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The French government's movie funding strategy...
critique
rédigé par Mwenda wa Micheni
publié le 25/06/2009
Mwenda wa Micheni
Mwenda wa Micheni
2ème Kenya International Film Festival (Nairobi 2007). Antoine Yvernault donne au cinéaste Gaston Kaboré le grand prix attribué à "Juju Factory" pour le remettre à Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda
2ème Kenya International Film Festival (Nairobi 2007). Antoine Yvernault donne au cinéaste Gaston Kaboré le grand prix attribué à "Juju Factory" pour le remettre à Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda

To understand how the French government finances
and incentivises film production companies, Mwenda wa Micheni had a chat with Antoine Yvernault, the audio visual attaché at the French Embassy in Nairobi, who is in charge of the Eastern Africa region. Below are excerpts of the interview.

What percentage of the annual national budget goes to the film
industry in terms of grants and other incentives?


CNC's part in film production funding includes 13.3 per cent of the total state budget and local communities' part of which goes to the film production : 0.755 per cent. Total amount of French movies funding : 1.259 billion euros.

What tax incentives are there for the film industry in France?

The French support system for the film industry includes :
* An automatic support device and a selective assistance for production, marketing, distribution and exportation of French films.
This component is managed by the French film commission and
the ‘CNC' (Centre national de la cinematographie).
* There is also a mandatory investment system in film production
regarding the five main French TV channels.
* There is a complementary device that ensures social assistance
in regard to the retirement pension system for the sector's professional and the unemployment benefit system for the casual
workers in the industry.
* There is also SOFICA, a fiscal system which gives the possibility
for the physical people to deduct from their incomes the amount
given for the SOFICA capital subscription, (within the limits of 25
per centof that income). The collected funds are exclusively re-invested in the French films funding;
* As part of the French support device is the European framework
assistance device managed by European aid fund for co-production
(Eurimages), and by the European Commission Media program which is a regional assistance device that funds the industry.

Why does France put so much in the development of the industry?
The French film public assistance system aims at maintaining a national film industry, as well as a cultural diversity. It relies on assistance for all its economic sector : technical industries, production, postproduction, distribution, commercialization, exportation.
The French support politcy for the national film industry is based on two goals : cultural and economic. The public authorities aim
at supporting the film sector as an industry. They want to favour the cinematographic creation in French language, recognized as work of art and to ensure its diversity: diversity for the production, the produced film's kind, and for the audience categories likely
to be interested in.
Furthermore it is a question of structural diversity, maintaining an independent production, alongside big groups, which it is considered as renewing and quality guarantee.
Finally the ambition is exporting French films, as well as providingmany French film screenings all over the world.

Lessons that Kenya couldlearn from the French model
Some of the recommendations could be:
* Increasing funding to the Kenya Film Commission
* An extension of KFC's responsibilities
to include industry regulation, support, training and protection.
* The country should work towards delivering more and more local content in the cinema halls and in TV screens by introducing quotas.
* The government should increase funding to the Kenya Copyright
Board, notably to curb piracy.

Mwenda wa Micheni

Fisrt published in BUSINESS DAILY (Nairobi) Thursday June 18, 2009, page 17.

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