With 163 films solely or majority produced by France and 37 minority French co-productions made in 2002, French production remains at a historic high point.
It is worth noting the significant rise (30%) registered in foreign contributions to majority French productions.
Figures just released by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) show that French production remains at an extremely high level. Despite a decrease of 4 films compared to 2001, 200 French films received CNC approval in 2002. The number of films solely or majority produced by French companies registered a slight fall, down from 172 to 163 productions. Minority co-productions, however, registered a rise of 5 films (to 37 feature films produced).
As regards investment, we can observe a decline of 4.9%, for a total of €860.72 million invested in French films overall in 2002. This downturn is essentially attributable to a drop in French investment (down 7%), while foreign contributions rose by 3.4%. The rise in foreign investment particularly affected films solely or majority produced by France (up 30%). This figures bears witness to the fact that French producers appeal increasingly to international sources to finance their majority produced projects. Thus, the number of films produced in association with foreign partners (from 24 different countries) increased by 20%, representing 94 films (57 majority produced and 37 minority produced).
The average budget for a French film in 2002 stood at €4.44 million, showing a rise of 1.8%. The number of first films produced was up by 26% (67 against 53 in 2001), representing 41% of films solely or majority produced by France. The average budget for a first film stood at €2.94 million.
Elizabeth Conter
