World Cinema Support

This is a selective fund, and is granted as a subsidy either before or after completion of a project. It is granted to foreign feature-length film projects that are seeking support from French co-producers.

In 2012, it has a total budget of 6 million euros. Each year, 4 or 5 sessions will be organized, thereby supporting 40 to 60 projects.

Eligibility

The film must be a co-production between a production company established in France and one that is not, it must be directed by a non-French (or exceptionally French) director, and must be shot abroad.

The language in which it is filmed may be the official or commonly-used language(s) of the foreign country of which the director is a national; it may also be the language(s) of the territory where the film is shot.

Pre-filming subsidies must be applied for before the start of any filming.

Post-filming subsidies must be applied for by the French production company and are only applicable to projects rejected by the plenary committee meeting on pre-filming subsidies.
 

Project selection

A committee of professionals chooses the projects based on their artistic quality, their ability to present different points of view and new ideas to the general public, as well as the relative weakness of the foreign professional network on which the projects would depend.

The committee comprises two sub-committees (colleges), presided over by two Vice-Presidents, one open to first or second films of a director, and the other to projects by experienced directors.

The projects are examined at three stages: first by the reading committee, then by the plenary committee, which decides whether the projects should be supported or not and finally by the assessment committee, which sets the aid amount.

Amount of aid

There is a ceiling of € 250,000 for pre-filming subsidy and of € 50,000 for post-filming subsidy. The amount awarded may not exceed 50% of the funding provided by the French co-producer; however, this limit is raised to 80% in the event that a project is a director’s first or second feature-length film, for films with a budget lower than € 1,250,000, or for those co-produced with low-income countries (see www.cnc.fr).
 

Spending obligations

Between 50% and 75% of the aid granted must be spent by the production company established in France. An additional 25% of the aid granted must be spent by the foreign production company, for projects co-produced with countries that have weak film industries (see www.cnc.fr).

Finally, films with a total budget over € 2,500,000 must meet the CNC’s approval conditions applicable to official co-productions or to French works.
 

Subsidy management

The World Cinema Support fund is co-managed by the Institut français, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and by the CNC, which provides a significant share of the funds awarded. The Institut français is mainly responsible for the secretariat and for organizing the first college.

All of the documents necessary to apply for World Cinema Support must be filed online, at the following address: www.cnc.fr/web/fr/cinemas-du-monde.

Contacts