France

'Club of 13' report shakes up French film scene

By DAVID HAYHURST

'Asterix at the Olympic Games'

PARIS -- Based strictly on the strong numbers, a casual observer may be perplexed by the levels of disquiet in so many Gallic cinema circles -- but an industry insider report has created some controversy.

There were 228 French-majority productions in 2007 -- three times the number of the U.K., or around one for every two out of Hollywood. Total film investment sourced from France rose 14% on the year to $1.4 billion. Local product attracted more than a third of all cinemagoers, and with a series of recent megahits led by "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" and "Asterix at the Olympic Games," this looks like definitely being topped in 2008.

The huge bounce in French-led co-productions -- 53 in 2007 vs. 37 a year prior -- could soon be bolstered by a 20% tax rebate on foreign shoots' spend in France as the culture and finance ministries reopen that proposal.

"A lot of progress has been made with public bodies in the past two years," says Olivier-Rene Veillon, executive director of the Ile de France Film Commission. The region the commission covers -- Paris and the surrounding environs -- accounts for around 90% of the French audiovisual industry. "Authorities here now better appreciate the impact recent (similar schemes) have had in Germany and the U.K., both of which are important co-production partners for France."

But Franck Priot of the National Film Commission cautions that while progress has been made lately, especially with top French technical and production associations, any rebate program "still needs parliamentary approval, which could take a good many months."

Blow from Club

Despite the sunny circumstances for local production, the recent release of a yearlong independent study by the so-called "Club of 13" has proved something of a bombshell.

The Club -- actually numbering 73 prominent writers, helmers, actors, distributors and others -- hand-delivered its 193-page report to Culture Minister Christine Albanel on April 3.

Titled "The Middle Is No Longer a Bridge, but a Fault Line," the treatise is a no-holds-barred rebuke of what are seen as the well-entrenched dysfunctions of the entire French independent production and distribution environment. These range from a subsidy system that actually encourages midsize and big-budget productions to shoot abroad, to the problems faced by all manner of players in the industry at practically every stage, from writing to foreign distribution.

For indie distributors, issues include large overall rises in promotion and exhibition costs.

Jean Labadie, a Club member who launched distrib Le Pacte in November, wants governmental action to help level the playing field.

One key area of concern for Labadie is the power wielded by the distribution arms of the major private TV broadcasters, who "take nothing like the risk of the independents when they gamble on a film. They can simply sell to themselves (for TV broadcast) if not living up to expectations in the cinemas. ... All independent distributors wish for a change in the current rules. We are the ones taking the gambles with new talent. The TV-based companies can overpay without anything like the downside risk."

Jean-Philippe Tirel, head of distribution at Wild Bunch, points out another pressing issue facing distributors: "It's easy to get screens. What's hard is keeping them with such a high rollout -- especially for crucial dates like school holidays and winter vacations."

His comments highlight an ironic aspect of recent growth in the quantity of product both foreign and domestic in Gaul -- a quandary created in large measure by the national industry's success: With French-led productions looking to continue flourishing, can the home market really hope to cope with such a high output level indefinitely?

FRANCE STATS

FILM FINANCE AT A GLANCE
Total film production spend in 2007: $1.53 billion
Anticipated production spend for 2008: N/A

KEY INCENTIVES
Ile de France Film Fund: Launched in 2004, this is the only French film fund entirely open to foreign productions (i.e., no requirement to be French-majority co-production or be shot in French). It has an annual budget of $22.26 million.
Co-prod agreements: France has bilateral co-production agreements with 44 countries, including nearly all of the European Union states, although none with the U.S. or Japan.
Support for foreign-language films: Under "L'aide aux films de langue etrangere," aid is available for "films presenting indisputably artistic qualities, but which, for linguistic reasons, are not eligible for the French advance on receipts" on approval by the CNC. The director must have directed at least two films released in France. The principal beneficiary must be a French production company.

WEB
The National Film Commission: filmfrance.net
National Center for Cinematography (CNC): cnc.fr
Unifrance: en.unifrance.org
Ile de France Film Commission: iledefrance-film.com

B.O. STATS
Top film: "Ratatouille," $57 million
Total French box office 2007: $1.43 billion
Total number of releases: 676

PICKUPS
"Solomon Kane," Metropolitan Filmexport
"Lady Jane," Diaphana Distribution
"Without Weapon, Hatred or Violence," Mars
"What If ...?," Haut et Court
"Dans la vie," Pyramide