France

French movie theatres in 2011 brought in a record-breaking 215.6 million euros in ticket sales, the country's best box office year in half a century. This was due in large part to the broadened appeal of French-made films last year.

French actress and 1950s cinematic icon Annie Girardot died peacefully in Paris on Monday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, her family said. She was 79.

Claude Chabrol, a prolific film-maker and one of the founders of the French New Wave movement, died Sunday aged 80.

Claude Chabrol (pictured), film director and member of the French New Wave group of film-makers, has died at the age of 80.

The line-up for the 63rd Cannes Film Festival announced Thursday in Paris is an eclectic, intriguing, and particularly international list, mixing a handful of previous Cannes winners with some new names and spanning 13 countries.

“A Prophet”, a film about prison life directed Jacques Audiard (pictured), won the best film prize Saturday at the 35th annual César awards, along with a string of top awards at the French film industry’s highest tribute to cinema.