What are the main artistic and financial benefits to international documentary makers when engaging with their French counterparts? What kind of rules are in place to apply for funding? These were the main questions tackled during a panel organised by Biarritz docfest FIPADOC in collaboration with Unifrance. The talk was held on 25 January and moderated by CNC rep Agnès Tricot.
In particular, the discussion focused on three international co-production case studies, presented on stage by Estelle Robin You (producer at Paris-based Point du Jour – Les Films du Balibari), Delphine Morel (producer at Paris-based TS Productions) and Cédric Bonin (producer at Strasbourg-based Seppia).
Before handing the mic to the speakers, Tricot touched upon the numerous funding opportunities available in France. Speaking about the CNC bursaries, she underscored how producers need to choose at the very beginning of their projects whether they are going to apply for the audiovisual fund (for docs aiming to air on TV) or the cinema fund (for docs looking for theatrical distribution). This decision is of crucial importance because if the project takes a different turn the CNC may ask to refund the grants. Tricot also stressed the 25% cash rebate in place as well as the additional funding opportunities offered by other regional and local bodies as well as private organisations such as PROCIREP.
She revealed that in 2022 the CNC invested €79 million in non-fiction projects, of which €69 million were granted by the Audiovisual Fund. In terms of fostering co-productions, the CNC has sealed dedicated agreements with 59 countries, which makes all of them eligible for CNC funds. “There are also dedicated bilateral funds to support co-development and co-productions with some specific countries such as Italy, Tunisia and Germany,” she added.
Robin You spoke about her work on Saeed Taji Farouky’s A Thousand Fires (premiered at Locarno in 2021), a French-led co-production with Switzerland and the Netherlands. The picture was shot in Myanmar, editing took place in France, sound post-production in Switzerland and the rest of post in the Netherlands. “Directors need to adapt to crazy financial plans. Sometimes it’s really like doing gymnastics for them,” she admitted. One of the key tasks when it comes to co-producing is to “find a good balance” between the parties involved and ask how many compromises you – and your director in particular – are ready to accept.
She also suggested to consult the Guide des Aides à la création (Guide to Creative Support), an important resource (currently available only in French) to find out more about financing and co-producing in France. When asked about the right places to look for potential French partners, she mentioned specialised festivals and markets such as IDFA and CPH:DOX as well as drinks and networking events organised by Unifrance.
Next, Morel talked through the making of Ahmet Necdec Çopur’s Les Enfants Terribles, a French-led co-production staged with German and Turkish partners. The project was developed during an EAVE workshop held in 2016. Initially conceived as a film for theatrical distribution, the team was lucky to receive enough development funding to do further research and think through the choice of the project’s final form. Ultimately, France TV boarded it as the main broadcaster, making it eligible for FSA funding (Fonds de soutien audiovisuel) provided by the CNC. France TV took part in the documentary with a 42% share, well over the CNC’s 25% minimum requirement. The Ile de France region also granted additional financial support.
The Turkish partners provided the film’s sound engineer and crafted a shorter, 52-minute international version, while the German partners offered a composer and help with some of the post-production work.
In his contribution, Bonin summarised his work on Fabienne Lips-Dumas’s Game of Truth, a Belgian-led co-production with Ireland and France involved as minority co-producers. Within the team, the director and the composer were French, the editor was Belgian and the crew was Belgian and Irish. The picture, which revolves around five cases of state collusion in Northern Ireland, required much work on balancing the artistic contributions between the three countries.
Bonin also explained how the team couldn’t find a big broadcaster to board the project but the French TV landscape was wide enough to allow them to work with Histoire TV, which invested in it as a co-producer, and made it eligible for CNC, regional and PROCIREP support. Through French backers, Bonin raised around €150,000. The documentary was successfully aired on several networks around Europe. One point that Bonin underlined when it comes to co-producing with France is that if broadcasters wish to enter a project aimed at theatrical distribution, they will need to wait up to 19 months before airing it. “It’s a huge gap, especially in comparison with other countries,” he pointed out.
Later, Tricot spoke about some of the other funding opportunities offered by the CNC, including the aforementioned FSA (now open also to projects backed by international platforms), the Innovation and Support Fund and the Cinémas du monde fund.
Exceptionally, the Innovation and Support fund does not require teams to decide in advance whether the project will be aimed at TV or theatrical distribution. Moreover, directors may be nationals of any country.
Finally, the highly competitive Cinémas du monde fund aims to encourage co-productions with France and to promote cultural diversity. Projects must present co-production contracts (in English or French), directed by foreign nationals and shot in the director’s native language or that of the shooting country.
In broader terms, eligible French producers should present financing plans with at least 30% French participation, and half of it (15%) must be spent in France. For co-productions with Canada, such a threshold is decreased to 10% in order to increase co-operation between the two countries.
