The French position

by Fabien Lemercier

26/11/2002 - CNC publishes Renard Report, a critical analysis of Eurimages, with ideas for improving the French participation

France’s Centre Nationale de Cinématografie - CNC has published the Jacques Renard Report into Eurimages, the European support fund for the co-production and circulation of films and audiovisual products that was created in 1998.
The report was commissioned by the former French minister for culture and communications, Catherine Tasca who asked Renard for a comprehensive enquiry into the efficiency, goals and functions of the Eurimages Fund, and asked him to sound out industry operators.
The Renard Report found that the French film industry has one of the closest working relationships with Eurimages. France contributed over Euros 4.2million in co-productions during 2001 and the most important French productions received Euros 5 million from Eurimages.
However, the huge increase in the number of co-productions supported by Eurimages has weakened the impact the Fund has in the circulation of European film and audiovisual products sector significantly.
The report criticised the work of Eurimages and particularly a “lack of clear rules, poor evaluation of the artistic merits of projects submitted” and the Fund’s “poor relationship with the industry”. The dual system adopted by Eurimages: films with commercial potential, and films that represent cultural diversity, was the object of particular attention and analysis.
The Renard Report made a number of suggestions as to possible reforms. They include changes to the voting system with “one vote- one country”. This would benefit the countries that make the biggest financial contribution to the fund. Renard also suggested the creation of a two-tier system for assigning funds, where an initial decision about the merits of a given project would be followed by an evaluation of the amount of money that project would receive. The Renard Report also suggested that a specially appointed commission of experts and industry operators evaluate the artistic merits of projects submitted. The Report ends with a “last resort” proposal that France withdraw from Eurimages in order to concentrate on bilateral co-production mechanisms and on funding smaller joint ventures.