A foreign-film fadeout

If you live in the United States, chances are you have never heard of some of the best international films. Foreign-language movies by world-class, award-winning directors whose careers are the subject of global acclaim are a fading presence in US cinemas, if not absent completely. They have seen few - in some cases none - of their films given a wide American release. And these three are only a few of those whose films have played on the world's biggest festival stages - from Cannes to Venice - yet are virtually unknown to American audiences.