Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague Leads 2026 César Nominations

Richard Linklater's film, Nouvelle Vague, has garnered a remarkable 10 nominations for the 2026 César awards, France’s national film awards. The official list of contenders was recently released by the Académie des César.

The film is a French-language, black-and-white production focused on the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film Breathless.

Three other French films, L’Attachement, Dossier 137, and L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche, each received a strong 8 nominations. These three productions, along with Nouvelle Vague and Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, are all contenders in the prestigious Best Film category.

Key Nominations

Best Director

The nominees for Best Director showcase a diverse range of talent:

Carine Tardieu for L’Attachement
Dominik Moll for Dossier 137
Stéphane Demoustier for L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche
Richard Linklater for Nouvelle Vague
Hafsia Herzi for La Petite Dernière

Beyond its top-tier nominations, Nouvelle Vague also secured nods for sound, cinematography, editing, costume and production design, and visual effects, underscoring its technical achievements.

Best Actress

The competition for Best Actress is fierce:

Leila Bekhti for Ma Mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi for L’Attachement
Léa Drucker for Dossier 137
Isabelle Huppert for La Femme la plus riche du monde
Mélanie Thierry for La Chambre de Mariana

Best Actor

The Best Actor category features a compelling lineup:

Claes Bang for L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche
Bastien Bouillon for Partir un jour
Laurent Lafitte for La Femme la plus riche du monde
Pio Marmaï for L’Attachement
Benjamin Voisin for L’Étranger

Best Foreign Film

International cinema is well-represented in the Best Foreign Film category:

The Secret Agent (Brazil)
Black Dog (China)
Sirāt (Spain)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another (USA)

The winners will be revealed at the 51st César ceremony, set to take place in Paris on February 26.