After a banner 2025 that saw the Palme d’Or-winning “Anora” sweep five Academy Awards, Cannes Film Festival is once again emerging as the leading launchpad for international movies in the Oscars race. Joachim Trier‘s “Sentimental Value,” Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” Oliver Laxe’s “Sirat” and three more Croisette alumni garnered a total of 19 nominations across 12 categories on Thursday morning.
The Venice Film Festival, curated by Alberto Barbera, has traditionally been viewed by studios as the top destination to position movies in the awards season. This year, it ranks second to Cannes with an honorable 15 nominations for four movies, including two best picture contenders: Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” (with nine noms), and Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia” (with four noms, including best actress for Emma Stone). Other nominated films that launched at Venice include Kaouther Ben Hania’s Silver Lion winner “The Voice of Hind Rajab” in the best international feature category, and “The Smashing Machine,” which earned a hair and makeup nod.
It’s worth noting that three of the four films that Venice has in the race are big-budgeted English language movies with Hollywood stars. Cannes, by contrast, is in the mix with six foreign-language films financed and produced independently outside of the U.S., underscoring how the festival — curated by longtime chief Thierry Fremaux — has leaned into international cinema. The nomination haul is also a big victory for French sales company MK2 Films, pulling a hefty 15 noms as it repped and sold around the world three of the six Cannes alumni (all but “Sirat” and the animated features “Arco” and “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” basically) nominated for Oscars. Neon bought “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent” and Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” from MK2 Films at Cannes where they world premiered in competition, in addition to “Sirat” which was repped by The Match Factory.
Trier’s sixth feature, “Sentimental Value” — partly produced in France by Juliette Schrameck, as well as Nathanaël Karmitz and Elisha Karmitz for MK2 Productions — was nominated for nine Oscars, including best picture, director, actor for Stellan Skarsgard, actress for Renate Reinsve, supporting actress for both Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, original screenplay for Eskil Vogt and Trier and international feature. “The Secret Agent” earned four noms, including best actor for Wagner Moura (who made history as the first Brazilian actor nominated in that category), and both “Sirat” and “It Was Just an Accident” got two nominations each. All four are nominated for best international feature.
After the French co-production “Flow” nabbed an Oscar last year, 2026 looks to be another big year for French animation with Ugo Bienvenu’s “Arco,” which bowed at Cannes in Special Screenings, and “Little Amélie or the Character of Rainm” set to compete in the best animation category. “Arco,” which is handled by Neon, has some Hollywood firepower behind it with Natalie Portman producing and voicing a character.
2026 is shaping up to offer Fremaux and Barbera a flurry of appealing options poised to hypothetically heat up the 2027 race, including Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger” with Tom Cruise, David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” starring Brad Pitt and Ruben Östlund’s “The Entertainment System Is Down” with Keanu Reeves and Kirsten Dunst.