Nino

A modern riff on Cléo from 5 to 7, this tender debut feature follows the weekend odyssey of a young Parisian man after receiving a surprising diagnosis.

Nino’s 29th birthday weekend kicks off with a gut punch. His doctor informs him that not only does he have throat cancer, but he must start chemotherapy on Monday and also produce a sperm sample to freeze in case the treatment renders him infertile. Over the course of the weekend, Nino moves through the world in a fog while life goes on as normal around him. He visits his mother, runs into an old schoolmate and attends the surprise party thrown for him by his best friend. At every turn, Nino struggles to break the news to his loved ones – because to say it out loud would make it real.

Québécois wunderkind Théodore Pellerin (Lurker, MIFF 2025) has received major plaudits for his nuanced and vulnerable performance as Nino, collecting the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award at Cannes Critics’ Week and Best Male Acting Hope at France’s César Awards. Writer/director Pauline Loquès also won the César for Best First Film for her sensitive and warm-hearted helming of a story that eschews doom and gloom for humanity and hopefulness.

“Théodore Pellerin delivers a remarkable performance as Nino, raggedly heartbreaking as a character whose life is shattered in Pauline Loquès’ astonishing directorial debut.” – Film Fest Report