Winning the Grand Prix at Cannes last year for "Flandres" has not altered filmmaker Bruno Dumont's particular stance. "Yes, the award is nice, but I know that my films are not for everyone. Some people have rejected it in a very strong way," said the director last month when he was in Tokyo for the French Film Festival.

"However, I have always worked with the conviction that making films is about drawing strong emotions or reactions from the viewer. Otherwise, there would be no point, at least not for me."

Set in Flanders in northern France, "Flandres" is a film that sets raw sex, gore and violence against the idyllic French countryside.