Oscars 2024: Nine Nominations for French Films

The contenders for the 2024 Oscars were announced on Tuesday, January 23, leading up to the ceremony on March 10, 2024, live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Anatomy of a Fall received a total of five nominations, including for Best Director and Best Picture. Villa Albertine resident Kaouther Ben Hania is also nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. 

See the full list of French nominees below.

The Success of Anatomy of a Fall

Palme d’Or winning director Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall picked up five nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress for Sandra Hüller, and Best Editing.

A reflection of French talent, the film has met with great success at international award ceremonies (Cannes, Golden Globes, European Film Awards, NYFCC, Gotham Awards, National Board of Review, and the British Independent Film Awards). The film has also just picked up eleven nominations at the 2024 César Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress for Sandra Hüller and Best Supporting Actor.

Justin Triet is the only woman nominated for Best Director and a part of the Feminist New “New Wave” of French Cinema.

Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet (Les Films Pelléas, Les Films de Pierre)

For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel’s suspicious death is presumed as murder, and Sandra becomes the main suspect.

What follows is not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel’s death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel’s conflicted relationship. ‍

Genre: Drama
Cast: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner
2 h 30 min

Best Documentary Feature Film

Kaouther Ben Hania‘s Four Daughters is nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film, after winning several Cannes and other international awards (Chicago International Film Festival, BRIFF, and the Munich International Film Festival). The film has also just been nominated for the César for Best Documentary Film.

Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tanit Films)

The life of Olfa, a Tunisian woman and mother of four daughters, oscillates between light and darkness. One day, her two eldest daughters disappear. To fill their absence, director Kaouther Ben Hania calls upon professional actors and sets up an extraordinary film mechanism to unveil the story of Olfa and her daughters.

An intimate journey full of hope, rebellion, violence, intergenerational transmission, and sisterhood, the film questions the very foundation of our societies.

Genre: Documentary
Cast: Hend Sabri, Olfa Hamrouni, Eya Chikhaoui, Tayssir Chikhaoui
1 h 50 min

Best Animated Feature Film

The Franco-Spanish co-production Robot Dreams is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film.

Robot Dreams by Pablo Berger (Arcadia Motion Pictures, Les Films du Worso, Noodles Production)

DOG lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot as a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, in 1980’s New York City. One summer night, DOG, with great sadness, is forced to abandon ROBOT on the beach. Will they ever meet again?

Genre: Animated film
Cast: Ivan Labanda, Tito Trifol, Rafa Calvo
1 h 36 min

Best Animated Short Film

Finally, two shorts are nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film: Stéphanie Clément’s Pachyderm and Tal Kantor’s Letter to a Pig.

Pachyderm by Stéphanie Clément (TNZPV Productions)

Every summer, Louise heads off to her grandparents for a few days of vacation in the countryside. Between the green grass in the garden, swimming in the lake, and fishing with grandpa, everything seems as sweet as grandma’s strawberry pies. But this year, it will snow in the middle of summer and a monster will die.

Genre: Short, Animated film
10 min 58 seconds

Letter to a Pig by Tal Kantor (Miyu Productions, The Hive Studio)

A Holocaust survivor reads a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life. A young schoolgirl hears his testimony in class and falls into a strange dream, where she is confronted with questions of identity, collective trauma, and the extremes of human nature.

Genre: Short, Animated film
16 min 47 seconds