François Ozon has emerged as the early frontrunner in France’s awards season, with “The Stranger” leading the nominations for the 31st Lumières Awards.
Considered France’s equivalent to the Golden Globes, the Lumières Awards are voted on by international journalists from 36 countries and are handed out during a ceremony that takes place roughly a month before the Cesar Awards and kicks off France’s awards season. The Lumières ceremony will be hosted on Jan. 18 at Paris’ Institut du monde arabe.
“The Stranger,” an adaptation of Albert Camus’ literary masterpiece which was backed by Gaumont and world premiered at Venice, scored six nominations; ahead of Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” a black-and-white love letter to the French cinematic movement known as the New Wave, which opened at Cannes and landed five Lumières nods.
Dominik Moll’s “Case 137,” which is set during France’s yellow vests protests; and Stéphane Demoustier’s “The Great Arch,” a historical drama starring Claes Bang, followed closely with four nominations each. All four titles will compete for best film; alongside Abdellatif Kechiche’s “Mektoub My Love: Canto Due,” which is the last chapter of the controversial French-Tunisian filmmaker’s coming-of-age trilogy and picked up three nominations.
Aside from best film, “The Stranger” is nominated for best director, actor for Benjamin Voisin, screenplay, cinematography and original score. Set in the early 1940s, the film depicts life in Algeria, then under French colonial rule and stars Voisin as the novel’s antihero, Meursault, who is sentenced to death after shooting a young Arab man five times. Voisin stars opposite rising French talent Rebecca Marder.
“Nouvelle Vague,” meanwhile, is competing for best director, screenplay, best male newcomer for Guillaume Marbeck and best cinematography.
Other notable nominees include Jodie Foster, who delivers a bold French-language performance as a tormented psychiatrist alongside Daniel Auteuil in Rebecca Zlotowski’s humor-laced thriller “A Private Life;” “Arco,” Ugo Bienvenu’s animated feature voiced and produced by Natalie Portman; Hafsia Herzi’s queer coming-of-age drama “The Little Sister” which won Cannes’ best actress prize for Nadia Melliti and just picked up the Louis Delluc Award from French Critics earlier this week; and Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux’s documentary feature “Lumière ! L’Aventure Continue,” an exploration of the invention of cinema showcasing more than 100 immaculately restored short films shot by Louis and Auguste Lumière.
Foster will be facing off Isabelle Huppert for her colorful – and lauded — performance in “The Richest Woman in the World,” a film loosely based on the 2010 Bettencourt Affair involving the heiress to the L’Oreal empire. Lea Drucker in “Case 137,” Vicky Krieps in “Love Me Tender” and Melanie Thierry in “La Chambre de Mariana” round up the best actress category.
Jafar Panahi‘s “It Was Just an Accident,” a morally charged thriller that the Iranian filmmaker shot clandestinely, is vying for best international co-production, alongside Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Brazilian period thriller “The Secret Agent,” Albert Serra’s “Tardes de Soledad,” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” and Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”
Nominations for the 31st Lumières Awards:
Best Film
“Case 137,” Dominik Moll
“The Stranger,” François Ozon
“The Great Arch,” Stéphane Demoustier
“Mektoub My Love: Canto Due,” Abdellatif Kechiche
“Nouvelle Vague,” Richard Linklater
Best Director
“The Great Arch,” Stéphane Demoustier
“Mektoub My Love: Canto Due,” Abdellatif Kechiche
“Nouvelle Vague,” Richard Linklater“Case 137,” Dominik Moll
“The Stranger,” François Ozon
Best Screenplay
“The Great Arch,” Stéphane Demoustier
“Nouvelle Vague,” Holly Gent, Vince Palmo and Michèle Halberstadt
“Nino,” Pauline Loquès“Case 137,” Dominik Moll and Gilles Marchand
“The Stranger,” François Ozon
Best Documentary
“Le Chant des Forêts,” Vincent Munier
“Dites-lui que je l’aime,” Romane Bohringer
“Lumière ! L’Aventure Continue,” Thierry Frémaux
“Personne n’y comprend rien,” Yannick Kergoat
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” Sepideh Farsi
Best Animated Film
“Amélie et la Métaphysique des Tubes,” Liane-Cho Han and Mailys Vallade
“Arco,” Ugo Bienvenu
“La Vie de Château, Mon Enfance à Versailles,” Nathaniel H’Limi and Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat
“Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol,” Sylvain Chomet
“Slocum et Moi,” Jean-François Laguionie
Best Actress
“Case 137,” Léa Drucker
“Private Life,” Jodie Foster
“The Richest Woman in the World,” Isabelle Huppert
“Love Me Tender,” Vicky Krieps
“La Chambre de Mariana,” Mélanie Thierry
Best Actor
“La Condition,” Swann Arlaud
“The Great Arch,” Claes Bang
“The Richest Woman in the World,” Laurent Lafitte
“Le Mohican,” Alexis Manenti
“The Stranger,” Benjamin Voisin
Female Newcomer
“Kika,” Manon Clavel
“Hiver à Sokcho,” Bella Kim
“The Little Sister,” Nadia Melliti
“Mektoub My Love: Canto Due,” Jessica Pennington
“L’Épreuve du Feu,” Anja Verderosa
Male Newcomer
“Météors,” Idir Azougli
“La Petite Cuisine de Mehdi,” Younès Boucif
“Nouvelle Vague,” Guillaume Marbeck
“Nino,” Théodore Pellerin
“Enzo,” Eloy Pohu
Best First Feature
“L’Engloutie,” Louise Hémon
“Little Jaffna,” Lawrence Valin
“Nino,” Pauline Loquès
“La Pampa,” Antoine Chevrollier
“Le Rendez-vous de l’Été,” Valentine Cadic
Best International Co-Production
“The Secret Agent,” Kleber Mendonça Filho
“Tardes de Soledad,” Albert Serra
“It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi
“Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier
“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Kaouther Ben Hania
Best Cinematography
“L’Engloutie,” Marine Atlan
“Nouvelle Vague,” David Chambille
“The Stranger,” Manu Dacosse
“La Condition,” Pascal Lagriffoul
“Le Chant des Forêts,” Vincent Munier, Antoine Lavorel and Laurent Joffrion
Best Original Music
“The Stranger,” Fatima Al Qadiri
“The Little Sister,” Amine Bouhafa
“Le Chant des Forêts,” Warren Ellis, Dom La Nena and Rosemary Standley
“Private Life,” ROB
“Arco,” Arnaud Toulon
