PARIS: Kristen Stewart on Friday became the first American actress to win a Cesar, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, while “Timbuktu” won seven awards including best film for its portrayal of northern Mali under extremist control.

“Twilight” star Stewart received the best supporting actress award for her role alongside Juliette Binoche in “Clouds of Sils Maria.”

Directed by France’s Olivier Assayas, 24-year-old Stewart plays the personal assistant to a star actress played by Binoche.

The victory for “Timbuktu” could propel it toward greater glory at the Oscars on Sunday, where it is nominated for the best foreign film award.

Abderrahmane Sissako, who also won a Cesar for best director among the film’s haul of awards, said he wanted to show the residents of the ancient city struggling to maintain their daily lives in the face of the brutal rule of extremists who seized a large portion of Mali’s vast desert in 2012.

Most of the film had to be made in Sissako’s native Mauritania as northern Mali, despite being freed from extreme control by a French military intervention, remains an extremely dangerous place, especially for foreigners.

In his acceptance speech, Sissako — who became the first black African to win the best director Cesar — praised French people for taking to the streets in their millions after the attacks in Paris last month that left 17 dead.

“France is a magnificent country because it is able to stand up to the horror and to the violence,” he said.

“There is no clash of civilizations. There is a meeting of civilizations,” he added.

Stewart has spoken of how working with Binoche, one of France’s leading ladies for three decades, was a privilege and as she mounted the stage in Paris on Friday she shouted “I love you Juliette” in French.

“Clouds of Sils Maria” marks a return to arthouse films for Stewart, who made her name as Bella, the love interest of Robert Pattinson’s vampire in the hugely successful five-film “Twilight” series.

The best actor category saw Pierre Niney beat Gaspard Ulliel in a battle between two portrayals of legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. The two biopics were released within months of each other last year.

There was more American success when two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn — artfully dishevelled in a black suit and loosened tie — received a Cesar lifetime achievement award to tumultuous applause from the audience at the Chatelet theater.