Cannes 2008 - the preview: The Brits

Consternation invariably reigns here when Cannes features only a smattering of British entries – but given a national output that's modest both in size and (too often) quality, can we honestly complain?

Still, while there are no competition entries, there are two major British unveilings. One is the return of the great but under-celebrated Terence Davies, whose first film in eight years, Of Time and the City, is a very personal documentary about his native Liverpool; the other is the opener of the "Un Certain Regard" section, Hunger, the feature debut by artist/film-maker Steve McQueen, about IRA man Bobby Sands. Expect political cinema as we've never quite seen it before.