Cannes 2010 finished on a reassuring note for French exporters. The two previous two Marchés du Film had been marked by a decline both in sales and prices.
Although French international sales companies are now aware that it will be difficult to achieve figures reached in the last three or four years in certain territories such as Japan and Russia, sales have definitely picked up again.
It should be noted that French films were well represented in the Festival de Cannes' Competition section, with 3 French productions: On Tour by Mathieu Amalric, The Princess of Montpensier by Bertrand Tavernier, Of Gods and Men by Xavier Beauvois; along with several coproductions such as A Screaming Man, Outside of the Law, Certified Copy, and the Palme d'or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; and that many among them were honored by awards.
It was widely considered that, for companies with new films on offer, the market is at last dynamic once again. Foreign buyers nevertheless remain highly selective, are rarely interested in pre-sales, and focus on auteur films, particularly those whose genre is clearly identifiable.
