{"id":375770,"date":"2025-08-26T19:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/375770\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T19:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:57:09","slug":"richard-linklater-vs-jafar-panahi-world-of-reel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/375770\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Linklater vs. Jafar Panahi? \u2014 World of Reel"},"content":{"rendered":"

France hasn\u2019t won an international Oscar in 32 years \u2014 which is disastrous considering that, year in and year out, it produces some of the best films world cinema has to offer.<\/p>\n

Part of the blame has to go to the French selection committee, which has repeatedly bungled its choices. In 2023, there was considerable shock when France selected Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng\u2019s \u201cThe Taste of Things\u201d over Justine Triet\u2019s Palme d\u2019Or-winning \u201cAnatomy of a Fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

French critics were furious<\/a> and expressed their dissatisfaction through numerous think pieces. Triet also seemed none too pleased, reposting<\/a> a string of Instagram messages criticizing the snub.<\/p>\n

The dubious selection followed another controversial French pick the year before. In 2022, France chose Palme d\u2019Or winner \u201cTitane\u201d over Audrey Diwan\u2019s Golden Lion-winning abortion drama \u201cHappening,\u201d which had significant momentum in the U.S. after the Supreme Court voted to strike down Roe v. Wade.<\/p>\n

This year, the decision isn\u2019t any easier. Anne Thompson is reporting<\/a> that two films appear to be frontrunners, both helmed by non-French filmmakers.<\/p>\n

First is Richard Linklater\u2019s \u201cNouvelle Vague,\u201d a love letter to Jean-Luc Godard\u2019s 1960 classic \u201cBreathless.\u201d According to Thompson, Netflix sees it as more than a festival artifact\u2014they plan to campaign heavily in numerous categories, including Best Picture and Best Director.<\/p>\n

The real competition, however, comes from an unlikely contender. Since Iran would never submit Jafar Panahi\u2019s recent Palme d\u2019Or winner \u201cIt Was Just an Accident,\u201d its French producers, Philippe Martin and David Thion, are pushing for it instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cNouvelle Vague\u201d is a charming, breezy, and infectious celebration of French cinema, while Panahi\u2019s film is serious, confrontational, and politically sharp \u2014 barely French at all. Yet, it could very well become France\u2019s de facto choice based on its producers alone.<\/p>\n

This highlights how broken the Oscar rules are for the International Feature category. Just last year, India and Georgia snubbed their most acclaimed films \u2014 \u201cAll We Imagine as Light\u201d and \u201cBeginning\u201d \u2014 for political reasons. Coincidentally, France had \u201cAll We Imagine as Light\u201d on its shortlist but ultimately went with \u201cEmilia P\u00e9rez.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, once again, France faces a dilemma: Linklater or Panahi? The Texan or the Iranian? Which way will it go?<\/p>\n