Funding Tools from France for Asian Filmmakers and Producers

Fond Sud Cinéma:

In the past years, quite an important number of Asian films have been co-produced with France: Day and Night by Wang Chao and Floating Landscape by Carol Lai from China, Les gens de la rizière by Rithy Panh from Cambodia, and Tropical Malady by Apichatpong Weerasethakul from Thailand.

What these films share in common is that all of them benefited from Fond Sud Cinéma, a fund offered by the CNC (Centre National de la Cinématographie) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Fond Sud Cinéma was first implemented in 1984 as a part of "an original policy for cooperation with the film sectors of Southern countries."

Since its creation, the fund has helped more than 300 projects, and thanks to it, many new talents have been discovered, acknowledged by international critics and awarded at the most prestigious festivals.

The fund is for any project of feature, animation and documentary film, produced in eligible countries for a theatrical release in France or abroad.

For Asia, all ASEM countries can apply for the fund except for Singapore, Korea and Japan.

The average aid for a film is 110,000 euros, and can not exceed 152,449 euros. The greater part of the sum must be earmarked for post-production in France.

A French partner must be attached as a co-producer, and he is the one who will receive the aid. However, a French producer is not needed to apply for the fund; it can be chosen after the aid is granted.

Four commission sessions take place every year, and the committee examines applications and issues an opinion on each application. The main criteria are the project's artistic value and its feasibility. An average number of 5 projects are granted the aid at each session.

Dates of the next commission sessions and the application guidelines can be found on the website of CNC or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Those who reside outside of France can contact the cultural department of the French Embassies for further details and assistance.

Fond Sud Cinéma also offers a Script Fund and a Finishing Fund.

The former is a financial help of 4573 - 7622 euros that covers the cost of re-writing in collaboration with a professional scriptwriter.

The latter is a complementary post-production funding (45 735 euros maximum) for projects that have already been shot, but needs more funding at the postproduction stage.

Source: CNC and Ministry of Foreign Affair

Produire au Sud (Workshop Producing for the South)

This workshop-seminar is held every year in Nantes, France in conjunction with the Three Continents Festival in late November. It introduces techniques needed for the production of films and aims to familiarise producers with legal, screenwriting, financing, and marketing strategies. The workshop is organised for directors from southern countries.

The producers of the 8 selected projects are invited to Paris and Nantes for 10 days. Produire au Sud also assures a follow up and assistance for the selected projects throughout the year.

Producers who are interested in it have to register online before the end of June on the website of the workshop.

Then, they will receive an application form which they are asked to return to the Festival or to the Cultural Service of the nearest French Embassy.

Produire au Sud also organises a similar kind of workshops throughout the world, especially in South America, and recently in Bangkok.

Source: 3 Continents website

See also Juan Foo's report on his own experience at Produire au Sud.

Paris Project

Paris Project is an event held during Paris Cinema Festival, and is based on a concept similar to that of Cinemart of the Rotterdam International Film Festival or the Pusan Promotion Plan of the Pusan International Film Festival, Paris Project invites the foreign filmmakers and producers of the selected projects to Paris. The event lasts for 3 days, and the guests will have appointments with French professionals who would be interested in joining them financially through co-production.

The next Paris Project will be held 3 - 4 July 2006.

Application deadline is 15 May 2006.

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