Did you know that there are seven competitions involved in the Cannes Film Festival? The films shown include major blockbusters, foreign language films, directorial debuts as well as low-budget projects.

An array of famous directors will be showing their recent work during the festival including, Austrian Director Michael Haneke (Caché (Hidden), La Pianiste) and Ken Loach (Looking for Eric).

Most of the world’s attention turns to the films within the ‘In Competition’ event. This is the Festival’s main event where the most prestigious award, The Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) is given for the Best Picture.

Some of the biggest films have been the ones found in the ‘Out of Competition’ category. Films shown in this category generally do not fit into any other section of the festival and are typically special events or films that the Festival feels deserve the honour of being screened at Cannes. Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ was in this category last year as was a film by acclaimed American actress, Jodie Foster called ‘The Beaver’.

Foreign Language Films at Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival makes a distinct effort to recognise and award foreign language films and make them more accessible to the world’s viewing public. The President of the jury this year is Nanni Moretti (Italian Director) with others on the Jury including Fashion Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, German Actress, Diane Kruger and Scottish Actor, Ewan McGregor.

This year, the Official Selection comprises 22 foreign language films from various countries including France, Mexico, Ukraine, USA and Romania.

There are also opportunities for new foreign films to make the headlines. The ‘Courts Metrages’ event features films from around the globe, while young directors can make their mark in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ competition. The ‘Cinefondation’ selection presents short and medium-length films that have been selected by the Festival from film schools around the world. La Quinzaine des Realisateurs (The Directors Fortnight) was created in 1968 during the strikes that closed down the festival that year. Its intention was to open up the Cannes Festival to unknown filmmakers and national cinemas. This section of the competitions usually has around 18 foreign films which include countries such as Iran, France, Spain and some Latin American countries. It has some of the best that the world cinema has to offer.

We will bring you a summary of the films which have been awarded prizes after the closing ceremony on the 27th May 2012.

Find out more about the Cannes Film Festival 2012>>

Learn a Language with a Foreign Language Film TODAY!

Your next holiday abroad may be a few months away, but why not make good use of the evenings to build up your language skills with a foreign language movie and learn about the culture of the country you will be visiting. With a DVD, you can choose the language for the soundtrack and the language for the subtitles. Always check the DVD has the right region and language combination for your particular country and your particular player … especially when buying online.

Browse our Foreign Language Films

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The identity of the language is yet to be identified as the most common languages of the Assyrian Empire such as Egyptian and West Simitic, have already been ruled out by archeologists.

The language on the clay tablet, appears to have been written at the end of the 8th Century BC.

Read more about the ‘new’ ancient language discovered in Turkey>>

Their concern comes as a high number of British companies do not export internationally due to a lack of language skills. This lack of language skills in the workplace is seen as one of the main barriers to trading internationally which ultimately means missing out on potential economic growth. The BCC also recommends that the Government offer tax breaks as an incentive for UK companies to give their staff much-needed language training.

Language Advantage Limited recently highlighted an article about the concerns by the House of Lords EU Committee that not enough children are learning languages at school.

The BBC Director-General said ‘Re-establishing foreign languages as core subjects within the national curriculum and in workplace training would mean that the next generation of business owners are ‘born global’ with language skills’.

Read more about the British Chambers of Commerce and why it is concerned that not enough British school children are learning languages>>

Get your children to learn a language today and find out more about language courses for kids>>

On the 9th May 1950, what is now known as the European Union, was first proposed. In Paris, the French Foreign Minister of the time, Robert Schuman, put forward the idea for France, Germany and other European countries to work together to put their coal and steel production  as a  foundation of a possible European federation. This proposal helped to ensure that there has been peace and prosperity across Europe for over 50 years. And so the 9th May is celebrated as the birthday of the European Union and is called  Europe Day.

Nowadays, Europe Day celebrates the diversity of cultures within Europe and gives the people of Europe the opportunity to come closer together and to learn about the European Union.

Many countries within the EU celebrate the 9th May by holding festivities that promote the culture of their own country and of other EU countries. These festivities include quizzes, games, open days, children singing songs in other European languages and parades.

Why not join in the festivities yourself by learning a European language today? Learn  to speak Spanish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek or Romanian! Or, give a language gift and get to know your fellow Europeans!

Learn a European language today >>

Find out more about the Declaration of the 9th May>>

How do you celebrate Europe Day in your country? Let us know by sending your comments below!

Some of the experiments included giving people scenarios such as financial betting or hypothetical choices in both the native language and then in the foreign language. In each of these experiments, the people used more analytical thought and deliberation when thinking of the scenario in the foreign language than when thinking in their own native language.

The researchers believe that this analytical approach could be useful in day-to-day life such as when making financial decisions. One researcher said that ‘Over a long time horizon, this might very well be beneficial.’

Read more about the study and why thinking in a foreign language could make you think more clearly>>

Bank Holiday Monday is a public holiday in the UK which celebrates the coming of Spring hopefully in the sunshine (or just to do nothing!) as this is also when people are off work and off school.  We’re sure you’re wondering why Bank Holiday Monday is called ‘Bank Holiday’?  It’s because it is the day on which banks are obliged to close by law.  More traditionally, English folklore celebrations take place which include morris dancing (English folk dancing to music with bells on their arms and legs) and a maypole, around which traditional dancers or children circle with ribbons.  

France follows a more romantic view of May 1^st.  At the beginning of the 20^th century it became custom to give a lily of the valley flower as a symbol of springtime. Nowadays, people tend to give a bunch of lilies of the valley to loved ones.

There is a more serious side to May Day, too.  The first day of May is also known as Labour Day or International Worker’s Day. This day commemorates the fight for an 8-hour day and to honour workers and their institutions. This idea for a ‘worker’s holiday’ began in Australia in 1856 and quickly spread around the world. Not all countries observe this day in May though. In the USA, for instance, Labor Day is on the first Monday in September.

How do you celebrate May Day in your country? Tell us by writing a comment below!

Michel Thomas language courses are available in over 10 languages including French, Spanish, German, Italian as well as Portuguese, Russian and Arabic. With the Michel Thomas range of language courses it couldn’t be easier. Just relax, listen and learn.

Read reviews and find out more about Michel Thomas language courses>>

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In reality, St George’s Day is not fully celebrated in England, but merely acknowledged – a far cry from the festivities surrounding St Patrick’s Day or St David’s Day – or even the Scottish Burns Night. There is no national holiday nor many festivities to mark this day. During recent years however, there are several societies and celebrities who have been trying to revive St George’s Day and promote all things English. Several government buildings in central London now display the St George’s flag – the red cross on a white background (also the flag of England). Efforts have also been made to make St George’s Day a National Holiday.

But St George is not just an English saint. There are also several other European countries and  regions who observe St George’s Day on the 23^rd April, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia and Russia. St George even appears on the city arms of Moscow. However, his reach is far and wide and St George’s Day celebrations can be found as far afield as Lebanon and Newfoundland in Canada. This day is celebrated in different ways in these countries. For example, in Catalonia (Spain), this day is known as La Diada de Sant Jordi (The Day of Saint George) and also as El Dia del Libre (The Day of the Book). It is a national holiday in Catalonia with women traditionally giving a book to male loved ones and men giving roses to female loved ones.

Let us know if you celebrate St George’s Day in your country! Write a comment in the Comments Box below.

With so much prosperity across China, there are many Chinese tourists and business people with money to spend and luxury goods seem to be one of their many coveted items to buy. There is a drawback for retailers in the United States though as it is more difficult for Chinese residents to obtain visas to travel there unlike to Europe. In light of this and of the opportunity for the USA to capitalise on this fast-growing tourist group, President Obama has promised to increase the US visa-processing levels from emerging markets such as China and Brazil, which will make it easier for them to travel to the United States.

Read more about why Mandarin Chinese is fast becoming a new language of luxury>>

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican culture, food, music, drink – Mexican beer is often drunk!   Several cities in the US hold parades and concerts during the week leading up to the 5th May. It is said that the festivities in the States are now more prolific than anything seen in Mexico itself.

Find out how to learn to speak Spanish with language courses, books, films, music and language courses abroad from languageadvantage.com>>

Find out more about the Mexican culture>>