The producers of the two Italian films that gained major honours at Cannes, Il Divo and Gomorrah, have thanked Italy for giving a lifeline to independent cinema.
Gomorrah, adapted from the Roberto Saviano bestseller of the same name, gave Cannes audiences a revealing picture of the Naples Mafia, the Camorra.
Il Divo, a nickname of ex-Christian Democrat premier Giulio Andreotti, provided an eye-opening portrait of the controversial statesman.
Gomorrah's producer Domenico Procacci said the gangland expose', directed by Matteo Garrone, could not have been made without the support of the Italian culture ministry.
''You can't rely on the market to make films like Garrone's,'' he said.
He said the ministry and other big funders like the public broadcaster RAI ''have worked very well in the past few years''.
Andrea Occhipinti, producer of Il Divo, said ''this backing has been fundamental for recent Italian movie-making,'' citing a string of festival hits that have spurred talk of a mini-renaissance for Italian cinema.
Il Divo, directed by Paolo Sorrentino, won the jury award, Cannes' third prize.
Gomorrah picked up the second-highest laurel, the grand prize.
It was Italy's best result at Cannes since two films shared the Golden Palm in 1972 - Francesco Rosi's The Mattei Affair and Elio Petri's The Working Class Goes To Heaven.
This year's Golden Palm went to a French film for the first time since 1987, Lauren Cantet's The Class.
Italy last won the Palme d'Or in 2001 with Nanni Moretti's The Son's Room.
