Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ Makes History With 10 Nominations for France’s César Awards

There’s an American in Paris. Texas-based director Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” led the nominations for France’s César Awards, the organization announced on Wednesday. The 10 nominations mark an historical first for an American director and an American production.

The black-and-white love letter to the French New Wave, now streaming on Netflix, scored 10 nominations, including for best film, director, original screenplay, cinematography and editing, as well as a nod in the best newcomer category for Guillaume Marbeck, who plays French director Jean-Luc Godard in the film.

The movie was snubbed in last week’s Oscar nominations. Linklater’s other 2025 picture “Blue Moon” scored nominations for Best Actor (Ethan Hawke) and best original screenplay.

Though it earned the most nominations for an American production, “Nouvelle Vague” is not the first non-French production ever nominated for the Césars’ top prize. Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” and last year’s “Emilia Peréz” are among the other titles honored for work produced outside of France.

Other top César contenders include Carine Tardieu’s “L’attachement,” Dominik Moll’s courtroom drama “Case 137” and Stéphane Demoustier’s historical epic “The Great Arch,” each of which earned eight nominations.

Meanwhile, Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident” earned nominations for best film and best screenplay. Though shot in Iran, the film qualifies as a French production. Last week it received two Oscar nominations, including for Best International Film, representing France.

Other Oscar-nominated films in the Césars’ lineup included Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Oliver Laxe’s “Sirât” and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” all in the Best International Film category. Ugo Bienvenu’s Oscar-nominated French animated feature “Arco,” produced by Natalie Portman, received four nominations.

Actress Camille Cottin will host the 51st César Awards on Feb. 26 at Paris’ Olympia Theatre. Jim Carrey will receive the Honorary César.

The full 2026 César Awards nominations:

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”

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