The Artist’s Oscar success is also good news for The Cork French Film Festival. Its line-up boasts some real gems, Carl Dixon reports

American Splendor, the autobiography of a grumpy file clerk who attains cult celebrity status by becoming a comic book writer, took best picture honours at the National Society of Film Critics awards in the US.

Roman Polanski has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his film about the Holocaust, The Pianist.