19/01/2012

In 2005, when French film production reached 240 features, professionals talked about overheating. But the trend hasn’t been reversed and since then, records have been broken year after year. According to the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), 272 features were accredited in 2011 (compared to 261 in 2010) for an investment volume of €1.389bn (a slight downturn of 3.5%). This level of production testifies to the dynamism of the French industry, but worsens the thorny issue of distributing these films in theatres that already complain of a glut of new releases.

In detail, the increase in production in 2011 corresponds above all to a rise in minority French international co-productions (a record number at 65 features compared to 58 in 2010). On the other hand, the small overall increase in French initiative films (207 compared to 203) is the result of a sharp growth in the number of 100% French features (up from 143 to 152) coupled with a decrease in majority co-productions (down from 60 to 55). In total, in 2011, France was involved in 120 international co-productions (118 in 2010).

On the investment side, the 207 French initiative films were produced with €1.128bn (+1.5% compared to 2010 with four additional films), including €1bn in French capital and €118.5m in foreign financing (the best figure since 2003). On the other hand, the financing of minority French international co-productions saw a clear drop at €260.76m (-20% with, however, seven more features), including €57.34m invested by France and €203.42m by foreign sources. It should be noted that only one French minority co-production accredited in 2011 had a budget in excess of €20m compared to four the previous year.

Two phenomena should also be flagged up: the dominance of digital film shoots (72% of French initiative films in 2011 compared to 45% in 2010) and the growth in "makeshift films" (without organised financing, or public funding) which tumble directly into the CNC’s production approval stage without going through the investment approval stage. Twenty-four features (half of which are documentaries) were in this situation last year, including 16 with a budget of less than €500,000.

(Translated from French)