Old Europe snubbed at Cannes

By Stuart Kemp and Nick Holdsworth

CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - The list of movies in competition at the Cannes Film Festival makes for depressing reading for the old countries of Europe -- if you discount French efforts, which have "home-field advantage" when it comes to selection.

No British, Spanish or Italian titles made the cut. And the one German title is a co-production with Turkey, with the Turks responsible for 60% of Fatih Akin's "The Edge of Heaven." There is an Austrian film this year -- Ulrich Seidl's "Import/Export" -- just to ensure envious German eyes.

But as long as business is good, Germans aren't too bothered about the lack of competition entries.

"Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's 'The Lives of Others' had its premiere at the market in Cannes last year and went on to conquer the world and win the Oscar," said Christian Dorsch, managing director of export agency German Films. "The sale of German films is booming worldwide and German directors are getting recognition, whether or not that gets reflected in the Cannes lineup."

The U.K., which provided last year's Palme d'Or winner (Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes the Barley") and Jury Prize winner (Andrea Arnold's "Red Road"), is represented only by Michael Winterbottom's out-of-competition slot in the main section with "A Mighty Heart."

No one from across the English Channel is panicking, though.

Pathe U.K. managing director Cameron McCracken, whose company produces movies at home and in France, puts it down partly to a mix of coincidence and the cyclical nature of filmmaking. "Many of Cannes' favourite European filmmakers simply don't have films that are ready. There are sudden flourishes of talent that occur in some parts of the world, while in others strong voices appear to wane. There's no nation with a monopoly on talent."

Italy's love affair with Cannes is on hold this year. Director Nanni Moretti, a veteran of more than five previous competition slots and a winner once, warns against judging the state of the industry on what is where in Cannes.