François Ozon’s The Stranger and Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, two black-and-white films about French cultural classics, have topped the nominations for the 31st edition of France’s Lumière Awards.
The Stranger, Ozon’s adaptation of Albert Camus’ famed 1942 novella, stars Benjamin Voisin as a Frenchman living in 1930s Algeria who murders a stranger. It has earned nods in six categories, including best film, best director for Ozon, best screenplay, best cinematography, best score and best actor for Voisin. Produced by Ozon’s production house FOZ and Gaumont, the film first premiered in competition at Venice. Gaumont, which is also handling international sales, released the film in late October in France, where it notched up 733,000 admissions.
Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, centred around the production of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film Breathless, followed with five nominations, including best film, best director for Linklater, best screenplay, most promising actor for Guillaume Marbeck, who stars as Godard. After a Cannes competition premiere, the film was acquired by Netflix for the US. ARP Selection released the film in France in early October, where it garnered 132, 200 admissions.
The Lumière Awards are voted on by international correspondents from 36 countries. The prize ceremony will be held in Paris on January 18, 2026 at the Institut du Monde Arabe. Last year, Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set musical Emilia Perez dominated the winners with five prizes, including best film.
Another Cannes competition entry, Dominik Moll’s police thriller Case 137, earned four nominations, including best film, best director, best screenplay for Moll and Gilles Marchand, and best actress for Lea Drucker. The latter plays an investigator tasked with an incident involving a young man severely wounded during a protest in Paris that takes a personal turn.
The film has already sold some 500,000 tickets at the French box office since its November 19 release via Haut Et Court. Charades is handling sales.
Stephane Demoustier’s historical drama The Great Arch, first launched at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, also scored four nominations, including best film, director, screenplay, and best actor for Claes Bang who stars as a Danish architect tasked with constructing the Great Arch of La Defense in the early 1980s. Le Pacte handles sales.
Abdellatif Kechiche’s Mektoub My Love: Canto Due, the third instalment in Abdellatif Kechiche’s coming-of-age saga, rounds out the nominations for best film and also scored nods for best director and most promising actress for Jessica Pennington. Pathe is handling sales.
Pauline Loques’ Nino and Vincent Munier’s nature documentary Whispers In The Woods also had a strong showing with three nominations each. Nino is nominated for best first feature, best screenplay, and most promising actor for Pellerin. The Party Film Sales is selling the film.
Whispers In The Woods, a visual ode to nature and its poetic soundscapes, scored nods for best documentary, best cinematography and best score.
Jodie Foster earned a nomination for her role in Rebecca Zlotowski’s French-language A Private Life.
The best international co-production category, featuring several Oscar contenders, includes Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, Albert Serra’s Afternoons Of Solitude, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab.
Full list of Lumière nominations
Best film
Case 137, dir. Dominik Moll
The Stranger, dir. François Ozon
The Great Arch, dir. Stéphane Demoustier
Mektoub My Love: Canto Due, dir. Abdellatif Kechiche
Nouvelle Vague, dir. Richard Linklater
Best director
Stéphane Demoustier for The Great Arch
Abdellatif Kechiche for Mektoub My Love: Canto Due
Richard Linklater for Nouvelle Vague
Dominik Moll for Case 137
François Ozon for The Stranger
Best screenplay
Stéphane Demoustier for The Great Arch
Holly Gent, Vince Palmo & Michèle Halberstadt for Nouvelle Vague
Pauline Loquès for Nino
Dominik Moll & Gilles Marchand for Case 137
François Ozon for The Stranger
Best documentary
Whispers In The Woods, dir. Vincent Munier
Tell Her I Love Her, dir. Romane Bohringer
Lumière! The Adventure Continues, dir. Thierry Frémaux
Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal Of All Scandals, dir. Yannick Kergoat
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, dir. Sepideh Farsi
Best Animated Film
Little Amelie Or The Character Of Rain, dir. Liane-Cho Han & Maïlys Vallade
Arco, dir. Ugo Bienvenu
La Vie De Chateau: Mon Enfance A Versailles, dir. Nathaniel H’Limi & Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat
A Magnificent Life, dir. Sylvain Chomet
A Boat In The Garden, dir. Jean-François Laguionie
Best actress
Léa Drucker for Case 137
Jodie Foster for A Private Life
Isabelle Huppert for The Richest Woman in the World
Vicky Krieps for Love Me Tender
Mélanie Thierry for Mariana’s Room
Best actor
Swann Arlaud for The Condition
Claes Bang for The Great Arch
Laurent Lafitte for The Richest Woman in the World
Alexis Manenti for The Mohican
Benjamin Voisin for The Stranger
Most promising actress
Manon Clavel for Kika
Bella Kim for Winter in Sokcho
Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister
Jessica Pennington for Mektoub My Love: Canto Due
Anja Verderosa for L’Epreuve Du Feu
Most promising actor
Idir Azougli for Meteors
Younès Boucif for Spices And Lies
Guillaume Marbeck for Nouvelle Vague
Théodore Pellerin for Nino
Eloy Pohu for Enzo
Best first film
The Girl In The Snow, dir. Louise Hémon
Little Jaffna, dir. Lawrence Valin
Nino, dir. Pauline Loquès
Block Pass, dir. Antoine Chevrollier
That Summer In Paris, dir. Valentine Cadic
Best international co-production
The Secret Agent, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Afternoons of Solitude, dir. Albert Serra
It Was Just An Accident, dir. Jafar Panahi
Sentimental Value, dir. Joachim Trier
The Voice of Hind Rajab, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
Best cinematography
Marine Atlan for The Girl In The Snow
David Chambille for Nouvelle Vague
Manu Dacosse for The Stranger
Pascal Lagriffoul for The Condition
Vincent Munier, Antoine Lavorel & Laurent Joffrion for Whispers In The Woods
Best score
Fatima Al Qadiri for The Stranger
Amine Bouhafa for The Little Sister
Warren Ellis, Dom La Nena & Rosemary Standley for Whispers In The Woods
ROB for A Private Life
Arnaud Toulon for Arco
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