Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ Tops César Awards With 10 Nominations

While his “Blue Moon” appears to be slightly more acclaimed stateside, Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” a love letter to the French New Wave movement, dominated César Awards nominations—France’s Oscars—with 10 nods.

Shot in black and white, the film is nominated for best film, director, original screenplay, cinematography, male newcomer, editing, sound, original score, and costume design.

Linklater’s movie was picked up by Netflix at Cannes and made the shortlist to represent France at the Oscars, but the French selection committee ultimately chose Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident.”

“Nouvelle Vague” could very well win Best Film on February 26, though it will have to contend with “L’attachement,” “Case 137,” “The Little Sister,” and “It Was Just an Accident.” Not the most impressive Best Film lineup of recent editions—and yes, France did have an off year in terms of standout cinema in 2025—to the point that it’s acceptable to have a fully Iranian film compete for the top prize, eligible only because some of its producers are French.

Speaking of “It Was Just an Accident,” which is nominated for best film and best original screenplay, Panahi was snubbed for best director. That omission is a bit odd, though perhaps voters in that category wanted to keep things strictly French.

Another breakout is “Nino,” which earned a best first film nomination for Pauline Loquès, best male newcomer for Théodore Pellerin, and best supporting actress for Jeanne Balibar. If you ask me, Pauline Loquès’s wonderful film deserved a Best Film nomination—hopefully it gets a U.S. release sometime this year.

In the international feature category, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Once Battle After Another” will compete against Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Oliver Laxe’s “Sirat,” Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” and Guan Hu’s “Black Dog.”

Nominations for the 51st Cesar Awards:

Best Film

“L’attachement”
“Case 137”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“The Little Sister”
“It Was Just an Accident” 

Best Director

Carine Tardieu, “L’attachement”
Dominik Moll, “Case 137”
Stéphane Demoustier, “The Great Arch”
Richard Linklater, “Nouvelle Vague”
Hafsia Herzi, “The Little Sister”

Best Actress

Leïla Bekhti, “Ma Mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan”
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, “L’attachement”
Léa Drucker, “Case 137”
Isabelle Huppert, “The Richest Woman in the World”
Mélanie Thierry, “La Chambre de Mariana”

Best Actor

Claes Bang, “The Great Arch”
Bastien Bouillon, “Leave One Day”
Laurent Lafitte, “The Richest Woman in the World”
Pio Marmaï, “L’attachement”
Benjamin Voisin, “The Stranger”

Best Supporting Actress

Jeanne Balibar, “Nino”
Dominique Blanc, “Partir Un Jour”
Marina Foïs, “The Richest Woman in the World”
Ji-Min Park, “La Petite Dernière
Vimala Pons, “L’attachement”

Best Supporting Actor

Swann Arlaud, “The Great Arch”
Xavier Dolan, “The Great Arch”
Michel Fau, “The Great Arch”
Pierre Lottin, “The Stranger”
Raphaël Personnaz, “The Richest Women in the World”

Best Female Newcomer

Manon Clavel, “Kika”
Suzanne Lindon, “La Venue de l’Avenir”
Nadia Melliti, “La Petite Dernière”
Camille Rutherford, “Jane Austen a Gâché Ma Vie”
Anja Verderosa, “L’Épreuve du Feu”

Best Male Newcomer

Idir Azougli, “Météors”
Sayyid El Alami, “La Pampa”
Félix Lefebvre, “L’Épreuve du Feu”
Guillaume Marbeck, “Nouvelle Vague”
Théodore Pellerin, “Nino”

Best Original Screenplay

Dominik Moll, Gilles Marchand, “Case 137”
Pauline Loquès, “Nino”
Holly Gent, Vince Palma, “Nouvelle Vague”
Franck Dubosc, Sarah Kaminsky, “Un Ours Dans le Jura”
Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident”

Best Adapted Screenplay

Carine Tardieu, Raphaëlle Moussafir, Agnès Feuvre, “L’attachement”
Stéphane Demoustier, “The Great Arch”
Hafsia Herzi, “The Little Sister”

Best International Film

“The Secret Agent,” Kleber Mendonça Filho
“Black Dog,” Guan Hu
“Sirât,” Oliver Laxe
“One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier

Best Original Score  

Arnaud Toulon, “Arco”
Olivier Marguerit, “Case 137”
Fatima Al Qadiri, “The Stranger”
Alex Beaupain, “The Richest Woman in the World”
Amine Bouhafa, “The Little Sister”

Best Sound

“Arco”
“Le Chant des Forêts”
“Case 137”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“Leave One Day”

Best Cinematography

Elin Kirschfink, “L’attachement”
Patrick Ghiringhelli, “Case 137”
Marine Atlan, “L’Engloutie”
Manu Dacosse, “The Stranger”
David Chambille, “Nouvelle Vague

Best Editing

Stan Collet, “13 Jours, 13 Nuits”
Christel Dewynter, “L’attachement”
Laurent Rouan, “Case 137”
Catherine Schwartz, “Nouvelle Vague”
Géraldine Mangenot, “The Little Sister”

Best Costume Design 

Céline Guignard, “La Condition”
Corinne Bruand, “Dracula”
Jürgen Doering, “The Richest Woman in the World”
Pascaline Chavanne, “Nouvelle Vague”
Pierre-Yves Gayraud, “La Venue de l’Avenir”

Best Production Design 

Jean-Philippe Moreaux, “Dog 51”
Catherine Cosme, “L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche”
Riton Dupire-Clément, “Once Upon My Mother”
Katia Wyszkop, “Nouvelle Vague”
Marie Cheminel, “La Venue de l’Avenir”

Best Visual Effects

Cédric Fayolle, “Dog 51”
Rodolphe Chabrier, Benoît de Longlée, “L’Homme qui Rétrécit”
Lise Fischer, “The Great Arch”
Alain Carsoux, “Nouvelle Vague”