EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has won out in a tug of war for Richard Linklater‘s Breathless homage Nouvelle Vague after its Cannes Film Festival debut in the competition.
We understand the deal has closed for a hefty $4 million, a record domestic outlay for a French-language movie.
This is an interesting one. Breathless is viewed as a cinema classic and Nouvelle Vague a love letter to cinema. Could there be longer theatrical play either in the U.S. or overseas before it hits Netflix? At least domestically, we hear it’s likely to just be the usual awards-qualifying two-week window.
Nouvelle Vague launched to warm words at the Cannes Film Festival two weekends ago. In the right hands, the talk has been that the film could figure in the awards race.
Netflix is coming off an eventful awards season with Spanish-language movie Emilia Pérez, which scored 13 Oscar nominations and two wins. There will be hopes at the streamer that Nouvelle Vague can join others such as Ballad of a Small Player, Frankenstein and Jay Kelly in the next awards fray. Netflix clearly believes in the movie, splashing out what is potentially the second most-ever paid domestically for any foreign-language film. Emilia Pérez holds the record after being picked up by the same studio for high seven figures this time last year.
Nouvelle Vague reconstructs the story behind Jean-Luc Godard’s cinema classic about a doomed love affair between an idealistic Frenchman and his U.S. lover. French actor Guillaume Marbeck portrays Godard, Zoey Deutch plays Jean Seberg, and newcomer Aubry Dullin portrays Jean Paul Belmondo. Characters in the movie also include cinema legends Jean Cocteau, Robert Bresson, Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Pierre Melville, Eric Rohmer, Agnes Varda and Jacques Rivette.
Following the Competition title’s world premiere at Cannes two Saturdays ago, the audience at the Palais gave the movie an 11-minute ovation. Our critic Pete Hammond said in his review: “Linklater’s splendid love letter to the French New Wave and Godard will make you fall in love with movies all over again.”
The first teaser was released over the weekend. You can see it below. Script is by Vince Palmo, Michèle Halberstadt, Laetitia Masson and Holly Gent. ARP Selection produces and distributes in France this fall. Goodfellas and CAA Media Finance are repping sales and struck the Netflix deal.
The Nouvelle Vague acquisition is yet another example of the power of foreign-language movies at the moment. Neon over the weekend scooped its sixth Palme d’Or in a row with Iranian drama It Was Just An Accident, another potential awards contender.
Five-time Oscar nominee Linklater previously played at Cannes with Fast Food Nation and A Scanner Darkly. The Boyhood and Before Midnight filmmaker recently debuted musical drama Blue Moon at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
