French Producer Nidia Santiago Scores Oscar & César Nominations for ‘Amélie’
- The Mexican producer is once again in contention for major awards recognition, this time with her animated feature, La petite Amélie ou le caractère de la pluie (Amélie...
- “All of this, you know, is first and foremost a lot of work,” Santiago reportedly said, reflecting a grounded perspective despite the growing international attention.
- Santiago, born in Mexico in 1981 and arriving in France at the age of 18, has built a career primarily in Europe.
Nidia Santiago is having a moment. The Mexican producer is once again in contention for major awards recognition, this time with her animated feature, La petite Amélie ou le caractère de la pluie (Amélie and the Metaphysics of Tubes), as it competes for both the César Award in France and an Academy Award in the United States. For Santiago, however, the accolades are a byproduct of a relentless dedication to the craft of filmmaking.
“All of this, you know, is first and foremost a lot of work,” Santiago reportedly said, reflecting a grounded perspective despite the growing international attention.
Santiago, born in Mexico in 1981 and arriving in France at the age of 18, has built a career primarily in Europe. She established her production company, Ikki Films, in Tours, France, in 2019, and has been steadily building a reputation for quality animation. The nomination for La petite Amélie marks a significant step forward, placing her work alongside major productions from Disney, Netflix, and Pixar.
The film, an adaptation of a bestselling novel by Amélie Nothomb, tells the story of Amélie, a Belgian girl born in Japan, and her formative years as seen through the eyes of her nanny. It’s a co-production between Ikki Films and Maybe Movies, and represents a substantial undertaking for the small studio, with a budget of 9.6 million euros. Santiago described the process as demanding, involving a team of over 250 people.
The 51st César Awards ceremony will take place on , in Paris, where Santiago and the team will be present. Just over a month later, on , she will travel to Los Angeles for the 98th Academy Awards, where La petite Amélie is nominated in the Best Animated Feature category. She faces competition from Disney’s Zootopia 2, Netflix’s Las guerreras k-pop, and another French animated film produced by Natalie Portman, among others.
Santiago’s journey to this point has been marked by consistent recognition within the animation community. She was previously nominated for a César Award in 2013 for the film Oh Willy, and for an Oscar in 2018 for Negative Space. She won a César for the short film Beurk! in 2023, and again in 2025, earning her a ticket to the Oscars that year, though she was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts with the production of La petite Amélie.
Ikki Films has amassed nearly a thousand selections in prestigious festivals across France and internationally over the past fifteen years. Santiago acknowledges that the recent awards attention provides a valuable platform. “It’s interesting to have a little renown when you decide to move into feature films,” she said.
Beyond the awards season, La petite Amélie has also received nominations for the Annie Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Golden Globes in 2026, further solidifying its position as a contender.
Santiago is also outspoken about her concerns regarding the increasing use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. “AI? I am absolutely against it!” she stated. “What interests me in animation is that we still do things by hand, that there is a real creative search, and AI is a brake on creativity. Not to mention that it will destroy many jobs. A film like Amélie, that’s more than two hundred and fifty people employed.”
The reaction from Amélie Nothomb herself has been particularly gratifying. A special screening was arranged for the author on , and Santiago described the moment as “very stressful.” However, Nothomb and her partner were reportedly moved to tears by the film. Nothomb has since revealed in an interview that she has seen the film fourteen times in theaters.
Santiago credits the Mame business incubator in Tours as a crucial element in her success. Located in a former printing house, Mame provides a collaborative environment for creative businesses. “Mame was the ideal choice, an obvious one,” she explained. “In 2019, the regional agency Ciclic helped us get space here. It’s my main workplace. We all know each other, we meet in the cafeteria. The place is inspiring, very lively.” She also expressed a desire to establish a creation and artist residency studio in Tours in the future.