Top honors for two Austrians at the Cannes festival were proof that the country’s movie industry has become a force to be reckoned with internationally, politicians and film professionals have said.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz received the festival’s best actor award for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” while Director Michael Haneke took home the coveted Palme d’Or for his film “The White Ribbon.”

The wins made it “more than clear that the Austrian film industry is a vital sector with great potential for the future,” added Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Josef Proell.

Austrian cinema scored its biggest win ever last year with a best foreign picture Oscar for Stefan Ruzowitzky’s “The Counterfeiters.”

Reacting to the Cannes awards, the Austrian Film Institute, which provides funding, spoke of “a further highlight in a wave of success.”

“Austrian cinema is alive as never before and is making incredible achievements,” its director, Roland Teichmann, said.

But while welcoming his colleague’s “much-deserved accolade,” Ruzowitzky warned, “We have to be careful about depicting this as a triumph for Austrian film, rather it is evidence of where Austrian politicians have failed.”

Lack of funding and opportunities in Austria meant that Haneke’s film was produced mostly with German money and Waltz was awarded for a performance in a US production, he noted.

Source: AFP