"Not everyone can be a director, there’s a world of difference between wanting to do something and being able to do it." These are the words of Hayao Miyazaki, who announced, with great humility, his retirement from filmmaking in a recent interview with Liberation magazine. In an odd coincidence, at the very same time as this great master decided to bow out of the industry, the streets of Tokyo were packed with crowds queuing at movie theaters, no doubt curious to discover the animated film The Suicide Shop by Patrice Leconte. This inspires a certain pride, even if we clearly must remain humble and clear-sighted ourselves up against the Studio Ghibli, giants of the Japanese animated film world.

An example of the recent success of French films in foreign theaters, also in Tokyo, is the performance of Nathalie Baye, our jury president at the festival in June, who won over audiences with the audacious Lawrence Anyways. Meanwhile in Germany, Paulette captures a growing market share, and in Portugal The Gilded Cage continues a triumphant run, on par with its performance in France.

French films have also been hailed in Toronto. With 33 titles presented at the recent festival, accounting for 10% of all films selected, French productions have enjoyed a remarkably strong presence this year. Catherine Breillat, Nicole Garcia, Martin Provost, Emmanuelle Devos, the Larrieu brothers, Guillaume Canet, Marion Cotillard, and Léa Seydoux, among others, won acclaim from the American and Canadian media and were warmly welcomed at the now customary uniFrance Films evening event held in honor of French movie talent.

Even if there really is a world that separates wanting to and being able to do something, we can still hope for further international success for French productions in the wake of the market upturn in 2012 and despite highly challenging markets for our films. Since the latest Angoulême Francophone Film Festival, we keep hearing about a "renaissance" in French cinema, of an industry that is regaining momentum. Bolstered by their unrivalled experience in the international arena, the teams at uniFrance Films will be accompanying French films around the world in upcoming months.

Isabelle Giordano
General Director of uniFrance Films

With comprehensive details on awards, selections, delegations, and news, we have created a specific section on our website allowing you to search for any information linked to French feature films presented at international events.

[Click here to access the "International feature film festivals and markets" page]

• La Femme qui flottait by Thibault Lang-Willar – Karé Productions
• Les Ombres prennent des couleurs dans le miroir by Diako Yazdani – Kometa Films
• Zygomatiques by Stephen Cafiero – Partizan Films
• Si proches des miens by Baptiste Debraux – 10:15 Productions
• Ogre by Jean-Charles Paugam – offshore

With comprehensive details on awards, selections, delegations, and news, we have created a specific section on our website allowing you to search for any information linked to French short films presented at international events.

[Click here to access the "International short film festivals and markets" page]