Netflix buys Nouvelle Vague after Cannes 2025 debut
Although Linklater points out that it is “a film for theaters,” Netflix paid $4 million for distribution rights on TV.
Netflix has acquired Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague after it premiered at the latest edition of the Cannes Festival. This is a black-and-white tribute to the French New Wave from the late 1950s and early 1960s. The film received a standing ovation lasting over 10 minutes from the audience, a good indication at the Festival.
“If you do it long enough, I always thought you could make one film about making films. This is mine,” said Linklater, who also directed Boyhood, Me and Orson Welles, and the love trilogy Before Sunrise. However, the acquisition could cause some controversy regarding its distribution.
Nouvelle Vague - plot
The film is about the production of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, the classic film about the romance between the small-time criminal Michel Poiccard and Patricia Franchini, an American journalism student in Paris. The movie also explores the relationship between Godard and Jean Seberg, the original actress who played Patricia.
The film stars Guillaume Canet, Zoey Deutch, and Aubry Dullin. The entire movie is in French, and it is shot on film in the 4:3 aspect ratio as a tribute to the original film that inspired Linklater. Netflix paid $4 million for the distribution rights, but this contradicts the director's explicit statement about the film: "A film for the big screen."
Richard Linklater with Nouvelle Vague cast on Cannes Film Festival presenting the movie that was bough from Netflix. Photo: AP Photos
Is Nouvelle Vague going to be in theaters?
This is not the first time Netflix has acquired a film aimed to the awards season. Emilia Perez, the controversial French musical film, was bought by Netflix and was nominated in several categories at the Academy Awards. However, one condition to participate in the nomination race is that the film must be in theaters for at least two weeks; therefore, Nouvelle Vague will premiere eventually.
Netflix's distribution purchase is not surprising since they also acquired another film by Linklater. Boyhood, an Academy Award winner, was bought by the streaming giant for its international distribution rights. There is no official date for when Netflix will add Nouvelle Vague to its catalogue; however, to qualify for the awards season, the movie should premiere in spring 2025.
