France continues to throw its weight at studios and training with cultural minister Rima Abdul Malak unveiling the 68 projects selected for its EUR350m ‘The Great Image Factory’ initiative in Cannes on Friday (May 19).
The selected projects, chosen from 175, include 11 film studios, 12 animation studios, 6 video game studios, five VFX and post-production studios and 34 training and educational facilities, and span 12 regions from Lille to Nantes to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
‘The Great Image Factory’ is part of the French government’s EUR54bn France 2030 plan and has already seen investments upwards of EUR2.4bn in French production in 2022 in addition to EUR600m in spending on international shoots, 48% more than in 2021 as France ramps up its effort efforts to transform into a major international production and locations hub.
“Our objective is to become a world leader and to double the surface of our studios in France,” Abdul Malak said during a rain-drenched, crowded CNC beachside event, adding: “we’re in a new golden age of cinema and audiovisual production. It’s a great opportunity for France… We need to adapt the industry and make it solid. The cultural minister was joined by Cedric Jimenez, who heads up one of the selection committees. He said that while French filmmaking expertise is “of very high quality,” the number of sets and capacity to accommodate filming remain low. He added that series’ need studio space for longer shoots and feature films are also turning more towards studios.
