It competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival . It won the Sydney Film Prize at the 2014 Sydney Film Festival , was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language , nominated for two César Awards and for nine Magritte Awards , winning three , including Best Film and Best Director for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne . The film was selected as Belgium 's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards , but was not nominated , though Cotillard received a Best Actress nomination for her performance in the film , making her the first actor to be nominated for a Belgian film . In Seraing , an industrial town near Liège , Belgium , young wife and mother Sandra prepares to return to work at Solwal , a small solar-panel factory , after a medical leave of absence for depression and anxiety . During her absence , Solwal management realises her colleagues are able to cover her shifts by working slightly longer hours and proposes a € 1,000 bonus to each if they agree to make Sandra redundant . On Friday evening , after Sandra hears the news and that only two of the 16 voted for her to stay , she breaks down , feeling hopeless and worthless
2014 Cannes Film Festival
2014 Cannes Film Festival
Two Days, One Night