euronews cinema – French cinema enjoys success

www.euronews.com Three of four smash hits in 2011 ensured a bumper year for French cinema. Asterix and Obélix: God Save Britannia was one of them. The other three box office draws were Taken 2, Intouchables and The Artiste. UniFrance Films, which promotes French cinema outside France, says that French box office receipts doubled in 2012. 140 million people watched French films across the world – 88 % more than in 2011. Regine Hatchondo, the executive director of Unifrance Films, said: “Sales this year have been very strong with lots of tickets sold and that’s due to great films. And the Unifrance mission is to promote French cinema as intelligently as possible – to organise the best conditions for selling and promoting French films when they come out in Europe and worldwide. So if we’re asking what the secret of their success, I’d say that it’s due to what French cinema represents internationally. It’s very diverse in terms of production; animation, documentaries, romantic comedies, psychological drama and also probably because French cinema questions what people think, about themselves and their place in the world. It’s not all just excitement and action.” Director of The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius, said: “The real star of the film was, apart from the dog, Hollywood. And it’s true that for film fans all over the world, Hollywood represents iconic, a Mecca, so making a film on Hollywood, well that already makes it international.” The Prix Lumières awards were presented …
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