Lumiere, which in the last year alone brought us Leaving Las Vegas and La cité des enfants perdus, will be one of the most notable absentees at this year's Cannes festival.
The Lumiere name lives on in the production arm, run by Jean Cazes, and in both the Spanish and Brazilian offshoots. But following the takeover by UGC, much of the company's activity has been absorbed into the parent company.
Lumiere's sales office in London's Wardour Street is set to close shortly, with staff already being laid off. The company's video label, which traditionally exploited the former Weintraub library containing over 2,000 British films, is also set to close in its current form.
The future of the Pinewood Studios-based library is still unclear, following British protests at UGC's plans to move it to France. Opposition from the UK's National Film and Television Archive, among others, may have delayed the UGC decision.
Nick Thomas
