing talent, with three 30-somethings up for a gong: Thomas Cailley for "Les Combattants", Thomas Lilti for "Hippocrate", and Celine Sciamma for "Bande de filles".

via Entertainment News Headlines — Yahoo! News