Lepetit attacks
Jean-François Lepetit, president of the Union of French producers and exporters (the CSPEFF), has decided to make the public aware of what professionals in the French film industry are worried about. In an interview published in this week’s Ecran Total, the producer (Flach Film) underlined a few bad tendencies in terms of production. First, the average budget for a full-length feature has been on the rise, from 4.6 million euros in 2003 to 5.3 million in 2004, which in fact indicates concentration, all money being put on big productions over 7 million euros —they represent 55,6 % of the money invested in French productions— while small budgets under a million are deeply affected (20 were made in 2004, for 41 in 2003). Jean-François Lepetit sees this evolution as a threat for independant producers. He also denounces the uncontrollable increase of charges (19 to 31.6 million euros) and the unaffordable salaries of the stars (30 to 50 million euros) ; the latter was pointed at in 2003 in the Leclerc report on film funding for the Ministry of Culture.
On a European level, the president of the CSPEFF resents the decrease of European coproductions (only 46 features in 2004 —mainly with five majors partners : the UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Spain— for 72 in 2003), a phenomenon he thinks is due to how difficult it is for European coproductions to benefit from the tax-relief created in 2004 by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) so as encourage relocating film sets.
Besides Lepetit’s attack on the system meant to prevent French production from resting on its laurels, discussions organised by the CNC for professionals around the potential creation of a fund for non-European producers (after the controversy raised by A Very Long Engagement) have not led anywhere yet.
(Translated from French)
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