Aside from the glitz, the glamour, the parties and the unashamed posing, Cannes is where the film world meets to do business, clinch deals and make contacts.

Tina McFarlane of the British Film Commission: "We're there to bring the focus on Britain" (3'25")

For British film-makers, Cannes is their best chance to promote what is already a relatively healthy industry. The number of movies made in Britain has doubled in the last year, according to the British Film Commission.

At last year's event, three British film consortia popped open the champagne after the Culture Secretary Chris Smith announced a lottery grant of £92m. But the smaller production companies were unimpressed, saying business deals were few and far between.

So despite a bouyant market - and recent government tax incentives for investors in British films - the industry says it still needs a helping hand.

Several worthy organisations will be present in Cannes to supply just that - along with around 40,000 members of the world's movie industry and 7,000 journalists.

The amount of media coverage and exposure offered to new and embryonic films is priceless in terms of advertising.

"The festival is very important because it has a spotlight. All of the actors and actresses and the directors associated with films selected for competition go to Cannes. They want to be there, they want to be seen going up those big red steps to the Palais des Festivals photographed by the world," said Tina McFarlane of the BFC. "And what better place to do it?"

A Mike Leigh film scooped the Palme D'Or in 1996

Funded by the British government, the BFC provides homegrown companies with information, advice and lists of useful contacts. It also encourages foreign producers to make their movies in the UK.

And the BFC will sing the praises of British film technicians known for their talent and flexibility. "If you are taking a crew anywhere in the world, every producer will say they want a British crew," said Ms McFarlane.

Help for the independents

Not every film shown in Cannes is in the running for a prize. Out of the hundreds of movies to be screened just 22 have been selected to be "in competition". Some are not even finished but brought to France as tempting tasters to whet the appetites of hungry movie moguls.

Kathy Burke won Best Actress last year

"A buzz can be created about a film [not shown in competition]," explained Ms McFarlane, "and that film can end up being more successful than perhaps the Cannes film festival winner - the winner of the big Palme D'Or award. That's one of the ironies."

The New Producers Alliance (NPA) will be there, too, offering its services to independent British film makers. They organised a pre-festival seminar for their members where sales agents and disributors advised first-timers that Cannes is an absolute must.

For the small unknowns it is as much about meeting the big cheeses in the British industry as making yourself known on the international circuit.

"It's a chance to have a social chat, to get remembered rather than just a ten-minute meeting in some back office in Soho," said Jane Ivey, director of the NPA. The orgnanisation has a stand at the British pavilion in Cannes and provides a "friendly face" for those who may find the whole movie scrum a little intimidating. They also host a party, sponsored by Kodak, for further networking opportunities.

Any chance of a Palme D'Or?

Two years ago, Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies scooped three major prizes - Best Actress, International Critics Prize and the Palme D'Or. It was the first time in ten years that a British film had won the top prize.

But last year's event, largely overshadowed by Cannes' 50th birthday celebrations, was dubbed a disappointment by film critics who were seriously underwhelmed by the films they saw.

Nevertheless, Kathy Burke walked away with the Best Actress award for Nil by Mouth.

BBC Radio One's James King: High hopes for directors Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and John Boorman (0'50")

So what chance of a British win in '98?

Radio One film reporter James King is placing his bets on John Boorman's The General.

Filmed in black and white, it tells the story of the eccentric Irish robber Martin Cahill. "It's not a particularly brilliant film," says King, "but it's a kind of Cannes film in terms of acting awards. Brendan Gleeson is fantastic in it ... the film may not get Palme D'Or but it could get something which would be nice for Britain."
 

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