28/03/2013 - Attaining its highest level of international coproductions over the past 20 years, French cinema casts its influence all over the world

With 129 coproductions with 37 countries out of the 279 feature films accredited in 2012 (versus 120 the previous year), the French cinema industry has set a new record in the field over the past two years, according to the results unveiled this week by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC). 716.86 M€ (-1.2%) were devoted to the funding of these films including 59 French majority coproductions (+4) and 70 French minority coproductions (+5, giving a total record since 1980).

With 46 films (35 majority coproductions – a number which has exploded - and 11 minority coproductions), Belgium again asserts itself as the  N°1 partner of French production, ahead of Germany (23 films including 5 with a majority share), Italy (18 feature films including 14 with a minority share) and Luxembourg (15 coproductions including 9 with a majority share).

Then follow Spain (10 coproductions including 8 with a French minority share), Switerland (8 including 2 with a French majority share), the United Kingdom (5 French minority coproductions), Roumania (5 minority participations), Canada (5 coproductions), Turkey (4), Israel (4 including 3 with a majority share), Ireland (3 with a minority share), Sweden (3 with a minority share), Norway (2 with a minority share) and Hungary (2). The list of partner countries also includes Israel, China (2), Portugal, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Morocco, Tunisia, Burkina-Faso, South Africa (2), Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Australia.

It's worth pointing out that 83.1 % of international coproductions with a French majority share were coproduced with Belgium or Luxembourg (versus 56.4 % in 2011) and that the report shows 17 financial coproductions (without any artistic or technical contributions from the minority country): 12 with Italy and 5 with Spain (the only countries, together with the United Kingdom, to have bilateral agreements with France authorizing this type of coproduction). In this area, Eric Garandeau, President of the CNC, mentioned the up-coming creation of a Franco-Italian development fund whose details will be revealed at the next Cannes Film Festival.

Standing out on the list of French minority coproductions 2012, we find films signed in particular by Christian Mungiu, Paolo Sorrentino, Roy Andersson, Marco Bellocchio, Terry Gilliam, Albert Serra, Janos Szasz, Aida Begić, Pia Marais and Álex de la Iglesia.

Photo: Ficam - Thibault Gast - From the film Ombres et lumières

(Translated from French)