The immigration drama Souleyman’s Story premiered at Cannes all the way back in May 2024, but the French release is getting a limited U.S. release this weekend. From director Boris Lojkine, Abou Sangaré drew raves as the title character with Nina Meurisse providing support in a César (French equivalent to Oscars) winning Supporting Actress performance.
In the Un Certain Regard portion at Cannes, Story picked up honors for Sangaré’s performance and an overall jury prize. With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 Metacritic, this could’ve been a solid French choice for International Feature Film submission at the Academy Awards. Last year, they understandably went with Emilia Pérez. Controversial comments by lead Karla Sofia Gascón likely sunk its chances at a victory. Frankly I’m not sure if the French could make it their horse in 2025 since they released it last October. Odds are they’ll go with Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague (which played Cannes this year).
Bottom line: while Story drew its share of kudos and European fest love, it probably missed its window from the Academy. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
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