And the winners are… The Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, on Friday unveiled the 68 projects selected to benefit from a total of 350 million euros in subsidies to increase production and filming capacities in France in cinema and audiovisual. This public money should make it possible to trigger three times more investment, i.e. a total of at least one billion euros. Among the projects selected, there are 11 film studios, 12 animation studios, 6 video game studios, 5 special effects and post-production studios and 34 training organizations, such as that of the Kourtrajmé school in Guadeloupe of directors Kim Chapiron and Romain Gavras.
“Our goal is to become a world leader in the strategic film and audiovisual sector in the broad sense. We need film studios. To do this, we are going to double the surface area of film sets in France, which will increase from 60,000 to 153,000 square meters by 2030", explains Rima Abdul Malak during an aside in Cannes with some journalists.
Cédric Jimenez, the director of Bac Nord and November, who chaired the selection committees, reviewed 175 files, including dozens for film sets. “Making a studio is very special. You have to know how to operate it, manage it, so we have chosen the most realistic projects, ”he notes.
The cinematographic and audiovisual industry (cinema, series, French fiction, etc.) is currently developing at high speed. Fiction filming generates numerous social and tax revenues for France and approximately 200,000 jobs each year. Especially since video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney are obliged by decree to invest at least 20% of their turnover made in France in French production.
The eleven film studio projects are creations or expansions. This is the case of the most important file: the acquisition of land and the expansion of the film studios of Bry-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne) for 170 million euros. Located opposite the National Audiovisual Institute (INA), it is run by Guillaume de Menthon, producer in particular of the Versailles series. With his financial partner AXA Investment Managers, he will buy a land complex of 12 hectares corresponding to the former studios of the SFP.
This tax credit has been the subject of outbidding in Europe in order to convince large international productions to set up their cameras on our territory. Belgium has for example a tax mechanism called "tax shelter", which allows Belgian and non-resident companies to deduct from their taxable profits 150% of the amount of their investments. In France, the international tax credit scheme notably convinced Tom Cruise to shoot Mission Impossible Fallout in Paris, with 36 days of shooting. The credit was increased in 2020 from 30% to 40% on works of fiction which make at least 2 million euros of expenditure relating to digital processing work on plans in France. Should it be increased further? An evaluation mission must determine its impact. "France is more attractive than before," rejoices the Minister of Culture. For now, it's the right balance. »
The southern regions, with the renovation of the Victorine studios and the expansion of those in Montpellier, are not left out (see box below). In 2016, Martigues entrepreneur Olivier Marchetti converted an industrial site into 26,000 m2 of film studios. Scenes from Titane, Julia Ducournau's Palme d'or in 2021, were filmed there. La Nonne 2, the American series The Serpent Queen, the French series La Stagiaire and video clips. This represents 1,500 people employed, ”explains Olivier Marchetti.
With the help of the State, he will double the capacity of the studios in Martigues and open others in 2025 in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille, with the acquisition of the disused General Sucrière factory, i.e. a plot of five hectares. "We are going to put studios, create production offices and open a huge training center in this poor neighborhood," says the entrepreneur. A filming basin at sea, which did not exist in France unlike Belgium, Malta or Hungary, must also see the light of day in Marseille.
Currently, France occupies the fourth position in Europe with 23 studios for 60,000 m2, far behind the United Kingdom (about forty studios for 360,000 m2), Germany (about ten studios for 156,000 m2) and the Hungary (4 studios for 62,000 m2). "Our plan will make it possible to become the European leader in filming, after the United Kingdom, to quadruple the permanent outdoor sets [which will increase from 50,000 to 187,000 m2, editor's note], more and more used, and to train 10,000 people in the cinema and audiovisual sector in 2030, twice as many as today, "says the Minister of Culture. Remains an obstacle: to stay in the race to the escalation of tax advantages in Europe for foreign productions.
The 11 Studios de Bry film studio projects: it will combine the renovation of the current site to the best environmental standards, the doubling of its production capacity and the creation of a dedicated ecosystem on 12 hectares 9 kilometers from Paris, in partnership with the INA training project (more than 1,500 students eventually).Bailly Studios: construction of a studio on a landscaped park of 30 hectares, with 12 cinema sets, including 2 very large sets (5 000 m2) unique in France, backlots and an innovation center Studios de la Montjoie: this site in Saint-Denis was taken over in 2020 to accommodate the filming of films and series, including those of Christian Carion, Katell Quillévéré, Jacques Audiard and the Franklin series with Michael Douglas. The project aims to double the number of film sets and the surface of the workshops.TSF Studios 77: large studios and backlots on 50 hectares of land in Coulommiers, including the construction of vast outdoor sets (including streets of Paris) as well as 12 major studios. Dark Matters in Tigery: innovative campus with 5 sets, virtual filming devices equipped with LEDs and one of the largest motion capture sets in Europe. Teralab in Reims: the transformation of the former air base 112 into a film and audiovisual production site of 47 hectares must continue with the creation of 12 sets and fitted out backlots. Provence Studios in Martigues and Marseille: expansion of the historic site in Martigues to reach 19 sets and have post-production spaces. Urban component in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille to add an underwater filming basin and training organizations. Studios La Victorine in Nice: modernization of the site to accommodate more innovative companies and practical training in the professions of image.Pics Studio in Saint-Gély-du-Fesc (Hérault): creation of an industrial structuring project around Montpellier in 3 towns (Fabrègues, Pérols and Saint-Gély-du-Fesc).France TV Studios in Vendargues: creation of a creative hub of 8 hectares on the territory of the metropolitan area of Montpellier. Union Studios in Tourcoing (Hauts-de-France): industrial conversion of a century-old wasteland. The project will include, among other things, film sets and workshops, a digital studio and an auditorium. It completes an ecosystem bringing together all the image professions, training schools with an international dimension, as well as internationally renowned festivals such as Series Mania.
