Is France becoming the new Hollywood?

France and its cinema are a great investment—not only for the territory but also for an industry that continues to demonstrate its international relevance, both from a critical and a strictly productive perspective. French films keep gaining prominent positions at major global festivals (from Titane to Anatomy of a Fall, both Palme d’Or winners at Cannes in 2021 and 2023) and ranking high on the lists of cultural milestones, such as The Man in the Woods by Alain Guiraudie topping the list of the best films of 2024 by Cahiers du Cinéma and The Beast by Bertrand Bonello enriching theoretical discussions on modern cinema. Whether they challenge social norms, like The Passenger by Héloïse Pelloquet with Cécile De France and Another Summer by Catherine Breillat—featuring older women in relationships with (much) younger men—or reflect on problematic masculinity, as seen in two titles from the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Playing with Fire by Delphine and Muriel Coulin and Their Children After Them by Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma, France remains a fertile ground for cinema of all kinds. And even Hollywood seems to have taken notice.

In fact, if we must talk about a “Hollywoodian” reflection, it should be understood more in terms of the notoriety and reception that some flagship titles are receiving. The Substance and Emilia Pérez, both directed by French filmmakers and shot in Europe, are among the most anticipated films for the 2024 awards season. Coralie Fargeat, debuting in feature films with Revenge and now riding high with a body-horror film starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, set the story of a former fitness show host who chooses to “transform” herself into a better version in an atypical Los Angeles. The filmmaker’s aim was to provide an alternative vision to the usual glossy, ambitious city, with sets built at the Epinay Studios of TSF near Paris and the French Riviera chosen for exterior shots. Jacques Audiard, on the other hand, surrounded himself with his usual crew for his gangster musical starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez. Although the film is set in Mexico, the director decided to shoot entirely at the French studios of Bry-Sur-Marne.

These are two examples of the attractive force France exerts on both local and international productions, primarily due to its locations and skilled professionals. If one were to evaluate its offer solely in terms of tax incentives, it would not be as competitive compared to hubs like London and Prague. France provides a 30% rebate on expenses incurred within its territory, which can go up to 40% if visual effects are done locally and exceed 2 million euros—equivalent to $2.18 million. Laurent Kleindienst, Vice President for Strategy and Development at TSF Studios in Paris, discussed the economic and creative advantages of filming in France during a panel at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles in November 2024, where he mentioned that approximately 50 soundstages are currently under construction in the country, 12 of which are part of a facility spanning 120 acres.

Recently, a five-acre backlot was inaugurated, ideal for hosting various settings and recreations of Parisian streets. According to Variety, it represents a $15 million investment out of the $110 million allocated to the French government’s France 2030 infrastructure development plan. “Just like in Los Angeles, it has become increasingly difficult to film within major capitals,” Kleindienst explained. “So backlots have become more important in terms of controlling an environment while maintaining a lot of freedom during filming.” Additionally, the production is sustainable. Kleindienst stated that their studios would recycle 98% of the 10–15 tons of waste they generate.

An offer that benefits both budgets and the planet, and one that sometimes meets not only economic but also narrative and immersive needs. For example, the upcoming 2025 series The Count of Monte Cristo, an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s literary masterpiece, was produced on a budget of $50 million—about a third of what a similarly sized U.S. blockbuster would cost. During the same panel, producer Dimitri Rassam, who was also behind the two-part French epic The Three Musketeers, stated: “We created a project at a fraction of the cost it would have been elsewhere. We made this decision not because it was cheaper (cost wasn’t the deciding factor, as it would have been cheaper to shoot elsewhere in Eastern Europe, editor’s note), but because it was necessary for the work’s integrity. We needed the actors to feel as close as possible to the story.” The series The Count of Monte Cristo is also an Italian co-production—like the recent The Deluge - The Last Days of Marie Antoinette—involving Rai Fiction and Palomar, shot for seventy days in France with additional filming completed in Malta and Belgium at the Lites Studios, considered the world’s most advanced indoor aquatic studio.