France, Capital of Film, Provides 30% Rebate to Foreign Producers
France has been at the center of the film world ever since the Lumiere brothers invented moving pictures that could be viewed by an audience in the 1890s. The country’s celebrated cinema output over the years and its Cannes Film Festival have cemented that role. Today, France’s 30% Tax Rebate for International Production, or TRIP, makes it a filmmaking major destination.
Specifically, TRIP offers a 30% tax rebate on productions spending a minimum of 250,000 euros, or about $299,000. Alternatively, the rebate is also available to productions spending a minimum of 50% of their budget in France.
For live-action projects, a minimum shoot of five days in France is required. The project cap is 30 million euros, or about $36 million. A cultural test applies only to animation and visual-effects-heavy projects.
Film France, a state-funding agency supported by the CNC, or national cinema center, provides and administers the rebate.
In addition to the national body, local film commissions throughout France’s provinces and overseas territories oversee local and regional programs to fund and facilitate productions. These entities handle such matters as searching for cast and crew, assistance with obtaining permits, help with vehicle rental and lodging, and relations with press and local authorities.
Recent productions shot in France include “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018)” “M:I 6 – Mission Impossible” (2018), “The 15:17 to Paris” (2018), “Wonder Woman” (2017), “Dunkirk” (2017) and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017).
Information courtesy of EP Financial Solutions, a production incentive consulting and financial services company.
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