The British Film Institute (BFI) and France’s Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) have inked a comprehensive Moving Image Cooperation Agreement, marking a significant step toward deeper collaboration between the U.K. and French screen industries.
The agreement was signed Wednesday at BFI Southbank in London by BFI chief executive Ben Roberts and CNC president Gaëtan Bruel, with French Culture Minister Rachida Dati and U.K. Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism Chris Bryant in attendance. The timing coincides with French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the U.K. this week.
Both institutions, founding members of the European Film Agency Directors Association, will establish strategic cooperation aimed at enhancing cultural diversity, expanding audiences and strengthening their respective industries. The partnership encompasses six key areas: public policy coordination, education initiatives, heritage preservation, business relationship facilitation, employee exchanges, and audience development.
The agreement addresses critical industry challenges including support for independent and local production, AI integration, environmental sustainability, intellectual property protection, and equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. A particular emphasis will be placed on co-production opportunities and the distribution of diverse works to audiences in both countries.
“France and the United Kingdom are two great film nations, with strong institutions that have a global vision of cinema and a desire to support independent creativity,” said Dati. “Today, this issue is directly linked to cultural sovereignty. I am convinced that we can work with the United Kingdom to develop fruitful exchanges in support of independent creativity.”
Roberts added: “The U.K. and France are two of Europe’s most dynamic filmmaking nations. We have a long history of collaboration, including through co-production and the distribution and exhibition of each other’s films across all platforms. We share mutual values and a commitment to cultural diversity, including an appreciation for creativity and storytelling and our filmmakers have always been inspirational and influential to each other.”
The BFI chief highlighted recent U.K. policy developments that support international collaboration, including the U.K. Global Screen Fund and enhanced Audio-Visual Expenditure Credits. Most notably, the U.K. introduced a new Independent Film Tax Credit of 40% in March 2024 for productions with budgets up to £15 million ($20.3 million).
The U.K. Global Screen Fund, which distributes £7 million ($9.5 million) annually, has awarded over £21.1 million ($28.6 million) across 277 projects since its 2021 launch. The government recently announced enhanced funding of £18 million ($24.4 million) per year from 2026-29 as part of its new Sector Plan’s Screen Growth Package.
CNC president Bruel said: “This agreement is good news for our industries and professionals. We have already organized several co-production meetings to strengthen links and co-production between France and the U.K.. But we still want to do more, and we can do more, by exchanging ideas between real partners on the common challenges facing our industry: the return of audiences to cinemas and our European independence in front of the giants of global competition.”
Complementing the main agreement, the British Film Commission and Film France CNC signed a separate Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration and incentivize inward investment in both territories. The partnership aims to provide seamless, film-friendly services for productions working across both countries.
Recent high-profile productions that have utilized both U.K. and French facilities include “The Amateur,” “Prime Target,” “Heads of State,” “Damsel,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and “Rings of Power” Season 2. The British Film Commission has similar partnership agreements with Spain, Italy, Austria, Norway, Malta and the Netherlands.
