PARIS — Abderrahmane Sissako’s foreign-language Oscar-nommed “Timbuktu” was the big winner of the 40th Cesar Awards, snatching up seven kudos, including the film and director nods.

Kristen Stewart scored a supporting actress Cesar for her performance as Juliette Binoche’s assistant in “Clouds of Sils Maria,” becoming the first American actress to win a Cesar trophy.

“The reasons why people make films here in France are very different from the reasons why people make movies in Hollywood, and I prefer it here a little bit,” Stewart said backstage about the courage of French filmmakers. She also revealed she will star in another French film but declined to reveal any further details.

“Timbuktu” won best film over Olivier Assayas’ “Sils Maria,” Bertrand Bonello’s “Saint Laurent,” Thomas Cailley’s “Love at First Fight,” Robin Campillo’s “Eastern Boys,” Eric Lartigau’s “The Belier Family” and Thomas Lilti’s “Hippocrate.”

In his acceptance speech, Sissako paid homage to the richness and openness of the French film industry and in particular his producer Sylvie Pialat and co-producer/distributor Jean Labadie for believing in the project and taking risks. “France had faith in this film from the start as we were in a rush to get it off the ground.” Sissako also evoked the recent Paris terror attacks, saying that “France has shown it was capable of standing up against horror and obscurantism.” The filmmaker ended his speech by saying, “There is no civilization clash, there is a meeting between two civilizations.”

Sissako also paid tribute to Cannes Film Festival for placing the film under an international spotlight and talked about his attachment to Mauritania. “There are hundreds of people in Mauritania who don’t have the opportunity to make movies. Beyond Mauritania the whole of Africa is watching us tonight — this continent that we seldom talk about in order to praise its strength.”

Besides winning the top Cesar awards, “Timbuktu” also swept kudos for sound, cinematography, editing, music and original screenplay.

Surprisingly,”Timbuktu” was overlooked at Cannes where it world premiered in competition. Although the movie is considered to be the first Mauritanian film in the running for a foreign-language Oscar, it was financed in France, produced at Sylvie Pialat’s Paris-based Les Films du Worso and distributed/sold by Jean-Labadie’s Le Pacte.