15/07/2025 - The two national film bodies, the BFI and the CNC, have collaborated on a deal benefitting the audience, culture and industry in both countries

l-r: Gaëtan Bruel (CNC) and Ben Roberts (BFI) putting pen to paper

With France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, making his UK state visit last week - the first of any European leader to the country since Brexit - the BFI (British Film Institute) and France’s CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée) have signed a new Moving Image Co-operation agreement, announced at London’s BFI Southbank, which will create closer industry collaboration between the two nations. Building upon the existing strong relationship between the UK and France’s screen sectors, it will allow for further strategic co-operation aiming at greater cultural diversity, audience development and more cross-territory productions. The agreement was ratified in person by BFI chief executive Ben Roberts and CNC president Gaëtan Bruel, overseen by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati and the UK’s Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Chris Bryant.

The agreement will see an alignment between the two countries in several areas of activity. Principally, it will focus on public policy, specifically support measures for independent local production, and the eventual distribution of these works, all encouraging greater inward investment. Collaboration will also be pursued in the areas of artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, intellectual property, and equity, diversity and inclusion. 

Education with provision of moving image culture to younger audiences, as well as heritage projects, with distribution and funding heading in both directions, are also important features of the new agreement. A greater number of events to facilitate co-productions (with the UK Global Screen Fund’s expanded funding, and the UK’s new Independent Film Tax Credit of 40% in mind), and employee exchanges for knowledge sharing between the BFI and CNC, are also planned. Finally, there are new support measures for exhibition infrastructure, with a focus on developing the UK audiences for French films, and vice versa. 

"The UK and France are two of Europe’s most dynamic filmmaking nations. We have a long history of collaboration, including through co-production and the distribution and exhibition of each other’s films across all platforms. We share mutual values and a commitment to cultural diversity, including an appreciation for creativity and storytelling, and our filmmakers have always been inspirational and influential to each other. Co-production is one of the most meaningful ways we can continue this shared exchange - and this initiative of knowledge building and collaboration has been built in that spirit. In the UK, we have created the conditions to foster this through the UK Global Screen Fund and carefully designed Audio-Visual Expenditure Credits including the new Independent Film Tax Credit of 40%", Roberts said.

Bruel added: "This agreement is good news for our industries and professionals. We have already organised several co-production meetings to strengthen links and co-production between France and the UK. But we still want to do more, and we can do more, by exchanging ideas between real partners on the common challenges facing our industry: the return of audiences to cinemas and our European independence in front of the giants of global competition."

The British Film Commission, led by chief executive Adrian Wootton OBE, and the CNC have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding, more specifically aiming to incentivise film and high-end TV production across the two territories. This builds on other successful partnership agreements signed by the Commission since Brexit, together with Spain, Italy, Austria, Norway, Malta and the Netherlands.

While this is good news for the UK’s government’s aim to re-establish cultural relations with the continent, it has ruled out rejoining Creative Europe or introducing a streamer levy, as has been common in the EU. Instead, bolstering domestic sources of financing for local film and TV production remains the strategy.