Film Fact: France

To celebrate the weird and wonderful Eurovision Song Contest, we present weird and wonderful film facts about this year's finalist countries.

Contrary to popular belief, at least in France, anyway, Italy has won more Foreign Language Academy Awards in America, though the competition is tight at 13 to 12 (they must find this so gauling). It certainly isn't for lack of trying, as the French film industry produces close to 300 films a year and they are shown all over the world. After all, it was two Frenchmen, Auguste and Louis Lumiere, who invented the cinema all the way back in 1895. Their short films about everyday life had such thrilling titles as Train Entering the Station, Baby's Breakfast and Jumping onto the Blanket . The French also host the world-famous Cannes Film Festival every May, though once again it was the Italians who invented the whole film festival thing (in Venice) and not the French. Double gauling! Thankfully, more French people watch French movies in France than Italians do Italian films in Italy, so they have that going for them.