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Compared with last year, Fortissmo Films come packing with only a single title, but that doesn't mean their sales agent won't be spending pretty much the entire festival from their rented office balcony. They signed a fairly ambitious deal with Fox - first time I've heard of a major studio outputting their titles to a films sales company of this nature and they've got one receiving a world preem at the festival in Sergei Loznitsa's My Joy.

They haven't got many world preems, today's press release only mentions Michael Hoffman's The Last Station, but that could all change – as the festival has some surprises in store for patrons (this would be a good time to bring out All Good Things into the Oscar mix) and everyone is expecting Jason Reitman to show up. We are checking his twitter status.

A biopic about an unknown painter cleaned up the 34th edition of the Cesar awards (France's equivalent to the Oscars). You would have thought that it was an homage to Sean Penn (the actor was in attendance, first row ticket) and the dearly departed Claude Berri, but this was Martin Provost's night upsetting favorites Jean-François Richet and Mesrine (who won for Best Director and Best Actor) and the Palme d'Or winner The Class from Laurent Cantet winner went home with only the Best Adapted Film. Séraphine won a total of seven awards.

Germany's Oliver Hirschbiegel and Denmark’s own Lone Scherfig and Nicolas Winding Refn are among those representing their latest works in the World Dramatic Competition. The selection committee had the crazy task of bringing down the total number 1,012 submissions down to 16.

It was with hurricane-like winds rocking the outside of the Palais, that the winners were announced for the 61st edition, and surprisingly, the winners weren’t as political as what one my have thought. Sean Penn’s jury had to wait until the end of the festival to find its winner for The Palme d'Or and it was director Laurent Cantet (Heading South) who took the top honors with a portrait of a “school” year in the life of a classroom of young teens and a prof still not at wits end.