23/05/2025 - CANNES 2025: A presentation of a selection of case studies showcased the efficacy and wide reach of the French grant

During last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the CNC organised a panel discussion on the specifics and expansion of its Aide aux cinémas du monde (ACM) funding programme. As a follow-up, this year the film centre presented six case studies of films funded through the ACM scheme. All of these projects were selected for Cannes’ official competition this year. A total of 16 films co-funded by the ACM were also screened at the festival, eight of which in competition, and this sizeable number also influenced the ambitious title of the panel: “ACM: the success of a unique, worldwide funding initiative”.

In the presence of the CNC’s director of European and international affairs Jérémie Kessler and deputy director Michel Plazanet, the audience was lucky enough to be given an idea of the production conditions for co-production projects from around the world. The panel’s first film was Magellan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Lav Diaz, accompanied by its Portuguese producer Joaquim Sapinho of Lib Films. Sapinho was in charge of the movie’s international co-production, involving five countries, namely Portugal, Spain, the Philippines, Taiwan and France. The producer, who works closely with director Albert Serra and his production company Andergraun Films, revealed that the film wouldn’t have been possible without this support from France. The ACM’s financial contribution is limited to €300,000, or €500,000 for projects with a budget of €2.5 million upwards. During the panel the exact amounts of the contributions by the ACM weren’t always indicated, like in the case of Lav Diaz’s film, which had a total budget of €2.3 million. The producer made clear that French support on the project extended far beyond finance: “We were able to use French expertise in the team. We had French technicians on set, for post-production too; for the special effects, for example”. Sapinho took the opportunity to praise the values the CNC stands for: "Its principles are clear: they’re European and founded on dialogue. The programme is important for tackling all kinds of changes and difficulties in society and politics.”

Producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy from French company Memento spoke about the Swedish-Danish-French co-production Eagles of the Republic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tarik Saleh
film profile] by Tarek Saleh. The third part of the Swedish director’s so-called Egypt trilogy had a total budget of €8.6 million and was shot in Turkey. Mallet-Guy said the film would also have made it without the support of the ACM, but their contribution helped to fill some of the gaps in this blunt critique of Egypt’s current regime. “We reconstructed Egypt in Turkey, since it wasn’t possible to shoot in the country itself. The director even received death threats”. France nonetheless played an important role in the project: “We spent more than €2 million and 35% of the budget in France. The costume and cinematography department were managed by French team members. Four of the main actors are French”. This is the seventh time that a project by Mallet-Guy and Memento has been funded by the ACM. The producer explained that partnership with Nordic countries is very advantageous for France, and he expects more co-productions in the future.

Once Upon a Time in Gaza [+see also:
film review
interview: Tarzan Nasser
film profile] was shown in this year’s Un Certain Regard competition. This film by twins Arab and Tarzan Nasser was produced by French talent Marie Legrand of Les Films du Tambour, who also produced the brothers’ first two features. Their current film is a co-production between France, Germany, Palestine and Portugal, with the Palestinian directors also being French citizens. Legrand thinks they’ll still carry on telling stories with a connection to Gaza, their homeland. In her opinion, the €400,000 which the production received from the ACM - one of the initiatives highest grants awarded - was a clear sign of the CNC’s commitment to arthouse co-productions and diversity in the audiovisual landscape: “It’s very rare that an international co-production of this kind gets this level of support, especially when it’s not shot in French”. Production took place in Jordan, as it wasn’t possible to shoot in Gaza, which proved difficult given that Jordan isn’t on the coast, so some scenes needing a sea view were shot in Portugal.

Among the rest of the case studies presented at the panel were Resurrection [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Chinese director Bi Gan, Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Joachim Trier and Renoir [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Chie Hayakawa
film profile] by Chie Hayakawa. Producer Juliette Schrameck of Lumen highlighted the good relationship between French and Scandinavian producers: “Trier is very much influenced by French culture. His co-author trained in France; he graduated from La Fémis”. The film’s production consequently involved several French collaborators and French expertise. Similar experiences were shared by the co-producers of Japanese director Hayakawa’s second feature. The movie had a modest budget of €1.9 million - all the more modest considering it’s a co-production between four countries (France, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore). “For an independent Japanese film and a young filmmaker, it’s a huge budget. Especially since it’s an original script and not a literary adaptation, because adaptations dominate the market in Japan", explained Loaded film producer Eiko Mizono-Gray. The ACM’s support proved hugely beneficial for the production.

These experiences demonstrate how the ACM’s commitment really can make a difference for a project’s funding, as well as enabling highly fruitful artistic collaborations and long-lasting bonds.