Funding bodies
Fund Goal
To encourage co-operation between professionals working in different countries by providing financial support to European co-productions.
Fund Goal
The MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe supports the EU film and audiovisual industries financially in the development, distribution and promotion of their work. It helps to launch projects with a European dimension and nurtures new technologies; it enables European films and audiovisual works including...
Fund Goal
The principal missions of the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée) are: regulatory / support for the film, broadcast, video, multimedia and technical industries / promotion of film and television for distribution to all audiences / preservation and development of the film heritage...
Fund Goal
To defend the diversity of creation on its territory, the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire (Conseil régional des Pays de la Loire) has developed an ambitious policy in favor of cinema and audiovisual sectors through: financial aid to production (feature films, TV dramas, magazines, documentaries,...
Fund Goal
Haute Normandie Pole Image and Maison de l'image Basse-Normandie will merge into a new fund from January 1, 2018 Attentive to the economic development and the development of its territory, the Pôle Image Haute-Normandie's goal is to be an important reference in the life of the image in the Great West,...
Fund Goal
Through a strong policy in favor of cinema and audiovisual sectors, IDF supports the production of films and audiovisual works using significantly service providers in Ile-de-France region. For 10 years, the Fund supports the Region supports the production of films and audiovisual works using significantly...
Fund Goal
Pictanovo as a minority coproducer, has the following missions: to support to production (from scriptwriting to theatrical release), to welcome shootings in the region and to support to associations and collectivities
Fund Goal
The Region supports creators through a set of services that responds to specific support activities: scriptwriting, development, production of short films and feature film, documentary, tv drama and animation.
Fund Goal
Occitanie Pyrénées Méditérranée is a merge between Languedoc Roussillon and Midi-Pyrenees regions / Harmonization of programs and politics will take time / The fund aims to promote within the territory of the Languedoc-Roussillon the cinematographic and audiovisual creation in all its diversity...
Fund Goal
The "Region Grand Est – Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine" was born from the fusion of the Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine regions. Various programmes are in place in order to support film production and boost the industry. It replaced the Alsace Regional Council audiovisual fund.
Fund Goal
Support for the production of film and audiovisual works. Development of the sector and the regional resources.
Fund Goal
The regional support fund for audiovisual and cinematographic works is an aid scheme intended to support the creation and production of quality cinematographic and audiovisual works which do not fall within the scope of the Film and Audiovisual Cooperation Fund.
Fund Goal
To support et encourage the development of the production in the following specific area: animation, video games and multimedia
Fund Goal
The overall objective is the development of production and audiovisual creation in Corsica. The goal is to become a focal point for all partners involved in the development of entertainment and film as well as to bring together professional organizations representing the media landscape Corsican
Fund Goal
This fund is administered by Cinémas 93. Its goal is to promote the region and the cinema. Since 2005 it oversees the short film funding supported by the Regional Council of Seine Saint Denis.
Fund Goal
The Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Authority has created a policy to support cinematic productions, providing aid in production, distribution, research, industry and education.
Fund Goal
Financial support for audiovisual, film and multimedia aims to contribute to the economic development of the Reunion
Fund Goal
To develop and support the cinematographic activity in the region. The Rhône-Alpes region was one of the first in France to establish a new and ambitious policy in favor of feature films.Three main activities: Rhone-Alpes Cinema: Regional co-production funds to finance and support the dissemination...
Fund Goal
Ciclic's Cinema and Audiovisual pole supports production shootings and their monitoring, from scriptwriting to promotion and distribution. This division also offers animation residencies, training of technicians and artists and the publishing of the guide "Support to the film and audiovisual production."...
Fund Goal
The "Regional Council of Brittany" aims to encourage film and audiovisual creation in Brittany. It provides grants for writers, directors and producers of Brittany, and more broadly, to all those who wish to come and shoot in the region. The financial support is selective and concerns both creative...
Fund Goal
The fund's goal is to encourage the production of short films and transsmedia projects shot in Paris.
Fund Goal
Promote the audiovisual industry in the area, highlight the cultural importance of the audiovisual heritage and boost the employment in the sector.
Fund Goal
This fund replaced Fonds francophone de production audiovisuelle du Sud and it is managed by OIF in collaboration with CIRTEF. It aims to: promote artistic and audiovisual creations in the French-speaking countries of the south; promote the emergence and development of young talent; support the development...
Regulation
For a short stay (up to 3 months) visas are not required for the citizens of the following countries: EU, Schengen and EEA countries, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, East Timor, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Grenada, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Taiwan (passport bearing identity card number), Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and Vanuatu.
For more details please consult: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/getting-a-visa/
To work in France, you need more than a visa. Foreign artists and technicians (non-members of the EU) are required to obtain a provisional work permit (APT). The employer or his or her French representative will contact the "Direction Départementale du travail et de l'Emploi" at least one month before the shoot. According to article R341-1-4 of the labor legislation, the foreign employee working in France must follow the work regulations (work hours, payment conditions, hygiene and safety measures, etc.).
In 2016, temporary work permit (for a stay of up to 3 months) was abolished adn Talent Passport was introduced.
There is not one single permit that covers all of France or all of Paris in particular. Each location requires a specific permit. In some cases, a written agreement is all that's necessary. In other cases, a fee is required, the amount depending on the type of project and the length of the shoot.
- Transportation of equipment between EU member states: the import and export of equipment connected with a film shoot does not require a customs declaration and is not subject to duty.
- Transportation of equipment between a EU member and a non member state: the ATA carnet allows for several border crossings in the course of a temporary import or export operation, such as the transport of equipment for a film shoot. The carnet is issued by the chambers of commerce and industry or their equivalent in the country of origin, and is valid for a maximum of one year, but requires the number of border crossings registered by the chamber of commerce.
- Transporting rushes: if the film was bought in France, in every case, whether the film is developed in France or abroad, exportation is permanent. The same rule applies to film bought in France and sent unexposed to the country of the production company's origin; if the film comes from abroad, there are two possibilities:
- 1) the production company makes an agreement with a French laboratory and the film can be processed day by day during shooting. At the end of the film, positives, negatives and videos are sent back for permanent re-exportation.
- 2) The production company has no agreement with a French laboratory, so that the film is used but undeveloped, keeping in mind that re-exportation is still permanent. All documents and parcels should be marked.
The standard VAT rate is 20% Reduced Rate 10%, 5.5%, 2.1% France VAT Recovery Time: 2 months A foreign company working in France on a temporary basis, for example for the duration of a production, is not taxable as long as it has no stable base in France. Under the standardized European union VAT system, France charges value added tax on the sale and supply of goods and services in France, regardless of their origin. The tax paid by French companies on the expenses may be offset against the tax on the sales, except for certain items on which the tax is not recoverable.
- Film that undergoes lab work in France before being exported is exempt from paying VAT. In a broader sense, all delivered goods and work done in France for a foreign company are exempt from VAT when the product is subsequently exported.
- The VAT can be reimbursed only to foreign companies that are not established in France and do not offer services within France during a specific calendar year or quarter.
- An application for reimbursement must be submitted within 6 months after the end of the calendar year during which the VAT was payable. The application should include original bills.
- Foreign companies established in the EU must send their request through the website initiated by the state in which they are established.
In France, authorship copyright is protected by the articles of the code of intellectual property, which contains the rules applicable to this area. According to article L.111-1 of the code, "the author of an intellectual creation exercises an absolute ownership over it, by virtue purely of having created it”. He or she is nevertheless entitled to relinquish these rights in whole or in part, by sale, contract or legation, to another person or entity. The beneficiary of such an action then becomes the legal rights holder.
- The patrimonial rights, with respect to the patrimonial rights, the author has the exclusive right to exploit his/her work commercially or to authorize others to exploit them, in any way and within the limits established by law.
- The author's moral rights protect the personal and reputation value of a work to its creator. Moral rights are considered united to the person and are inalienable. - The objects (e.g. sculptures, paintings, pieces of architecture) exhibited or preserved in museums and certain public places (parks, gardens etc.) do not automatically belong to the public domain. Some are still protected by the artist's copyright. As a result, any shots of art objects and their subsequent use are subject to the consent of the artist or his or her legal successors.
- The right to privacy is one of the basic rights of citizenship and is expressed in article 9 of the French Civil Code. The rules of photographic and public image copyright operate along the same lines. Every individual, no matter who they are, holds exclusive and absolute rights over an image of him/herself and its use.
- All music apart from belongs to general repertory music. The producer must request and obtain prior written permission to use the work from SACEM-SDRM's audiovisual office or regional branches.
- According to article L.121-1 of the code of the intellectual property, an artist has the right to benefit from his/her creation during his/her lifetime. Upon his/her death, this right is transferred to his/her heirs during the current calender year and the 70 years following. At the end of this period, the work falls into the public domain.
Film Commissions
Saint-Leu
Agence Film Reunion, the Association for the Development of Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia was founded in December 2001 as part of the partnership between the Regional Council of Reunion and the French government (National Centre for Cinema, Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs of Reunion). The...
Nantes
The regional council of Pays de la Loire has a strong policy in favour of films projects in order to develop the diversity of production in Pays de la Loire. In partnership with the CNC, € 2,1 million is allocated every year to films & audiovisual projects (feature films, creative documentaries, animation...
Clermont-Ferrand
The Auvergne Film Commission offers free services to all kinds of production (short films, feature films, TV programs, commercials), in order to facilitate the work of film crews: -providing information on shooting locations and assisting with location scouting. -linking with professionals and facilities...
Rennes Cedex
Serving productions, regardless of their fields (fiction, documentary, animation, documentary, advertising ...) or their origin, Brittany Film Commission offers services in the early stages of pre-production and a personal assistant based on a free very good knowledge of Britain such as: - sets scouting...
Avallon
Like its wine and its gastronomy, the treasures of Burgundy are as varied as they are plentiful. Come take advantage of the region's extraordinary natural and cultural heritage, less than an hour from Paris. From the classical to the contemporary, and always breathtaking, all your locations exist in...
Chateau-Renault
The objective of Ciclic and its Film Commission is to attract and encourage production companies to shoot in the Centre region. To facilitate those shootings, free assistance is available to production companies: - scouting and research of locations (more than 1000 potential shooting locations online); -...
Auch
Operational since 1992, following the shooting in the Gers region of "Milou en mai"" by Louis Malle
Paris
Creative Department for Shooting. The Ministry of Defense holds property assets of great diversity. It includes the major camps, firing ranges, citadels, forts, semaphores, air and naval bases, monuments or listed in the inventory of historical monuments.
Ajaccio
Created by « la Collectivité Territoriale de Corse » (direction de la Culture et du Patrimoine), Corsica Film Office is a meeting place for media and cinema professional. For filming in Corsica (feature and short film, documentary, video, tv movies, commercials ), the Corsica Film Office provides...
Saint-Astier
Dordogne Film Commission is a space to promote film culture. Initiated by the General Council of the Dordogne, we are referencing the shooting locations of all films which scenery our department.
Montelimar
The Drôme Ardèche Film Commission offers free services to all kinds of production (short films, feature films, TV programs, commercials), in order to facilitate the work of film crews
Bègles
The Aquitaine Film Commission is responsible for promoting the Aquitaine region, welcoming industry professionals and providing them with all necessary supports: offering databases (technicians, actors, extras, subcontractors, production companies, sets, etc.), assistance with scouting, logistical support....
Paris
Film France is the first stop for foreign production companies and individuals preparing to film in France. A network of 40 local film commissions throughout the country offers free information on locations, crews, labour rates and facilities. Film France provides assistance with contacting appropriate...
Cayenne
The French Guiana Film Commission (BAT) was established in May 2013 pursuant to the Regional Scheme of cultural development (SRDC) voted in 2012. The principal mission of BAT is to accommodate shoots on the territory and also to link local resources with the bearers of projects with the objective of...
Nice
The film commission of the french Riviera Côte d'Azur, whose scope covers the whole of the Alpes Maritimes, was set up in 1998 with approval from the national network of the french film industry ,founder member of the European Film Commission. The french riviera film commission is authorized to collect...
Gindou
Gindou Cinema represents the region of Aveyron, Lot, Tarn et Garonne. It offers a complete set of services, free of charge, to strengthen the appeal of the Midi-Pyrénées region as a filming location: film location, crew and talents databases, scouting, travel and accomodation information, liaison...
Bordeaux
The Gironde Film Commission aims to facilitate the filming or post production activities on its territory. He offers free information and support for professionals in the film and audiovisual industry by providing tools including sets research and technicians.
Sélestat Cedex
The Alsace Film Commission (Bureau d'accueil de tournages / Région Alsace) provides a set of free services for the audiovisual and cinema's crews who want to shoot in Alsace. It aims to give assistance in location scouting, administrative and logistics processes and connection with local resources...
Tourcoing
Paris
The Ile de France region has set up a Fund for the cinematographic and audiovisual industries to aid individual projects and skilled employment in the sector as well as to combat relocation. In addition, the State institute for cultural co-operation and Film Commission of Ile de France has the goal...
Dole
The Film Commission is a tool for economic development of the region of Franche-Comte. Its main mission is to promote the sites and scenery (natural and built heritage), of its labor (technicians and actors), its technical industries, its service providers, and spin-offs in terms of economy, employment,...
Montpellier
Covers the regions of Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère, Pyrénées-Orientales. The Film Commission provides you with valuable information about the region and with a variety of services free of charge: Location database and preliminary scoutings Contacts with local resource people : technical crews,...
Sainte Livrade sur Lot
Carpentras
The Luberon Vaucluse Film Commission is here to serve production companies providing a network of reliable contacts throughout the whole region. - Site searches : pre-scouting, database, documentation - Logistics : local technicians, actors and extras, technical service providers (accommodations and...
CARPENTRAS
a Commission du Film Luberon-Vaucluse, ou "Film Vaucluse", poursuit une mission d’intérêt général en favorisant l’accueil et le développement des tournages cinématographiques et audiovisuels dans le département de Vaucluse : longs et courts-métrages de fiction, séries TV et téléfilms,...
Marseille
First logistic structure of this type in France, this service is the only interlocutor for filming permits. It thus facilitates the steps and accompanies teams throughout the various stages of project preparation. It welcomes, informs and supports the film industry and audiovisual on any type of project...
Nouméa
The Local film comission in New Caledonia provides a free service to help and advise film units and production companies who're looking to shoot any type of project on this territory put on the middle of the Pacific. We provide you with quite our skills to help you to discover this land of the end of...
Limoges
The Limousin Film Commission provides logistical and administrative support to professional teams, to film and audiovisual productions (short films, feature films, documentaries, television programs, commercials, clips ...). This work promotes shooting in Limousin region with a set of free services...
Marseille
Pre-location assistance and prepointing of possible film sites, hiring of qualified technical personal, relations with local institutions, advice on logistics before and during filming, assistance in obtaining filming authorization.
Pau
Through its great variety of rural and urban landscapes, between ocean and mountains, Bearn and Basque Country offer exceptional filming locations Accessible by 2 international airports (Pau and Biarritz), train stations and motorways (A64 and A63) film studios in Spain, 20 minutes from Biarritz; The...
Angoulême
Régie Cinéma d'Angoulême is composed of image education center, production center (aid grant & host office of shooting film) & broadcasting center. Diversity of her landscapes with diversified littoral zone, her picture field, her professional network and facilities developed, make her an attractive...
Villeurbanne
Created in 1994 and pionner in France, the Rhône-Alpes Film Commission can work on any types of projects for cinema and audiovisual professionals who whish to produce a film in Rhône-Alpes. As an economic development tool within Rhône-Alpes region, it promotes its locations and sets, its working...
la Plaine Saint-Denis
Services of this commission are temporarily provided by the Ile de France Film Commission. The Film Commission of Seine-Saint-Denis, the cluster tool, aims to promote the departmental territory with film production companies and broadcasting. Its services completely free, are open to all professionals...
SNCF Offres a cast of exclusive, amazing places for your film making plans and shootings. Discover the avant-garde architectures of our newest train stations, delve into the varied ambiances of our rolling stock (TGV, TER, Téoz,...), and take advantage at any time of our solutions for historic railway...
Strasbourg
The Strasbourg and Urban Community Film Commission welcomes professional film crews who want to film in and around the city. Its staff provides free logistical and technical support to film and television productions. They help them to find notably locations throughout the 28 communes and 300 kms2 of...
Rouen
Upper Normandy office: Working within the Pôle Image Haute-Normandie, the Upper Normandy Film Commission provides a variety of free services for French and foreign filmmakers wishing to shoot in Upper Normandy. Feature films, shorts,commercials,videos, whatever the nature of the project, the Normandy...
Saint tropez
Your film information office serving the Var and its region. We provide free services including : - information on location and research assistance - up-to-date information on local industry, support services (ask for our production guide) - assistance for location permits - government liaison
Istres
The epic landscapes of Camargue, Provence, Mediterranean shores and the giant scale port infrastructures, Ouest Provence offers a large range of unique and eclectic locations. Thanks to its vast network of airlines, railways and roads and with a TGV (high speed train) train station at the heart of its...
