France’s 2026 Cesar Awards: Richard Linklater Wins Best Director, Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ Wins Best International Feature

This 51st edition of the Cesar Awards had a Hollywood flavor with Richard Linklater winning best director for “Nouvelle Vague,” a love letter to the French cinematic movement known as the New Wave.

The film, which was acquired by Netflix at Cannes where it world premiered, led the race with 10 nominations and won best director, cinematography for David Chambille, costume for Pascaline Chavanne and editing for Catherine Schwartz. France’s equivalent to the Oscars and BAFTA’s, the Cesar Awards took place Thursday at the Olympia Theater in Paris where several political issues were raised in speeches, from the crisis in Iran to the threat of AI and pressures on the French film financing system.

In a surprise twist, Carine Tardieu’s “L’attachement” (The Ties That Bind Us), a drama based on “L’Intimité” by Alice Ferney, won best film. “L’attachement,” which world premiered at Venice, stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Pio Marmaï.