Three French films funded by European Union's MEDIA programme of support for the European audiovisual sector have been awarded with several prizes in the latest edition of Cannes International Film Festival.

Twenty films funded by EU's MEDIA Programme have been screened during the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival, including six films in competition for the Palme d'Or Award, the highest prize of the Festival.

Among the six winners, three have been funded by European Union's MEDIA programme.

• The Grand Prix - the Festival's second prize after the Palme d'Or - was awarded to the French Of Gods and Men, by French film maker Xavier Beauvois. The film is based on the true story of kidnapping and killing of a group of Christian Monks in the mountains of Algeria by fundamentalist Islamists in 1996.
• The award for Best Director was given to Frenchman Mathieu Amalric whose On tour, tells the story a team of Burlesque strip-teasers dreaming of fame and success in Paris.
• Finally, the intriguing French actress Juliette Binoche was awarded the Best Actress prize for the movie Certified Copy by Iranian filmaker Abbas Kiarostami. She plays the role of a gallery owner who hooks up with a British art historian in Tuscany.

The Media program aims to preserve and enhance European cultural and linguistic diversity and its cinematographic and audiovisual heritage, guarantee its accessibility to the public and promote intercultural dialogue, and to increase the circulation and viewership of European audiovisual works inside and outside the European Union, including through greater cooperation between players.

Overall, the MEDIA programme will contribute €755 million in support of Europe's film industry from 2007-2013, with a focus on improving the distribution and promotion of European films and strengthening the competitiveness of the sector. Production companies selected for support typically receive grants of €50,000 on average.

Eight out of the past ten Palme d'Or winners since 2000 have received support from the MEDIA programme, including "The white ribbon", winner of last edition's Palme. Several also won Oscars, like, for example, Slumdog Millionaire, winner of 2009 Oscar for the best film.