The court has ruled that film is not 'French' enough and thus is not eligible for the state funding it received nor allowed to be entered into a number of film prizes such as Cannes.
The film, which has french actors (including Audrey Tautou who was the star in Amelie) and crew and was filmed in France, fell under scrutiny when producers associations in France claimed it should not get state funding because the production house was Warner Brothers France which is a subsidary of the US giant. Jeunet claimed this was a cynical ploy by French production houses to protect their slice of the pie in the home grown market and keep out competition. He also warned the decision could harm the French film industry as other overseas investors would think twice about funding French based films.
The ruling is all the more extraordinary when you consider that Oliver Stone's latest Hollywood Blockbuster 'Alexander', starring Colin Farrel. received French funding but was not filmed in France nor did it use French actors. But Oliver Stone's mother is French and he used a post-production house based in Paris so he qualified. Go Figure!!!
Anyway, I can't wait to see Jeunet's 'A Very Long Engagement' as Amelie is one of my all-time favourite films.
Film Rules "Not French Enough" (BBC News Online; Saturday 27th November 2004)
