This is a selective fund, and is granted as a subsidy either before or after completion of a project. It is granted to foreign feature-length film projects that are seeking support from French co-producers.
In 2021, it has a total budget of 6,4 million euros. Each year, 4 sessions are organized, thereby supporting about 50 projects.
Eligibility
The film must be a co-production between a production company established in France and one that is not, it must be directed by a non-French (or exceptionally French) director.
The language in which it is filmed may be the official or commonly-used language(s) of the foreign country of which the director is a national; or of the territory where the film is shot.
Pre-filming subsidies must be applied for before the start of any filming.
Post-filming subsidies must be applied for by the French production company and are only applicable to projects rejected at the pre-filming stage.
Project selection
A committee of professionals chooses the projects based on their artistic quality, their ability to present different points of view and new ideas to the general public, as well as the relative weakness of the foreign professional network on which the projects would depend.
Pre-filming:
The committee comprises two sub-committees (colleges), presided over by two Vice-Presidents, one open to first or second films of a director, and the other to projects by experienced directors.
The projects are examined at three stages: first by the reading committee, then by the plenary committee, which decides whether the projects should be supported or not and finally by the assessment committee, which sets the aid amount.
Post-filming:
The projects are examined by the committee composed of the president, the vice-president and the members of the 3rd board.
At the end of the plenary session, the costing committee, composed of the president, the vice-president and the members of the 3rd board as well as representatives of the CNC and the Institut français, examines the selected applications.
The amount of support granted is set by joint decision of the presidents of the CNC and the Institut français further to the opinion of the costing committee.
Amount of support
There is a ceiling of € 250,000 for pre-filming subsidy and of € 50,000 for post-filming subsidy. The amount awarded may not exceed 50% of the French financing part. However, this limit is raised to 80% if the project is a director’s first or second feature-length film, for films with a budget lower than € 1,250,000, or for those co-produced with low-income countries.
For French initiated works with a budget over €2,500,000, this amount is increased to €450,000.
A work of “French initiative” means works produced as part of an international co-production in which French participation in the funding is the largest and for which the exploitation rights on the original work or the scenario have been acquired by one or more delegated production companies established in France.
Spending obligations
At least 50% of the subsidy granted must be spent by the production company established in France. An additional 25% of the aid granted must be spent by the foreign production company, for projects co-produced with countries that have weak film industries (see www.cnc.fr).
Finally, films with a total budget over € 2,500,000 must meet the CNC’s approval conditions applicable to official co-productions or to French works.
Subsidy management
The documents required for the application have to be all in French (script, director’s note, synopsis, etc.) and must be filed online : https://form.cnc.fr.
More Information available at the following address : https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/aides-et-financements/multi-sectoriel/production/aide-aux-cinemas-du-monde_190862#
Contacts
At CNC
Magalie Armand
Head of department
Tel. +33 1 44 34 38 82
magalie.armand@cnc.fr
Stéphanie Morgado
Administrative assistant
Tel. +33 1 44 34 34 83
stephanie.morgado@cnc.fr
Béatrice Rodenbour
First board
Tel. +33 1 44 34 35 46
beatrice.rodenbour@cnc.fr
Chrystelle Guerrero
2nd board
Tel. +33 1 44 34 34 29
chrystelle.guerrero@cnc.fr
At Institut français
Claude Brenez
Third board
Tél. +33 1 88 61 38 28
claude.brenez@institutfrancais.com
www.institutfrancais.com
