**France’s National Film Board Doubles Down on Asia Amid Shifting Global Entertainment Landscape**
France’s National Film Board is intensifying its focus on Asia as the region emerges as a vital creative force in the evolving global entertainment landscape. Gaetan Bruel, president of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC), shared insights with *Variety* during the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei. At the event, France sent its second-largest delegation of 80 professionals, second only to Korea.
Bruel outlined an ambitious strategy that positions France—and Europe more broadly—as rising creative powers on the world stage. “The fact that there is a crisis ongoing at Hollywood, that’s good news for no one, because we need their movies,” Bruel noted. “But for too many years, we were just thinking mainly about how the U.S. were organizing the global ecosystem. What’s happening now is that Europe is rising as a cultural and creative power.”
### Concrete Results and Global Impact
The strategy is already showing tangible outcomes. This year, one-third of the 86 films submitted for the international feature Oscar category were co-produced by France, with over 20 directly funded by CNC. This success is rooted in 80 years of steadfast effort, which has made France the world’s third-largest box office after the U.S. and China—up from fifth place—and the leading streaming market in Europe.
### Taiwan: A Key Partner in the Asian Pivot
Taiwan has become a crucial partner in France’s pivot toward Asia, especially in the virtual reality (VR) sector. The collaboration began six years ago when CNC and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) discovered a natural synergy: Taiwan’s hardware expertise combined with France’s content leadership.
“Taiwan is the leading territory for the hardware, for the technology, so it would make a lot of sense for them to take advantage of that, to be also a leading territory for the content themselves,” Bruel explained.
This partnership has led to major breakthroughs. HTC shifted its focus to VR following these discussions, and Taiwan recently won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival’s VR competition with Singing Chen’s *The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up*. France itself has garnered the largest number of international VR festival awards over the past 15 years.
A French-Taiwanese co-production between Federation Entertainment’s Pascal Breton and *The Bureau* creator Eric Rochant, announced at TCCF last year, continues to advance. The series represents an ambitious collaboration blending Taiwanese and French cultures into a potential global hit. Bruel, who has worked on *The Bureau*, highlighted, “It’s not only the continuity of *The Bureau* — the same atmosphere, the same topics — but it’s also how different cultures, one of Taiwan, one of France, can be merged into a global future hit.”
Beyond individual projects, CNC is working to position Taiwan as a co-production hub capable of collaborating with multiple countries, not just France. In animation—where Taiwan has traditionally served as a supply production hub for foreign content—France is now supporting the development of Taiwanese intellectual property. The leading French animation school Gobelins has also partnered with the Taiwanese ecosystem to foster creative growth.
### Expanding Horizons: Indonesia and Beyond
Indonesia represents another significant opportunity. While global theatrical attendance dropped 40% between 2019 and 2024, Indonesia saw a 55% increase, fueled by urban migration and the growing popularity of Indonesian horror films.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit in May, Bruel traveled to Indonesia in July to develop a multi-pillar strategy. CNC dispatched an expertise mission to Jakarta focused on film preservation, addressing the urgent need to safeguard analog archives amid the shift to digital.
Bruel explained, “The French model doesn’t cost even a single euro to the state, because it’s a model that just relies on the dynamic of the market.” France funds its film ecosystem through a 10% levy on movie tickets and streaming subscriptions rather than direct government budgets.
The goal is to help Indonesia build domestic audiences for its festival-acclaimed cinema, which currently struggles to compete with American and Chinese blockbusters in local multiplexes. CNC is exploring partnerships around art house cinema networks and film education initiatives.
### Film Education: A Cornerstone of International Strategy
Film education remains a crucial pillar of France’s international approach. In Taiwan, CNC collaborated with the Fubon Foundation 13 years ago to develop a nationwide film education program modeled on France’s own system.
“France is not only about cinema as business or just entertainment, it’s about cinema and moving image as culture, as a way to emancipate people, to empower countries,” said Bruel.
He also identified a global paradox: although people spend more time than ever on screens, they watch fewer movies and series, as audiences increasingly turn to free and social platforms. This shift threatens premium content models and has led to a resurgence of piracy.
“Cinema is both threatened by our relationship with screens, but at the same time, it’s the remedy, it’s the solution,” Bruel emphasized. “Today, it’s about reinventing cinema.”
### Europe’s Rise as a Creative Power
Europe’s emergence as a creative power is partly driven by the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) directive, which has mandated streaming investment obligations in 16 countries over the past five years, with 10 more considering implementation. France was among the first to require streaming platforms to invest a percentage of local revenue into domestic content, contrasting with the U.S. market, where no such obligations exist.
Beyond Taiwan and Indonesia, CNC is actively developing partnerships with Japan, Korea, and China. “China is a big topic for us as well,” Bruel noted.
At TCCF, France’s delegation spanned multiple sectors, including leading independent distributor Carlotta Films, which has recently reignited interest in late Taiwanese auteur Edward Yang’s films through new releases and publications. Top VR companies and festivals—including Annecy—were also represented.
“We do not only believe in French cinema,” Bruel concluded. “Even more importantly, we believe in a universal idea of cinema and of the moving image.”
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*This article highlights France’s strategic cultural outreach in Asia, underscoring the shifting dynamics of the global film and entertainment industries.*
https://variety.com/2025/film/markets-festivals/frances-cnc-chief-asian-expansion-strategy-tccf-1236569260/
