Indo-France Audio-Visual Co production Agreement (2010): Collaborative Cinema and Transnational Reach

Co production

Policy Update
Jayasree

Background

The Indo-France Audio-Visual Co production agreement was signed in 2010 between the Indian ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) and France’s cultural and audio-visual ministries. This was to strengthen understanding and foster mutual appreciation by cultural exchange via joint entertainment ventures between New Delhi and Paris. The French Institute in India and India’s Film Facilitation Office (FFO) facilitate these partnerships by connecting Indian filmmakers with French industry professionals for joint development.

The establishment of the French Institute of India (Institut Français de Pondichéry or IFP) and the signing of the Film Co-Production Agreement in New Delhi in 1985 were foundational to the Indo-France production ventures. This lays out the protocol for the co-production of cinema under the purview of regulatory benefits and provisions stipulated by the competent national authorities of both countries. These have evolved from 1985 to 2010.

The collaborative aspect of the agreement gives technical, financial, and artistic benefits to the production ventures, enhancing the conditions and capabilities of filmmaking to present fresh ideas to the world. Such stories are carefully curated, crafted by a legalised arrangement, and are well-received at an array of international festivals and markets and by critics worldwide.

Functioning

Co production

Source: CNC

The 2010 agreement enlists fourteen articles that deal with the process of co-production by the approval of applications by filmmakers to the competent authorities of both nations. The competent authority for France is Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC), and for India, it is the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting.

The 1985 protocol was monumental in defining the roles, restrictions, provisions, and legalities involved in the process of co-production by the stakeholders of both countries in 23 articles. These were divided into Part I: Co-Production and Part II: Exchange of Films. The primary objective of the agreement was to encourage the co-production of films of a quality capable of contributing to the development of the French and Indian film industries.

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The first Indo-French co-production cinema signed under the agreement was La Nuit Bengali (1988), an early device to look at the French in a post-independent and pre-globalised world. The movie was planned to be screened at the Festival of France in India, 1989. However, controversies arose due to protests by the Indian poet Maitreyi Devi against the immoral portrayal of a character loosely based on her and other apparent anti-Hindu elements of the film. This led to the movie never being formally released but being shown only once in India at the 1989 film festival, resulting in no wider public release or distribution.

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Jaya Ganga (1998), Vansprastham (1999), and One Dollar Curry (2003) were the only Indo-French co-productions released after the 1985 agreement and before the 2010 agreement. One Dollar Curry (2003), co-produced by Zee Network and France TV, was the first Indo-French film co-produced by TV networks. These movies were critically acclaimed and well-received at international film festivals and competitions.

However, despite France being one of the largest co-producing industries and India being the second largest in the number of movies produced annually, their co-productions were still in single digits. The French Embassy Audio-visual Attaché, Mohamed Bendjebbour, highlighted the “forgotten agreement” of 1985 and the lack of clarity of the identity of the competent Indian authority at a workshop on ‘Indo-France Co-production Opportunities’ in 2005. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India consciously sought to update the agreement on both sides regardless.

The 2010 agreement was revitalised and made comprehensive to lay out rules to define “film” to avoid ambiguity in funding, involve third countries in co-production, import-export filmmaking equipment, stipulate technical, financial, and artistic conditions by competent authorities of both countries, credit titles, and share revenues.

The annexure of the agreement document describes the process of application by filmmakers to the Indian partner of the French-based Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC). This is followed by a session with the reading and plenary committee, where the non-international elements, global market accessibility, and cultural shock from the story are questioned but not compromised. The non-interference accommodates the creative direction of the crew.

The two types of grants provided by this partnership are production grants and post-production grants. This strategic treaty provides tax incentives, resource pooling, job creation, and expertise of technicians from both countries. This agreement proved a landmark in fostering subsequent regional funding for Indian movies via Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Institut Français in India, Film Tax Rebate for International Production (TRIP), and the Paris Film Region Initiative.

Performance

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Source: Scroll.in

French cinema is the largest and oldest surviving branch of European cinema that has mastered contemporary filmmaking, arthouse, realism, social commentary, and slice-of-life movies. The artistic sophistication and larger-than-life perspectives raised from the Cinéma vérité movement and French New Wave have had a great impact on global cinema. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), La Haine (1995), Amélie (2001), and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) are a few critically acclaimed French movies that heavily inspired the movies of industries across the globe. On the other hand, Indian cinema, especially Bollywood, has had a stronghold in the Middle Eastern and European Russian markets for decades.

However, the reverence for French and Indian cinema still struggles to stand strong in front of the grandiosity of the dominant American film industry. The Indo-French co-production agreement, if optimally used, can serve as a tool to confront the Hollywood threat in the global market. The Indo-French film Soft Power has been received merely by the box offices of selective countries, critics, and film festivals. Indo-French co-productions have a huge scope in the international markets and a global audience.

Impact

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Source: IMDb

The Lunchbox (2013) was the first Indo-French co-production released after the 2010 agreement. The film received widespread critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival and an overwhelming response at several other international film festivals and the Academy Awards. This streak continued with subsequent co-productions. Sir (2018) was nominated for the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at Cannes. Chhello Show (2021) was India’s official entry to the 2023 Oscars. All We Imagine as Light (2024) is the first Indian film in 30 years nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Girls Will Be Girls (2024) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

These are a testament to the power of Indo-France creative collaborations. It demonstrates France’s willingness to co-produce and share credit with India, further strengthening the diplomacy through cultural exchange, economic ventures, and artistic learning.

In 2022, movies from France were screened as the ‘Country of Focus’ in the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, expressed his enthusiasm about Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market. He stressed co-production being the priority of France. He assured help to India in making the shooting in France seamless.

Emerging Issues

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Source: French Institute in India

Financial issues:

The seamless co-production, i.e., production and post-production, of a movie happens according to the agreement, requiring each co-producer’s financial, managerial, and creative contribution to be at least 20% of the total budget. This requires clarity and transparency in the financial planning.

Legal issues:

The competent authority of the state gives permission to the technician/artist from another country according to the domestic laws. These laws can be a hindrance to the movement of crew, import-export of technical equipment, permissions for shooting, and distribution of fiscal benefits.

Cultural context:

The Indo-French co-production takes Indian culture to the global audience, but at a cost. The collaborative movies are a mix of reterritorialization of French filmmaking and deterritorialization of Indian stories. These films are destined for critical acclaim but are yet to be tailored for mainstream audiences worldwide. Inclusivity and diversity of various Indian cultures should be paid heed to in future collaborations. A rise in creative differences is highly likely in international collaborations, stalling the process of filmmaking.

Work culture differences:

France, unlike India, has incentive benefits for its artists who have unstable work and income. The ‘intermittent du spectacle’, also known as the Unemployment System for Performing Artists, provides recognised performing artists with a fixed sum of money every day to assist them during phases of irregular work.

Way Forward

The 2010 Co-production Agreement has to be amended for relevance. Inclusions of rules on Over-The-Top (OTT) services, ceilings on spending by productions, state-imposed censorship, copyright issues, and cooperation of states are important. The ambassadorial support, along with technical exchange, would facilitate cross-border relations and foster meaningful cultural exchange.

References

About the Contributor

Jayasree is a research intern at IMPRI (Impact and Policy Research Institute), and is currently pursuing her bachelors in political science from Madras Christian College, Chennai.

Acknowledgement: The author sincerely thanks Aasthaba Jadeja and IMPRI fellows for their valuable contribution.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organization.

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