Subsection 1: Investment allowances

For French-initiative cinematographic works, production approval is subject to certification by an auditor of the final cost of the cinematographic work.

Production approval can only be granted if, for the film in question, the delegated production company is up to date with its legal deposit obligations to the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, in accordance with Title III of Book I of the Heritage Code.

Production approval entitles production companies to the calculation of sums representing the automatic financial assistance to which they are entitled, and to the recording of these sums in their automatic cinema production account.

The application for production approval may only be submitted by the delegated production company.

Application for production approval must be made within eight months of the issue of the cinema exhibition licence.The application for production approval is submitted to the approval committee for its opinion.

Sums invested in the production and preparation of feature films are repaid in the following cases:1° When investment approval has been granted but production approval is not requested within the deadline;2° When production approval cannot be granted.Exceptionally, the obligation to repay may be waived by decision of the Chairman of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, at the request of the beneficiary.

In the case provided for in 1° of Article 211-59, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée may calculate the sums representing the automatic financial aid to which production companies are entitled in order to ensure: 1° Firstly, the payment, under the conditions provided for in the article D. 312-1 of the Code du cinéma et de l’image animée, preferential claims listed in article L. 312-2 of the…

In the case of co-productions, production approval is issued to each of the production companies involved in the co-production contract, provided that the contract has been entered in the public film and audiovisual register before the cinema exhibition licence is issued.