29/03/2012 - With 120 international co-productions and 38 partner countries in 2011, the French cinema industry has the world as its playground.

With 120 co-productions set up with 38 countries for 272 feature films registered in 2011 (compared to 118 the year before), the French cinema industry remains extremely open to world, according to the National Centre for Cinema and the moving image (CNC)’s 2011 review unveiled this week. Up to €725.85m (+4,8%) went to financing these films, which include 55 majority French co-productions (-5) and 65 minority French co-productions (+7, a record since 1980).

With 39 films (24 majority French co-productions and 15 minority French co-productions), exactly like in 2010, Belgium remains French production’s number one partner, in front of Germany with a few more co-productions with France than last year (26 films of which 10 are majority co-productions), Italy (17 features of which 11 are minority co-productions) and Luxembourg (16 co-productions – twice as many as in 2010 - of which seven are majority co-productions).

Then follow Spain (13 co-productions of which nine are minority co-productions), Canada (11 co-productions), the United Kingdom (six minority co-productions), Poland (four of which three monority co-productions), Switzerland (four of which three are minority co-productions), Portugal (four films: one majority, one equal, and two minority co-productions) and Roumania (three minority co-productions).

In Europe, France also co-produced in 2011 with Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and Turkey.

Cineuropa asked Eric Garandeau (photo), president of the CNC, about the increased weight of Belgium and Luxemburg in co-productions since a few years (55 films, i.e. 45,8 % of registered French co-productions in 2011), a phenomenon analysed last year by the CNC in a comparative study of tax incentives for film production (article). He said that the possibilities for action were limited, as the current context was not right for a legislative revision of French tax credits. He did however add that the idea of a ceiling for tax incentives was being discussed at European level. On this topic, the CNC 2011 review also revealed that only nine out of the 31 majority French co-productions with Belgium and Luxemburg were set up without French tax credit.

On the list of minority French co-productions for 2011 shine films by, among others, Ken Loach, David Cronenberg, Matteo Garrone, Joachim Lafosse, Xavier Dolan, Tomas Alfredson, Susanne Bier, James Marsh, Marco Tullio Giordana, Jaime Rosales, and Andrzej Jakimowski.

(Translated from French)