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FUNDING France

A 45-year-old funding scheme

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The French funding system called advance-on-admissions created on the 31st of May 1960 and handled by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) is about to turn 45. For 45 years, 1885 films —including Alain Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad (1962)— have benefitted from this selective support scheme the purpose of which is to act as an incentive to creation by supporting first films and helping real artistic projects, however daring, to be financially sound. From 1960 to 2004, 627 million euros went to 1020 directors and 800 production companies. This funding scheme has proved to fulfil its aim, as show the good results in Cannes of L'enfant [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile
]
by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Golden Palm) and Hidden [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Margaret Menegoz
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile
]
by Michaël Haneke (Best Direction), for both films received an advance-on-admissions.

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In 2005, this scheme, presided by Claude Durand, has 22 million euros to offer ; since the beginning of the year, 20 feature projects have already been selected. The selection depends on two committees. The first one, headed by the vice-president and producer Michel Saint-Jean (Diaphana), in charge of first features which have not yet started shooting, distinguished six projects : Je viendrai seul by Mia Hansen Löve, Les yeux bandés by Thomas Lilti, Française by Souad El Bouhati, Les lumières de Bullet Park by Arnaud des Pallières, Mon frère se marie by Jean-Stéphane Bron, and Sans moi by Olivier Panchot.
The second selection committee, headed by another producer, vice-president Bruno Pesery, chose to support 14 projects by directors who have already made at least one feature. 8 of these projects were selected in one session, last time the committee met (19th April) : Quand j’étais chanteur by Xavier Giannoli, Bled zéro by Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, À tire d’ailes by Jeanne Waltz, Les anges exterminateurs by Jean-Claude Brisseau, Dernière chance by Anne Fontaine, Arménie by Robert Guédiguian, Le plaisir de chanter by Ilan Duran Cohen, and Dans la vie by Philippe Faucon.

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(Translated from French)

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