Cinematographic and audiovisual coproduction agreement, funding, and incentives between South Africa and France

By Céline Leclercq, Head of the Co-production, Cooperation and World Cinema Department at CNC

In 2004, the CNC (Centre national de la cinématographie et de l’image animée), responsible for the international promotion of France as a filming destination, initiated a cinematographic agreement to strengthen its cooperation with South Africa.

This co-production agreement was expanded to include audiovisual works in 2023, replacing the previous agreement dating from 2010, which covered only cinematography. On the French side, this new agreement, which came into force on 3 June 2023, is the only one of its kind on the continent and one of only two agreements currently in force covering both cinematographic and audiovisual works.

As a result of this agreement, producers from both countries will now be able to co-produce fiction, animation and documentary films and series for initial broadcast on television or an on-demand audiovisual media service, in addition to the opportunities already available to them to co-produce works intended for initial screening in cinemas. The status of official co-production gives them full access to the aid schemes of both countries. For example, South African-initiated films co-produced with France can apply for support from the Aide aux cinémas du monde Grant or the DEENTAL – ACP Bonus. Official co-productions with France also have an advantage in terms of distribution, as these works have access to automatic distribution support from the CNC.

Since 2004, the CNC has approved 12 films co-produced with South Africa, 4 of which were mainly South African. In addition, thanks to the Aide aux cinémas du monde and its predecessor, the Fonds Sud, the CNC has supported the production of 9 South African films (including Les moissonneurs, the first feature film by Etienne Kallos, selected at Cannes in 2018). The aim of the new agreement is to encourage film and audiovisual co-productions between France and South Africa in order to significantly increase the number of co-productions.

French Producers can view the co-production agreement at www.cnc.fr 

South African Producers can view the co-production agreement at www.nfvf.co.za

CNC Main Tax Incentives and Funds:

Aide aux cinémas du monde

Created in 2012 and co-managed by the CNC and the Institut français, the Aide aux cinémas du monde (ACM) aims to encourage and support the international co-production of feature films between France and all the countries of the world. It promotes the cultural diversity of cinematographic works, encourages the emergence and consolidation of foreign talent, artistic, and technical collaboration with the French industry and its attractiveness.

• Sectors: Cinema – International
• Phase of action: Production and post-production (only for projects rejected for ACM production grant)
• Genres supported: Animation, Fiction, Documentary, Feature film
• Type of support: Selective support

Terms and Conditions:

• The amount granted is capped at €300,000 for pre-filming support and for post-filming support, the maximum amount granted is €70,000.
• The projects submitted must be part of a co-production between a production company established in France and a production company established abroad. Exceptions are possible, at the moment of submission, for production companies established in the countries listed in Appendix 2 of the support description, however South Africa is not on this list.
• Apart from the abovementioned case, applications must always be submitted by the French production company.
• Pre-filming support must be requested before filming begins.
• Post-filming support only concerns projects that have not been selected for pre-filming support.
• The film must be directed by a foreign national (or, in exceptional cases, a French national, but in this case the film may not be shot mainly in the original French version or in a regional language in France).
• The shooting language must be one of the official languages or language(s) in use in the foreign country(ies) of which the Director is a national or resident in the territory where the shooting takes place.
• Films whose final cost exceeds €2,500,000 must obtain a certification from the CNC with a minimum of 20 points on the financial support scale for foreign-initiated films and 25 points for French-initiated films.

DEENTAL – ACP programme

The DEENTAL – ACP programme was launched in July 2020 by the CNC, with the financial cooperation of the European Union (EU) and the support of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). Meaning “together” in Fula, DEENTAL is a mechanism by which projects originating in ACP countries and beneficiaries of support under the Aide aux cinémas du monde (ACM) and/or the Fonds pour la jeune création francophone (JCF) can be awarded financial bonuses. A second component of the project is dedicated to implementing capacity-building support for the structuring of the audiovisual sectors in ACP countries.

• Sector: Cinema – Audiovisual – International – Multi-sector
• Phase of action: Co-Production, Development, Production
• Genres supported:  Animation, Fiction, Documentary, Feature film, Short film, Series
• Type of support: Bonus on selective aid
• Applicant: Author, Producer

Terms and Conditions:

• The Project Director must be a national of an ACP country.
• The project must be a co-production involving at least 3 companies, established in at least 2 ACP countries.
• If more countries are participating, the number of ACP countries must always be equal to or greater than the number of non-ACP countries.
• The amount of the financial bonus may reach up to 100% of the amount of the aid granted under Aide aux cinémas du monde and/or the Fonds pour la jeune création francophone.
• The two bonuses available through the DEENTAL – ACP programme (for the Aide aux cinémas du monde and Fonds pour la jeune création francophone, respectively) can be combined for a maximum of €200,000 per project.

International Tax Credit

The International Tax Credit (C2I) applies to foreign-initiated films made partly or wholly in France. It is aimed at productions that carry out only their shooting, special effects or post-production work in France. Cinematographic or audiovisual works, fiction or animation, are eligible. The tax credit is paid to the company established in France that carries out the executive production of the work.

The CNC, in partnership with Film France, whose mission is to promote France’s attractiveness to international players, is responsible for issuing approvals to executive production companies wishing to benefit from the C2I.

• Sector: Cinema – Technical innovation industries – International
• Phase of action: Production
• Genres supported: Animation, Fiction, Feature film, Audiovisual
• Type of support: Tax credit
• Applicant: Technical industries company

Terms and Conditions:

The International Tax Credit is available to cinematographic or audiovisual works of fiction or animation that meet the following conditions:

• Not being eligible for any financial support for production from the CNC.
• Be the subject of a minimum of €250,000 in eligible expenditure or, where the budget for the work is less than €500,000, an amount corresponding to at least 50% of that budget.
• For works of fiction, be filmed in France for at least 5 days, except in the case of fiction with high visual effects where the majority of the planned expenditure in France corresponds to digital processing work.
• Contain elements relating to French culture, heritage or territory. This condition is checked using two points scales.

For more information contact Carl Thierry at thierry@cnc.fr.

More information on tax incentives and funds can be found here: https://www.cnc.fr/web/en/funds