# French films that won the Oscar for Best International Feature: all nine

> All nine French films that won the Oscar for Best International Feature, from Mon Oncle and A Man and a Woman to Day for Night and Indochine.

Source: https://rankiew.app/blog/french-films-won-oscar-best-international-feature
Published: 2026-10-30
Author: Rankiew
Tags: world cinema, oscars, french cinema, best international feature, françois truffaut, jacques tati

France is one of the most awarded countries in this category, with nine competitive Oscars, plus three special awards. The list goes from Jacques Tati to Régis Wargnier and includes François Truffaut and Luis Buñuel.

# The nine French winners

## 1. Mon Oncle (1958)

::film[Mon Oncle|1958]

Monsieur Hulot's simple life clashes with his sister's ultramodern house.

- **Director:** Jacques Tati
- **Genre:** Comedy

**Worth it if:** you love visual comedy and gentle satire.

**Oscars:** 1959 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 2. Black Orpheus (1959)

::film[Orfeu Negro|1959]

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is retold during Carnival in Rio.

- **Director:** Marcel Camus
- **Genre:** Drama, Music

**Worth it if:** you want color, samba and tragedy.

**Oscars:** 1960 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 3. Sundays and Cybele (1962)

::film[Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray|1962]

A traumatized war veteran befriends an abandoned girl.

- **Director:** Serge Bourguignon
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you are ready for a delicate and sad friendship.

**Oscars:** 1963 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 4. A Man and a Woman (1966)

::film[Un homme et une femme|1966]

A widow and a widower fall in love in Deauville.

- **Director:** Claude Lelouch
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you love pure French romance.

**Oscars:** 1967 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 5. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

::film[Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie|1972]

A group of bourgeois friends try in vain to have dinner.

- **Director:** Luis Buñuel
- **Genre:** Comedy

**Worth it if:** you enjoy surreal and elegant satire.

**Oscars:** 1973 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 6. Day for Night (1973)

::film[La Nuit américaine|1973]

Love, chaos and egos behind the scenes of a film shoot in Nice.

- **Director:** François Truffaut
- **Genre:** Comedy, Drama

**Worth it if:** you love movies about making movies.

**Oscars:** 1974 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 7. Madame Rosa (1977)

::film[La Vie devant soi|1977]

An old Holocaust survivor in Paris looks after a Muslim boy.

- **Director:** Moshé Mizrahi
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you want a tender story about unlikely bonds.

**Oscars:** 1978 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 8. Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978)

::film[Préparez vos mouchoirs|1978]

A husband finds a lover for his depressed wife.

- **Director:** Bertrand Blier
- **Genre:** Comedy

**Worth it if:** you want a strange, naughty French comedy.

**Oscars:** 1979 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

## 9. Indochine (1992)

::film[Indochine|1992]

A French plantation owner and her adopted daughter live through the end of colonial Indochina.

- **Director:** Régis Wargnier
- **Genre:** Drama, History

**Worth it if:** you want an epic melodrama of love and history.

**Oscars:** 1993 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

# How many Oscars for Best International Feature has France won?

France has won nine competitive Oscars in the category, plus three special awards before it existed.

# Which one is your favorite?

Pick your favorite on Rankiew: rate every film, write reviews, build lists and start clubs to talk movies with friends.

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**More from the series:** [Oscars 2021: every nominee and winner, category by category](/blog/oscars-2021-all-nominees)