16/09/2009

French production is forging ahead despite economic tensions, according to a mid-year report published exceptionally by the National Film Centre (CNC). A total of 110 features were accredited in the first semester of 2009, compared to 109 for the same period in 2008. These include 83 French initiative films and 27 majority foreign co-productions.

From January-June 2009, investment in French production amounted to €537.97m, representing a decline of 33.6% compared to the same period in 2008. This sharp decrease can be explained in part by the fact that the four most expensive films of 2008 (including three with budgets over €40m) were entered for the first semester of 2008.

However, the fall in investment is symbolised by the total absence in the first semester 2009 of features costing over €30m. As a consequence, the average estimated budget for a French initiative film has dropped to €5.36m (€8.16m for the same period in 2008 and €5.78m in the first semester 2007).

The bipolarisation trend (widening gap over the last few years between the growing number of big and small-budget films, while medium-budget films decreased in number and attracted less funding) has subsided, giving way to a better distribution of investment and a marked increase in films with a budget of between €4-7m (16 films accredited in the first semester, 20% of estimated budgets).

During the first six months of the year, features with an estimated budget of under €1m represented 13.3% of production, compared to almost 20% for the same period in 2008 (over 25% for the first semester 2007). On the contrary, only 4.8% of films accredited in the first semester of 2009 have an estimated budget of over €15m (compared to 12.8% for January-June 2008 and 8% in the first semester 2007).

(Translated from French)