‘The companies that are players in Canada, the top four, we’re not idiots, we don’t want to blow our brains out like we have in the past. We all have to act responsibly because we don’t want to be driving up the prices collectively.’

That said, Coscient/Astral Distribution vp Andre Paquette is predicting some conservatism on the part of Canadian buyers at the Cannes Film Market, the buy-and-sell which runs parallel to the much-storied Cannes Film Festival (May 7-18).

Malofilm Distribution gm Noah Segal agrees that falling victim to ‘the buzz’ can be costly. ‘The way the markets are going, there’s winners and there’s losers. There aren’t many break-even pictures anymore.’

That’s a situation, Segal says, which isn’t helped by the fact that u.s. majors are now backing indie distribs.

‘Guys like Miramax come in with Disney money behind them, they step over the biggest offer, and they’re countered by New Line, which has Warner Bros.’ cache of money behind them. On the flip side, if those two pass, it can get very frustrating for independent filmmakers.’

As the market matures, more and more of the product screened for buyers at Cannes has already been shopped extensively. As Segal puts it, most of the buyers have ‘seen, purchased or passed on’ much of the product before they get there. But, according to Paquette, Cannes ­ because of the profile of the festival itself and the press it generates ­ still has an allure for companies wanting to introduce something relatively new.

‘Companies which have better quality product might even forego afm in order to use Cannes as a launching pad, even if the film isn’t in competition in any of the categories.’

In terms of sales, Alliance Independent Films senior vp Charlotte Mickie says her slate is relatively large this year because of the number of acquisitions over the winter. She’s expecting great things from Atom Egoyan’s latest, The Sweet Hereafter, which is in official competition and has yet to be screened anywhere.

‘We’ve already done quite well with it. The preliminary buzz is good and he has a strong following,’ says Mickie.

Mickie also singles out Neil LaBute’s In The Company of Men and Alex Sichel’s All Over Me as likely to generate brisk business on-site.

Meanwhile, Alliance Releasing vp and gm Tony Cianciotta hopes the Cannes hype ­ especially in Quebec where French press is widely available ­ to help the Egoyan movie cross over from a strictly art picture. ‘But whether the awareness ultimately convinces people to come in and see the picture when we open, that’s a different story,’ he says.

Malofilm ­ which has Canadian rights for another Canadian entry, Lynne Stopkewich’s critically acclaimed first feature Kissed ­ says they’ve boosted the press push on Kissed here in Canada since the selections were announced, as the film is still in theaters.

Malofilm has international rights for Cosmos, the other Canadian film screening in Director’s Fortnight, and Segal says the phone started ringing as soon as the list was out. ‘But it’s a niche film, and you have different expectations for success. It’s a French-Canadian urban vignette film, so the Cannes recognition will help for sure.’

Claude Fournier’s Heads or Tales (aka J’en Suis) will be premiering for Malofilm at the Cannes market. Foreign sales for the Malofilm/Rose Films production will be handled by l.a.’s Images Organization, a Malo company.

There’s also a Canadian selection in Un certain regard. Richard Kwietniowski’s Canada/u.k. copro Love and Death on Long Island is 20% owned by Halifax’s Imagex. Canadian rights belong to Alliance, and The Sales Company is the international distributor.

The u.s. rights for Kissed belong to Samuel Goldwyn Company, and Lakeshore Entertainment has the rest of the world. Alliance Independent Films has the world for The Sweet Hereafter.