Foreign flowering
Co-prod'ns jump 58% in French film biz
Canal Plus invested $160 million, but because the number of films made in France increased, the percentage with a pre-sale to the channel fell to 54% from a high of 80% in 1999.
Foreign investment jumped 58% last year to reach $156.4 million, according to the report from the Centre National de la Cinematographie (CNC).
Seventy-eight out of 183 films had a foreign co-producer. Belgium was France's leading co-production partner, investing in 24 films, closely followed by the U.K., which co-produced 23. Third-place Italy co-produced 10.
Coin from French producers' own coffers, including foreign pre-sales, went up by $67 million to more than $321 million.
Investment from Gallic terrestrial webs was stable at $135.8 million.
Total spend on French film production leaped 34% to $1.427 billion in 2003, a record high. But discounting Oliver Stone's $226 million "Alexander," which counts as a minority French co-production, the hike was a more modest 12.9%.
The number of films registered with the CNC, co-productions included, was 212, a figure that has doubled in the past decade.
At a press briefing, CNC topper David Kessler said the upward trend in budget and number of films was testimony to the vitality of French cinema.
