View source for Cinema of France

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} 
{{See also|Lists of French films}}

{{Infobox cinema market
| name                 = Cinema of France
| image                = Famous French Actors.jpg
| image_size           = 
| caption              = A collage of notable French actors{{efn|From top left to bottom right: [[Jean Gabin]], [[Louis de Funès]], [[Jeanne Moreau]], [[Alain Delon]], [[Brigitte Bardot]], [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]], [[Isabelle Huppert]], [[Jean Dujardin]], [[Gérard Depardieu]]}}
| screens              = 6,354 (2024)<ref name="cnc2024_report">{{Cite web |title=Bilan 2024 du CNC |url=https://www.cnc.fr/documents/36995/153434/Bilan+2024+du+CNC.pdf/50ea35d1-9b03-7231-c8c8-bab1e1fa444b?t=1747045745024 |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=www.cnc.fr |language=fr-FR|format=PDF|pages=18–104}}</ref><ref name="cnc2024_keyfig">{{Cite web |title=BILAN DU CNC Les chiffres clés 2024|url=https://www.cnc.fr/documents/36995/153434/Les+chiffres+cl%C3%A9s+2024.pdf/8c9ef744-303a-3b1e-6bfa-e338e01a2220?t=1747045669070 |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=www.cnc.fr |language=fr-FR|format=PDF}}</ref>
| screens_per_capita   = 
| distributors         = [[The Walt Disney Company]] (16.4%)<br />[[Warner Bros.]] (11.5%)<br />[[Universal Studios|Universal]] (7.5%)<ref name="cnc2024_keyfig"/>
| produced_year        = 2024
| produced_ref         = <ref name="cnc2024_report"/>
| produced_total       = {{plainlist|
*263 (excl. co-productions)
*401 (incl. co-productions)
}}
| produced_animated    = 13
| produced_documentary = 105 
| admissions_year      = 2024
| admissions_ref       = <ref name="cnc2024_report"/>
| admissions_total     = 181.5 million
| admissions_per_capita = 
| admissions_national  = 79.5 million (44.8%)
| box_office_year      = 2024
| box_office_ref       ={{efn|Feature films only}}<ref name="cnc2024_report"/> 
| box_office_total     = €{{Format price|1.321}} billion
| box_office_national  = €{{Format price|559.4}} million (42.3%)
}}
The '''cinema of France''' comprises the [[film industry]] and its [[film]] productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with primary influence also on the creation of national cinemas in Asia.

The [[Lumière brothers]] launched [[cinematography]] in 1895 with their ''[[L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat]]''. By the early 1900s, French cinema led globally, with pioneers like [[Georges Méliès|Méliès]] creating cinematic techniques and the first sci-fi film, ''[[A Trip to the Moon]]'' (1902). Studios like [[Pathé]] and [[Gaumont]] dominated, with [[Alice Guy-Blaché]] directing hundreds of films. Post-WWI, French cinema declined as U.S. films flooded Europe, leading to import quotas. Between the wars, directors like [[Jean Renoir]], [[Jean Vigo]] and [[Marcel Carné]] shaped French [[Poetic realism|Poetic Realism]]. Renoir’s ''[[The Rules of the Game|La Règle du Jeu]]'' (1939) and Carné’s ''[[Children of Paradise|Les Enfants du Paradis]]'' (1945) remain iconic, showcasing innovation despite war challenges.

From the 1940s to the 1970s, French cinema flourished with the advent of the [[French New Wave|New Wave]], led by critics-turned-directors like [[Jean-Luc Godard]] and [[François Truffaut]], producing groundbreaking films such as ''[[Breathless (1960 film)|Breathless]]'' (1960) and ''[[The 400 Blows]]'' (1959). The movement, which inspired global filmmakers, faded by the late 1960s. Meanwhile, commercial French cinema gained popularity with comedies like ''[[La Grande Vadrouille]]'' (1966). Stars like [[Brigitte Bardot]], [[Alain Delon]] and [[Catherine Deneuve]] rose to international fame. Directors like [[Bertrand Tavernier]] explored political and artistic themes. By the late 1970s, films like ''[[La Cage aux Folles (film)|La Cage aux Folles]]'' (1978) achieved significant global success.

France was able to produce several major box office successes into the 1990s such as ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' (1990), while certain film like ''[[La Femme Nikita (film)|La Femme Nikita]]'' (1990) and ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' (1997) reached an international audience.

In 2013, France was the second largest exporter of films in the world after the United States, and a 2014 study showed that French cinema was the most appreciated by global audiences after that of the US.<ref name="unifrance.org">{{cite web |title=Enquête sur l'image du cinéma français dans le monde – uniFrance Films |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/11596/enquete-sur-l-image-du-cinema-francais-dans-le-monde |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213021911/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/11596/enquete-sur-l-image-du-cinema-francais-dans-le-monde |archive-date=2014-12-13 |access-date=2014-12-11}}</ref>  According to industry tracker [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]], the fortunes of French film exports have since declined: in 2019, France had fallen to the position of 7th largest exporter by total box office revenue with a 2% share of the global market, and in 2023, 15th by the same metric with a 0.44% share.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://the-numbers.com/movies/country-breakdown/2019 | title=Country Breakdown for 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://the-numbers.com/movies/country-breakdown/2023 | title=Country Breakdown for 2023 }}</ref> Overall, France sits fourth on the tracker's all-time box office chart behind the US, UK, and China.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://the-numbers.com/movies/production-countries/#tab=territory | title=Movie Production Countries }}</ref>

== History ==
=== Silent era ===
[[File:SortiedesOuvriersdel1895-01.jpg|thumb|left|A scene from [[Louis Lumière]]'s ''[[La Sortie des usines Lumière]]'' (1895) ]]

[[Auguste and Louis Lumière|Les frères Lumière]] released the first projection with the [[Cinematograph]], in Paris on 28 December 1895, with first public showing in the [[Eden Theatre, La Ciotat]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/presentation-du-cinematographe-lumiere/|title=PRÉSENTATION DU CINÉMATOGRAPHE LUMIÈRE|first=Encyclopædia|last=Universalis|website=Encyclopædia Universalis|date=27 March 2002 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011041100/https://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/presentation-du-cinematographe-lumiere/|archive-date=2017-10-11}}</ref> The French film industry in the late [[19th century in film|19th century]] and early 20th century was the world's most important. [[Auguste and Louis Lumière]] invented the [[cinématographe]] and their ''[[L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat]]'' in Paris in 1895 is considered by many historians as the official birth of cinematography. French films during this period catered to a growing middle class and were mostly shown in cafés and traveling fairs.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Thompson|first=Kristin|title=Film history : an introduction|date=2010|publisher=McGraw-Hill Higher Education|others=David Bordwell|isbn=978-0-07-338613-3|edition=3rd|location=New York, NY|oclc=294064466}}</ref>

The early days of the industry, from 1896 to 1902, saw the dominance of four firms: [[Pathé Frères]], the [[Gaumont]], the [[Georges Méliès]] company, and [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|the Lumières]].<ref name="Town 1914">The Ciné Goes to Town:  French Cinema 1896–1914, Richard Abel</ref> Méliès invented many of the techniques of cinematic grammar, and among his fantastic, surreal short subjects is the first [[science fiction film]] ''[[A Trip to the Moon]]'' (''Le Voyage dans la Lune'') in 1902.

In 1902, [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|the Lumières]] abandoned everything but the production of film stock, leaving Méliès as the weakest player of the remaining three. (He would retire in 1914.) From 1904 to 1911, the [[Pathé Frères]] company led the world in film production and distribution.<ref name="Town 1914" />

[[File:UK 1914-gaumontpalace.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Gaumont]] palace in Paris, c.1914]]
At Gaumont, pioneer [[Alice Guy-Blaché]] (M. Gaumont's former secretary) was made head of production and oversaw about 400 films, from her first, ''[[La Fée aux Choux]]'', in 1896, through 1906. She then continued her career in the United States, as did [[Maurice Tourneur]] and [[Léonce Perret]] after [[World War I]].

In 1907, Gaumont owned and operated the biggest movie studio in the world, and along with the boom in construction of "luxury cinemas" like the [[Gaumont-Palace]] and the Pathé-Palace (both 1911), cinema became an economic challenger to theater by 1914.<ref name="Town 1914" />

=== After World War I ===
After World War I, the French film industry suffered because of a lack of capital, and film production decreased as it did in most other European countries. This allowed the United States film industry to enter the European cinema market, because American films could be sold more cheaply than European productions, since the studios already had recouped their costs in the home market. When film studios in Europe began to fail, many European countries began to set import barriers. France installed an import quota of 1:7, meaning for every seven foreign films imported to France, one French film was to be produced and shown in French cinemas.<ref>L'Estrange Fawcett: Die Welt des Films. Amalthea-Verlag, Zürich, Leipzig, Wien 1928, p. 149 (German translation of Fawcett's book of 1928: ''Film, Facts and Forecasts'')</ref>

During the period between World War I and World War II, [[Jacques Feyder]] and [[Jean Vigo]] became two of the founders of [[poetic realism]] in French cinema. They also dominated [[French impressionist cinema]], along with [[Abel Gance]], [[Germaine Dulac]] and [[Jean Epstein]].

In 1931, [[Marcel Pagnol]] filmed the first of his great trilogy ''[[Marius (1931 film)|Marius]]'', ''Fanny'', and ''César''. He followed this with other films including ''[[The Baker's Wife (film)|The Baker's Wife]]''. Other notable films of the 1930s included [[René Clair]]'s ''[[Under the Roofs of Paris]]'' (1930), Jean Vigo's ''[[L'Atalante]]'' (1934), Jacques Feyder's ''[[Carnival in Flanders (film)|Carnival in Flanders]]'' (1935), and [[Julien Duvivier]]'s ''La belle equipe'' (1936). In 1935, renowned playwright and actor [[Sacha Guitry]] directed his first film and went on to make more than 30 films that were precursors to the [[French New Wave|New Wave]] era. In 1937, [[Jean Renoir]], the son of painter [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]], directed ''[[La Grande Illusion]]'' (''The Grand Illusion''). In 1939, Renoir directed ''[[The Rules of the Game|La Règle du Jeu]]'' (''The Rules of the Game''). Several critics have cited this film as one of the [[List of films considered the best|greatest of all-time]], particularly for its innovative camerawork, cinematography and sound editing.

[[Marcel Carné]]'s {{Lang|fr|[[Children of Paradise|Les Enfants du Paradis]]}} (''Children of Paradise'') was filmed during World War II and released in 1945. The three-hour film was extremely difficult to make due to the [[Nazi occupation of France|Nazi occupation]]. Set in Paris in 1828, it was voted Best French Film of the Century in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in the late 1990s.

=== Post–World War II ===

==== 1940s–1970s ====
[[File:Louis Jourdan - Leslie Caron - Maurice Chevalier - Gigi, 1958.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Leslie Caron]] with [[Louis Jourdan]] and [[Maurice Chevalier]] on the set of [[Gigi (1958 film)|''Gigi'']] (1958).]]
After World War II, the French actress [[Leslie Caron]] and the French actor [[Louis Jourdan]] enjoyed success in the United States with several [[Musical film|musical romantic comedies]], notably [[An American in Paris (film)|''An American in Paris'']] (1951) and [[Gigi (1958 film)|''Gigi'']] (1958), based on the 1944 novella of the same name by [[Colette]].

In the magazine {{Lang|fr|[[Cahiers du cinéma]]}}, founded by [[André Bazin]] and two other writers in 1951, film critics raised the level of discussion of the cinema, providing a platform for the birth of modern [[film theory]]. Several of the ''Cahiers'' critics, including [[Jean-Luc Godard]], [[François Truffaut]], [[Claude Chabrol]], [[Jacques Rivette]] and [[Éric Rohmer]], went on to make films themselves, creating what was to become known as the [[French New Wave]]. Some of the first films of this new movement were Godard's ''[[Breathless (1960 film)|Breathless]]'' (''À bout de souffle'', 1960), starring [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]], Rivette's ''[[Paris Belongs to Us]]'' (''Paris nous appartient'', 1958 – distributed in 1961), starring [[Jean-Claude Brialy]] and Truffaut's ''[[The 400 Blows]]'' (''Les Quatre Cent Coups'', 1959) starring [[Jean-Pierre Léaud]]. Later works are ''[[Contempt (film)|Contempt]]'' (1963) by Godard starring [[Brigitte Bardot]] and [[Michel Piccoli]] and ''[[Stolen Kisses]]'' starring Léaud and [[Claude Jade]]. Because Truffaut followed the hero of his screen debut, [[Antoine Doinel]], for twenty years, the last post-New-Wave-film is ''[[Love on the Run (1979 film)|Love on the Run]]'' in which his heroes Antoine (Léaud) and Christine (Jade) get divorced.

[[File:Stevan Kragujevic, Alain Delon in Belgrade, 1962 (1).JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[Alain Delon]] was known as much for his beauty as for his acting career and holds an enduring status as a leading man in French cinema.]]
Many contemporaries of Godard and Truffaut followed suit, or achieved international critical acclaim with styles of their own, such as the [[Minimalism|minimalist]] films of [[Robert Bresson]] and [[Jean-Pierre Melville]], the Hitchcockian-like thrillers of [[Henri-Georges Clouzot]], and other New Wave films by [[Agnès Varda]] and [[Alain Resnais]]. The movement, while an inspiration to other national cinemas and unmistakably a direct influence on the future [[New Hollywood]] directors, slowly faded by the end of the 1960s.

[[File:Brigitte Bardot - 1962.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Brigitte Bardot]] was one of the most famous French actresses in the 1960s.]]

During this period, French commercial film also made a name for itself. Immensely popular French comedies with [[Louis de Funès]] topped the French box office. The war comedy ''[[La Grande Vadrouille]]'' (1966), from [[Gérard Oury]] with [[Bourvil]], de Funès and [[Terry-Thomas]], was the most successful film in French theaters for more than 30 years. Another example was ''[[Delusions of Grandeur (film)|La Folie des grandeurs]]'' with [[Yves Montand]]. French cinema also was the birthplace for many subgenres of the [[crime film]], most notably the modern [[caper film]], starting with 1955's ''[[Rififi]]'' by American-born director [[Jules Dassin]] and followed by a large number of serious, noirish heist dramas as well as playful caper comedies throughout the sixties, and the "polar," a typical French blend of [[film noir]] and [[detective fiction]].

In addition, French movie stars began to claim fame abroad as well as at home. Popular actors of the period included [[Brigitte Bardot]], [[Alain Delon]], [[Romy Schneider]], [[Catherine Deneuve]], [[Jeanne Moreau]], [[Simone Signoret]], [[Yves Montand]], [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]] and still [[Jean Gabin]].

[[File:Avant-première L'Amour en fuite Luxembourg Cinéma Marivaux 18 avril 1979 Photo Carlo Hansen Luxembourg.jpg|thumb|right|Director [[François Truffaut]] and actress [[Claude Jade]] at the première of their third common film ''[[Love on the Run (1979 film)|Love on the Run]]'' in Luxembourg, April 1979]]

Since the Sixties and the early Seventies they are completed and followed by [[Michel Piccoli]] and [[Philippe Noiret]] as character actors, [[Annie Girardot]], [[Jean-Louis Trintignant]], [[Jean-Pierre Léaud]], [[Claude Jade]], [[Isabelle Huppert]], [[Anny Duperey]], [[Gérard Depardieu]], [[Patrick Dewaere]], [[Jean-Pierre Cassel]], [[Miou-Miou]], [[Brigitte Fossey]], [[Stéphane Audran]] and [[Isabelle Adjani]]. During the Eightees they are added by a new generation including [[Sophie Marceau]], [[Emmanuelle Béart]], [[Jean-Hugues Anglade]], [[Sabine Azema]], [[Juliette Binoche]] and [[Daniel Auteuil]].

In 1968, the May riots shook France. [[François Truffaut]] had already organised demonstrations in February against [[Henri Langlois]]'s removal as head of the [[Cinémathèque française]] and dedicated his film ''[[Stolen Kisses]]'', which was being made, to Langlois. The Cannes Film Festival is cancelled – on the initiative of Truffaut, Godard and Louis Malle. Jean-Luc Godard no longer works in the commercial film business for years. Political films such as [[Costa-Gavras]]' ''[[Z (1969 film)|Z]]'' celebrate success. Chabrol continues his vivisection of the bourgeoisie (''[[The Unfaithful Wife]]'') and Truffaut explores the possibility of bourgeois marital happiness (''[[Bed and Board (film)|Bed and Board]]'').
While Godard disappears from cinema after the Nouvelle Vague except for a few essays, Truffaut and Chabrol remain the leading directors whose artistic aspects remain commercially successful. Other directors of the 1970s in this effect are [[Bertrand Tavernier]], [[Claude Sautet]], [[Eric Rohmer]], [[Claude Lelouch]], [[Georges Lautner]], [[Jean-Paul Rappeneau]], [[Michel Deville]] [[Yves Boisset]], [[Maurice Pialat]], [[Bertrand Blier]], [[Coline Serreau]] and [[André Téchiné]] in purely entertainment films, it is [[Gérard Oury]] and [[Édouard Molinaro]].

The 1979 film ''[[La Cage aux Folles (film)|La Cage aux Folles]]'' ran for well over a year at the [[Paris Theatre]], an [[arthouse cinema]] in New York City, and was a commercial success at theaters throughout the country, in both urban and rural areas. It won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], and for years it remained the most successful foreign film to be released in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=foreign.htm |title=Foreign Languages Movies |publisher=Boxofficemojo.com |access-date=19 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724001435/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=foreign.htm |archive-date=24 July 2010 }}</ref>

==== 1980s ====
[[File:DARRIEUX Danielle-24x30-2008b.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Danielle Darrieux]] (pictured in 2008) was a French centenarian, who had one of the longest careers in French cinema, spanning eight decades]]

[[Jean-Jacques Beineix]]'s ''[[Diva (1981 film)|Diva]]'' (1981) sparked the beginning of the 1980s wave of French cinema. Movies which followed in its wake included ''[[Betty Blue]]'' (''37°2 le matin'', 1986) by Beineix, ''[[The Big Blue]]'' (''Le Grand bleu'', 1988) by [[Luc Besson]], and ''[[The Lovers on the Bridge]]'' (''Les Amants du Pont-Neuf'', 1991) by [[Léos Carax]]. Made with a slick commercial style and emphasizing the alienation of their main characters, these films are representative of the style known as ''[[Cinema du look]]''.

''[[Camille Claudel (film)|Camille Claudel]]'', directed by newcomer [[Bruno Nuytten]] and starring [[Isabelle Adjani]] and [[Gérard Depardieu]], was a major commercial success in 1988, earning Adjani, who was also the film's co-producer, a [[César Award]] for best actress. The [[historical fiction|historical drama]] film ''[[Jean de Florette]]'' (1986) and its sequel ''[[Manon des Sources (1986 film)|Manon des Sources]]'' (1986) were among the highest grossing French films in history and brought Daniel Auteuil international recognition.

According to [[Raphaël Bassan]], in his article «''[[The Angel (1982 film)|The Angel]]'': Un météore dans le ciel de l'animation,» ''La Revue du cinéma'', n° 393, avril 1984. {{in lang|fr}}, [[Patrick Bokanowski]]'s ''[[The Angel (1982 film)|The Angel]]'', shown in [[1982 in film|1982]] at the [[1982 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]], can be considered the beginnings of contemporary animation. The masks erase all human personality in the characters. [[Patrick Bokanowski]] would thus have total control over the "matter" of the image and its optical composition. This is especially noticeable throughout the film, with images taken through distorted objectives or a plastic work on the sets and costumes, for example in the scene of the designer. [[Patrick Bokanowski]] creates his own universe and obeys his own aesthetic logic. It takes us through a series of distorted areas, obscure visions, metamorphoses and synthetic objects. Indeed, in the film, the human may be viewed as a fetish object (for example, the doll hanging by a thread), with reference to [[Franz Kafka#"Kafkaesque"|Kafkaesque]] and [[Siegmund Freud|Freudian]] theories on [[automaton|automata]] and the fear of man faced with something as complex as him. The ascent of the stairs would be the liberation of the ideas of death, culture, and sex that makes us reach the emblematic figure of the angel.

==== 1990s ====
[[File:Juliette Binoche 2000.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Juliette Binoche]] at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival]]
Jean-Paul Rappeneau's ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' was a major box-office success in 1990, earning several [[César Award]]s, including best actor for [[Gérard Depardieu]], as well as an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for best foreign picture.

[[Luc Besson]] made ''[[La Femme Nikita (film)|La Femme Nikita]]'' in 1990, a movie that inspired remakes in both United States and in Hong Kong. In 1994, he also made ''[[Léon: The Professional|Léon]]'' (starring [[Jean Reno]] and a young [[Natalie Portman]]), and in 1997 ''[[The Fifth Element]]'', which became a cult favorite and launched the career of [[Milla Jovovich]].

[[Jean-Pierre Jeunet]] made ''[[Delicatessen (1991 film)|Delicatessen]]'' and ''[[The City of Lost Children]]'' (''La Cité des enfants perdus''), both of which featured a distinctly fantastical style.

In 1992, [[Claude Sautet]] co-wrote (with Jacques Fieschi) and directed ''[[Un Coeur en Hiver]]'', considered by many to be a masterpiece. [[Mathieu Kassovitz]]'s 1995 film ''Hate'' (''[[La Haine]]'') received critical praise and made [[Vincent Cassel]] a star, and in 1997, [[Juliette Binoche]] won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her role in ''[[The English Patient (film)|The English Patient]]''.

The success of [[Michel Ocelot]]'s ''[[Kirikou and the Sorceress]]'' in 1998 rejuvenated the production of original feature-length animated films by such filmmakers as [[Jean-François Laguionie]] and [[Sylvain Chomet]].

==== 2000s ====
{{multiple image
| footer    = [[Marion Cotillard]] (left) and [[Jean Dujardin]] (right), both awarded with an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] in [[United States]], for their respective roles in ''[[La Vie en rose (film)|La Vie en Rose]]'' (2007) and ''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]'' (2011).
| width     = 
| image1    = Marion Cotillard Cabourg 2017.jpg
| alt1      = Marion Cotillard
| width1    = 140
| image2    = Jean Dujardin Cannes 2011.jpg
| alt2      = Jean Dujardin
| width2    = 140
}}

In 2000, Philippe Binant realized the first [[digital cinema]] projection in [[Europe]], with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by [[Texas Instruments]], in Paris.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="google.com"/>

In 2001, after a brief stint in Hollywood, [[Jean-Pierre Jeunet]] returned to France with ''[[Amélie]]'' (''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain'') starring [[Audrey Tautou]]. It became the highest-grossing French-language film ever released in the United States. The following year, ''[[Brotherhood of the Wolf]]''  became the sixth-highest-grossing French-language film of all time in the United States and went on to gross more than $70 million worldwide.

In 2008, [[Marion Cotillard]] won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]] for her portrayal of legendary French singer [[Édith Piaf]] in ''[[La Vie en Rose (film)|La Vie en Rose]]'', the first French-language performance to be so honored. The film won two Oscars and four [[BAFTA]]s and became the third-highest-grossing French-language film in the United States since 1980. Cotillard was the first female and second person to win both an Academy Award and [[César Award]] for the same performance.

At the 2008 [[Cannes Film Festival]], ''[[Entre les murs]]'' (''The Class'') won the [[Palme d'Or]], the 6th French victory at the festival. The 2000s also saw an increase in the number of individual competitive awards won by French artists at the Cannes Festival, for [[Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)|direction]] ([[Tony Gatlif]], ''[[Exils]]'', 2004), [[Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)|screenplay]] ([[Agnès Jaoui]] and [[Jean-Pierre Bacri]], ''[[Look at Me (2004 film)|Look at Me]]'', 2004), [[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|female acting]] ([[Isabelle Huppert]], ''[[The Piano Teacher (film)|The Piano Teacher]]'', 2001; [[Charlotte Gainsbourg]], ''[[Antichrist (film)|Antichrist]]'', 2009) and male acting ([[Jamel Debbouze]], [[Samy Naceri]], [[Roschdy Zem]], [[Sami Bouajila]] and [[Bernard Blancan]], ''[[Days of Glory (2006 film)|Days of Glory]]'', 2006).

The 2008 rural comedy ''[[Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis]]'' drew an audience of more than 20 million, the first French film to do so. Its $193 million gross in France puts it just behind ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' as the most successful film of all time in French theaters.

In the 2000s, several French directors made international productions, often in the action genre. These include [[Gérard Pirès]] (''[[Steal (film)|Riders]]'', 2002), [[Pitof]] (''[[Catwoman (film)|Catwoman]]'', 2004), [[Jean-François Richet]] (''[[Assault on Precinct 13 (2005 film)|Assault on Precinct 13]]'', 2005), [[Florent Emilio Siri]] (''[[Hostage (2005 film)|Hostage]]'', 2005), [[Christophe Gans]] (''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'', 2006), [[Mathieu Kassovitz]] (''[[Babylon A.D.]]'', 2008), [[Louis Leterrier]] (''[[The Transporter]]'', 2002; ''[[Transporter 2]]'', 2005; [[Olivier Megaton]] directed ''[[Transporter 3]]'', 2008), [[Alexandre Aja]] (''[[Mirrors (2008 film)|Mirrors]]'', 2008), and [[Pierre Morel]] (''[[Taken (film)|Taken]]'', 2009).

Surveying the entire range of French filmmaking today, Tim Palmer calls contemporary cinema in France a kind of eco-system, in which commercial cinema co-exists with artistic radicalism, first-time directors (who make up about 40% of all France's directors each year) mingle with veterans, and there even occasionally emerges a fascinating pop-art hybridity, in which the features of intellectual and mass cinemas are interrelated (as in filmmakers like Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Olivier Assayas, Maïwenn, Sophie Fillières, Serge Bozon, and others).<ref>Palmer, Tim (2011). ''Brutal Intimacy: Analyzing Contemporary French Cinema'', Wesleyan University Press, Middleton CT. {{ISBN|0-8195-6827-9}}.</ref>

==== 2010s ====
[[File:Léa Seydoux Cannes 2014 2.jpg|upright|thumb|right|[[Léa Seydoux]] at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.]]
One of the most noticed and best reviewed films of 2010 was the drama ''[[Of Gods and Men (film)|Of Gods and Men]]'' (''Des hommes et des dieux''), about the [[Assassination of the monks of Tibhirine|assassination of seven monks in Tibhirine, Algeria]].  2011 saw the release of ''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]'', a silent film shot in black and white by [[Michel Hazanavicius]] that reflected on the end of Hollywood's [[Silent film|silent era]].

French cinema continued its upward trend of earning awards at the Cannes Festival, including the prestigious [[Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)|Grand Prix]] for ''Of Gods and Men'' (2010) and the [[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Jury Prize]] for [[Poliss]] (2011); the [[Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Director Award]] for [[Mathieu Amalric]] (''[[On Tour (2010 film)|On Tour]]'', 2010); the [[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actress Award]] for [[Juliette Binoche]] (''[[Certified Copy (film)|Certified Copy]]'', 2010); and the [[Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actor Award]] for [[Jean Dujardin]] (''The Artist'', 2011).

In 2011, the film ''[[The Intouchables]]'' became the most watched film in France (including the foreign films). After ten weeks nearly 17.5 million people had seen the film in France,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rtl.fr/actualites/culture-loisirs/cinema/article/intouchables-est-deja-le-film-le-plus-vu-de-l-annee-7738285549 |title=Article RTL : "Intouchables" devient le film le plus vu de l'année ! |language=fr |publisher=Rtl.fr |date=25 November 2011 |access-date=19 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210190840/http://www.rtl.fr/actualites/culture-loisirs/cinema/article/intouchables-est-deja-le-film-le-plus-vu-de-l-annee-7738285549 |archive-date=10 February 2012 }}</ref> the film was the second most-seen French movie of all time in France, and the third including foreign movies.

In 2012, with 226 million admissions (US$1,900 million) in the world for French films (582 films released in 84 countries), including 82<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/10128/unifrance-films-rapport-d-activites-2012 |title=UniFrance Films: Rapport d'activités 2012 – uniFrance Films |language=fr |publisher=Unifrance.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014912/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/10128/unifrance-films-rapport-d-activites-2012 |archive-date=2013-10-05 }}</ref> million admissions in France (US$700 million), 2012 was the fourth best year since 1985. With 144 million admissions outside France (US$1,200 million),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unifrance.org/box-office/74807/monde |title=Monde – uniFrance Films |language=fr |publisher=Unifrance.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423022708/http://www.unifrance.org/box-office/74807/monde |archive-date=2011-04-23 }}</ref> 2012 was the best year since at least 1994 (since [[Unifrance]] collects data),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/5335/2008-annee-record-pour-le-cinema-francais-a-l-international |title=2008, année record pour le cinéma français à l'international – uniFrance Films |language=fr |publisher=Unifrance.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619034932/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/5335/2008-annee-record-pour-le-cinema-francais-a-l-international |archive-date=2009-06-19 }}</ref> and the French cinema reached a market share of 2.95% of worldwide admissions and of 4.86% of worldwide sales.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/10392/unifrance-films-publie-son-bilan-complet-de-l-annee-cinema-2012 |title=UniFrance films publie son bilan complet de l'année cinéma 2012 – uniFrance Films |language=fr |publisher=Unifrance.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111230245/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/10392/unifrance-films-publie-son-bilan-complet-de-l-annee-cinema-2012 |archive-date=2013-11-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/10114/panorama-des-salles-de-cinema-a-travers-le-monde |title=Panorama des salles de cinéma à travers le monde – uniFrance Films |language=fr |publisher=Unifrance.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006155153/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/10114/panorama-des-salles-de-cinema-a-travers-le-monde |archive-date=2013-10-06 }}</ref> Three films particularly contributed to this record year: ''[[Taken 2]]'', ''[[The Intouchables]]'' and ''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/8594/140m-d-entrees-pour-le-cinema-francais-a-l-international |title=140M d'entrées pour le cinéma français à l'international – uniFrance Films |language=fr |publisher=Unifrance.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125015829/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/8594/140m-d-entrees-pour-le-cinema-francais-a-l-international |archive-date=2013-01-25 }}</ref> In 2012, films shot in French ranked 4th in admissions (145 million) behind films shot in English (more than a billion admissions in the US alone), Hindi (?: no accurate data but estimated at 3 billion for the whole India/Indian languages) and Chinese (275 million in China plus a few million abroad), but above films shot in Korean (115 million admissions in South Korea plus a few millions abroad) and Japanese (102 million admissions in Japan plus a few million abroad,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eiren.org/statistics_e/index.html |title=Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan , Inc |publisher=Eiren.org |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050505192057/http://www.eiren.org/statistics_e/index.html |archive-date=2005-05-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/entreesmonde.php |title=Bilan Annuel Monde |publisher=Jpbox-office.com |access-date=2014-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106083449/http://jpbox-office.com/entreesmonde.php |archive-date=2012-01-06 }}</ref> a record since 1973 et its 104 million admissions). French-language movies ranked 2nd in export (outside of French-speaking countries) after films in English. 2012 was also the year French animation studio [[Mac Guff]] was acquired by an American studio, [[Universal Pictures]], through its [[Illumination Entertainment]] subsidiary. Illumination Mac Guff became the animation studio for some of the top English-language animated movies of the 2010s, including ''[[The Lorax (film)|The Lorax]]'' and the ''[[Despicable Me]]'' franchise.

In 2015 French cinema sold 106 million tickets and grossed €600 million outside of the country. The highest-grossing film was ''[[Taken 3]]'' (€261.7 million) and the largest territory in admissions was China (14.7 million).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2016/film/global/france-europacorp-the-little-prince1201680899-1201680899/|title= EuropaCorp, Toons, Comedies Drive Robust 2015 for French Exports|first= John|last= Hopewell|date= January 15, 2016|access-date= January 16, 2016|work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160116162557/http://variety.com/2016/film/global/france-europacorp-the-little-prince1201680899-1201680899/|archive-date= January 16, 2016}}</ref> In that year, France produced more films than any other European country, producing a record-breaking 300 feature-length films.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnc.fr/web/fr/flux/-/journal_content/56_INSTANCE_k0Tr/18/8963838?refererPlid=64476|title=CNC – flux |website=www.cnc.fr|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109021759/http://www.cnc.fr/web/fr/flux/-/journal_content/56_INSTANCE_k0Tr/18/8963838?refererPlid=64476|archive-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> France is one of the few countries where non-American productions have the biggest share; American films only represented 44.9% of total admissions in 2014. This is largely due to the commercial strength of domestic productions.<ref name="cnc.fr">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnc.fr/web/fr/frequentation-cinematographique|title=CNC – fréquentation cinématographique|website=www.cnc.fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115211548/http://www.cnc.fr/web/fr/frequentation-cinematographique|archive-date=2015-11-15|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-01-08}}</ref>

== Government support ==
[[File:Palmed'or.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Palme d'Or]] ("Golden Palm"), the most prestigious award given out at [[Cannes Film Festival]].]]
[[File:Film crew in trompe l'oeil mural, Cinéma Vox, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Trompe l'oeil]] mural on a movie theater in [[Chamonix-Mont-Blanc|Chamonix]] ]]
In 2013, France was the second largest exporter of films in the world after the United States, and a 2014 study showed that French cinema was the most appreciated by global audiences after that of the US.<ref name="unifrance.org"/>

France has had a very strong film industry, due in part to protections afforded by the [[French Government]].<ref name="NYT 1995-02-28">{{cite news |author=Alan Riding |date=28 February 1995 |title=The Birthplace Celebrates Film's Big 1-0-0 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/28/movies/the-birthplace-celebrates-film-s-big-1-0-0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626084746/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/28/movies/the-birthplace-celebrates-film-s-big-1-0-0.html |archive-date=26 June 2017 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>  The French government has implemented various measures aimed at supporting local film production and movie theaters. [[Groupe Canal+|Canal+]] has a broadcast license requiring it to support the production of movies. Some taxes are levied on movies and TV channels for use as subsidies for movie production.{{cn|date=June 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=KPMG Film Financing and Television Programming - A Taxation Guide |url=https://kpmg.com/kpmg-us/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2023/kpmg-film-tv-tax-guide-france-2022.pdf}}</ref> 

The French national and regional governments also involve themselves in film production. For example, the award-winning documentary ''[[In the Land of the Deaf]]'' (''Le Pays des sourds''), created by [[Nicolas Philibert]] in 1992, was co-produced by multinational partners, reducing the financial risks inherent in the project and ensuring enhanced distribution opportunities.<ref>Cine-Regio: [http://www.cine-regio.org/co-production/  Co-production] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622064204/http://cine-regio.org/co-production/ |date=2009-06-22 }}</ref><ref name="nyt1">[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/148708/In-the-Land-of-the-Deaf/credits  "In the Land of the Deaf (1993),"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021201851/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/148708/In-the-Land-of-the-Deaf/credits |date=2012-10-21 }} ''New York Times.''</ref><ref name="rhone1">[http://www.rhone-alpes-cinema.fr/presentation/presentation.php  Rhône-Alpes Cinéma] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724140939/http://www.rhone-alpes-cinema.fr/presentation/presentation.php |date=2009-07-24 }}: [http://www.rhone-alpes-cinema.fr/catalogue/catalogue.php ''Le pays des sourds.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619213540/http://www.rhone-alpes-cinema.fr/catalogue/catalogue.php |date=2009-06-19 }}</ref><ref name="frdiplomatie">France Diplomatie: [http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france-priorities_1/documentary_2312/non-commercial-distribution_2313/documentaries_5315/5-films-by-nicolas-philibert_3149/in-the-land-of-the-deaf_3164/index.html ''In the Land of the Deaf''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406101325/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france-priorities_1/documentary_2312/non-commercial-distribution_2313/documentaries_5315/5-films-by-nicolas-philibert_3149/in-the-land-of-the-deaf_3164/index.html |date=2012-04-06 }}.</ref>

==Movie theaters ==
On 2 February 2000 in Paris,  Philippe Binant realized the first [[digital cinema]] projection in [[Europe]], with the DLP Cinema technology developed by [[Texas Instruments]].<ref name="auto">{{Lang|fr|[[Cahiers du cinéma]]}}, n°hors-série, Paris, April 2000, p. 32 (''cf.'' also [http://academiecine.tv/files/8113/7674/5261/Histoire_communications.pdf ''Histoire des communications'', 2011, p. 10.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019163924/http://academiecine.tv/files/8113/7674/5261/Histoire_communications.pdf |date=2013-10-19 }}).</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/FR_plugins_acrobat_fr_motion_action_actions29.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522233729/http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/FR_plugins_acrobat_fr_motion_action_actions29.pdf|url-status=dead|title=''Cf.'' Binant, " Au cœur de la projection numérique ", ''Actions'', '''29''', Kodak, Paris, 2007, p. 12.|archivedate=22 May 2014|accessdate=21 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n_wTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT77|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624134224/https://books.google.com/books?id=n_wTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT77&lpg=PT77&dq=creton+kitsopanidou+binant&source=bl&ots=2ZaoxMKyfv&sig=g8RzftJFbIgRmkgybtbNlhH7dFI&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=kD-kUuCBHMSq0QXn0YD4CA&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA|url-status=dead|title=Les salles de cinéma: Enjeux, défis et perspectives|first1=Laurent|last1=Creton|first2=Kira|last2=Kitsopanidou|date=20 November 2013|archivedate=24 June 2016|publisher=Armand Colin| isbn=9782200290115 |accessdate=21 June 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref> 

In 2011 Paris had the highest density of cinemas in the world, measured by the number of [[movie theaters]] per inhabitant,<ref>[http://old.campusfrance.org/en/a-etudier/faq.htm 20 questions about studying in France] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504080519/http://old.campusfrance.org/en/a-etudier/faq.htm |date=2011-05-04 }}</ref> In most downtown Paris movie theaters, foreign or [[arthouse film]]s movies are shown alongside mainstream movies.  

Paris also boasts the [[Cité du cinéma]], a major studio north of the city, and Disney Studio, a theme park devoted to the cinema.<ref>{{cite web|language=en|title=Paris cinema |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/cinema.htm|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref>

== Festivals ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width="25%"|Name
!width="5%"|Est.
!width="10%"|City
!width="15%"|Type
!width="30%"|Details
!width="15%"|Website
|-
|[[Amiens International Film Festival]]||1982||[[Amiens]]||Special interest||Annual festival focusing on the cinemas of Europe, Asia and Latin America.||http://www.filmfestamiens.org
|-
|[[Festival du Film Merveilleux]]||2010||Paris||International||Annual film festival celebrating the imaginary, the Wonder and magic from all over the world. ||http://www.festival-film-merveilleux.com/
|-
|[[Annecy International Animated Film Festival]]||1960||[[Annecy]]||Special interest|| ||http://www.annecy.org
|-
|Festival du Film Européen Beauvais-Oise||1990||[[Beauvais]]||Europe|| ||http://www.beauvaisfilmfest.com
|-
|Festival International du Film Ecologique de Bourges||2005||[[Bourges]]||Environmental|| ||https://web.archive.org/web/20121109231709/http://www.festival-film-bourges.fr/english/ecological-film-festival.php
|-
|Cabestany Short Film Festival||1981||[[Cabestany]]||International||Annual short film festival ||http://www.courts-metrages.org
|-
|[[Cannes Film Festival]]||1939||[[Cannes]]||International||One of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious festivals, it is held annually (usually in May) at the [[Palais des Festivals et des Congrès]].||http://www.festival-cannes.com
|-
|CineHorizontes – Festival de cinéma espagnol de Marseille||2001||[[Marseille]]||Special interest|| One of the best Spanish film festivals in France||http://www.cinehorizontes.com
|-
|Cinéma du réel – International Documentary Film Festival||1978||Paris||Special interest|| ||http://www.cinereel.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311195211/http://www.cinereel.org/ |date=11 March 2010 }}
|-
|[[Créteil International Women's Film Festival]]||1978||[[Créteil]]||Special interest||Showcase of films by female directors.||http://www.filmsdefemmes.com/
|-
|[[Deauville American Film Festival]]||1975||[[Deauville]]||Special interest||Annual festival devoted to [[Cinema of the United States|American cinema]].||http://www.festival-deauville.com/
|-
|[[Deauville Asian Film Festival]]||1999||[[Deauville]]||Special interest||Annual festival devoted to [[Asian cinema]].||http://www.deauvilleasia.com/
|-
|[[ÉCU The European Independent Film festival]]||2006||Paris||Special Interest||Annual festival devoted to [[Independent film|independent cinema]] .||http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902080241/http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/ |date=2 September 2011 }}
|-
|Fantastique semaine du cinéma||2010||[[Nice]]||International||Annual festival devoted to [[Horror film|horror]] and [[Fantastique|fantastic]] cinema (''Festival du Film Fantastique'') cinema
||http://www.cinenasty.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612041127/http://www.cinenasty.com/ |date=12 June 2016 }}
|-
|Hallucinations Collectives||2008||[[Lyon]]||Special interest||Annual festival devoted to Horror, fantastic, strange and cult cinema.||http://www.hallucinations-collectives.com
|-
|[[Fantastic'Arts]]||1994||[[Gérardmer]]||Special interest||Annual festival devoted to [[Horror film|horror]] and fantastic cinema (''Festival du Film Fantastique'') cinema
||http://www.gerardmer-fantasticart.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213062435/http://www.gerardmer-fantasticart.com/ |date=2010-12-13 }}
|-
|Festival du Film Polonais Cat.Studios||2007||[[Perpignan]]||Special interest||Annual festival devoted to [[Cinema of Poland|Polish cinema]].||http://www.catstudios.net {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217010326/http://catstudios.net/ |date=17 December 2014 }}
|-
|Festival du Film Web|| ||[[Oloron-Sainte-Marie]]||Special interest|| ||
|-
|Fantasy film festival||2017||[[Menton]]||Special interest||Annual festival devoted to [[Sci-FI]] and fantastic cinema (''Festival international du Film Fantastique de Menton'') cinema ||https://www.festival-film-fantastique.com/
|-
|Festival International du Film de Montagne||1984||[[Autrans]]||[[Mountain film]]|| first week in December||http://www.festival-autrans.com
|-
|Festival Pocket Film|| ||Paris||Special interest||Mobile phone film festival.||https://web.archive.org/web/20191112050323/http://www.festivalpocketfilms.fr/
|-
|Festival international du film des droits de l'homme de Paris||2003 ||Paris||International||Features and shorts documentaries on human rights issues. Once a year, in February or March. Also present in other cities in France.||http://www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org/paris/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608131010/http://www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org/paris/ |date=2016-06-08 }}
|-
|International Festival of Audiovisual Programs|| ||[[Biarritz]]||Special interest|| ||https://web.archive.org/web/20060701172343/http://www.fipa.tm.fr/
|-
|[[International student short-film festival of Cergy-Pontoise]]||1991||[[Cergy-Pontoise]]||International||Student Festival|| http://lefestivalducourt.org/
|-
|[[Les Arcs Film Festival]]||2009||[[Bourg-Saint-Maurice]]||European||Held in December || https://lesarcs-filmfest.com/fr
|-
|[[Marseille Festival of Documentary Film|Marseille Film Festival]]||1989||[[Marseille]]||International||Held in July||http://www.fidmarseille.org/
|-
|NollywoodWeek Paris||2013||Paris||Special Interest||Annual festival in late May showcasing the top new films from Nigerian filmmakers and Nollywood|| http://www.nollywoodweek.com/
|-
|{{ill|Festival du Cinéma européen de Lille|fr|Festival du cinéma européen de Lille}}|| 1984 ||[[Lille]]||Special interest||European short movies competition ||https://eurofilmfest-lille.com/
|-
|[[Festival Paris Cinéma|Paris Film Festival]]||2003||Paris||International||Annual festival held in between June and July.||[http://www.pariscinema.org/ http://www.pariscinema.org/]
|-
|[[Premiers Plans]]|| ||[[Angers]]||Special interest||Showcase of European directorial debut films.||http://www.premiersplans.org/
|-
|[[Three Continents Festival]]||1979||[[Nantes]]||Special interest||Annual festival is devoted to the cinemas of [[Asian cinema|Asia]], [[African cinema|Africa]] and [[Latin American cinema|Latin America]].||http://www.3continents.com
|-
|Tréguier International Film Festival||2009||[[Tréguier]]||International||Annual festival held in July. Open to all filmmakers.||http://www.treguierfilmfest.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023052143/http://www.treguierfilmfest.com/ |date=2020-10-23 }}
|-
|Utopiales – Nantes International Science-Fiction Festival||1998||[[Nantes]]||Special interest||Annual sci-fi festival.||http://www.utopiales.org/
|-
|European Student Film Festival||2006||Paris|| International || Has competition, November 14 to 18, 2012||http://www.esff.org/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110164715/http://esff.org/ |date=2016-01-10 }}
|-
|Toulouse Indian Film Festival||2013||Toulouse|| India and Indian subcontinent || Has competition, Annual April 22 to 26, 2020||http://www.ffif.fr/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124134712/http://www.ffif.fr/ |date=24 January 2020 }}
|}

== Film distribution and production companies ==
[[File:Pathé News—Noth-South-East-West 1915.png|thumb|right|Poster for [[Pathé]] News, c.1915]]
Notable French film distribution and/or production companies include:
* [[Ad Vitam (company)|Ad Vitam]]
* Alfama Films
* ARP Sélection
* [[BAC Films]]
* Diaphana Films
* [[EuropaCorp]]
* [[Gaumont]]
* {{interlanguage link|Haut et Court|fr}}
* {{interlanguage link|KMBO (film production)|lt=KMBO|fr|KMBO}}
* [[Le Pacte]]
* [[Les Films du Losange]]
* [[Mars Films]]
* {{interlanguage link|MK2 (company)|lt=MK2|fr|MK2|it|MK2 (azienda)}}
* [[Pan-Européenne]]
* [[Pathé]]
* Pyramide Distribution
* {{interlanguage link|Rezo Films|fr}}
* [[SND Films]]
* [[StudioCanal]]
* [[UGC (cinema operator)|UGC]]
* [[Wild Bunch (film company)|Wild Bunch]]

==Allegations of sex abuse and coverups==
In February 2024, French actress and director [[Judith Godrèche]] called for the French film industry to “face the truth” on sexual violence and physical abuse during an appearance she made during the live broadcast of the [[2024 Cesar Awards]] ceremony.<ref name=callsfor>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/france-cinema-metoo-sexual-abuse-godreche-e215e51b38c9500c9ac032be99d4e0f0|title=Actor calls on French film industry to face sexual abuse, during live Cesar Awards ceremony|first1=Sylvia|last1=Corbet|first2=Barbara|last2=Surk|publisher=Associated Press|date=February 24, 2024|accessdate=July 5, 2024}}</ref> Shortly before this, Godrèche claimed that she was sexually abused by prominent French directors [[Benoit Jacquot]] and [[Jacques Doillon]].<ref name=callsfor /><ref name=investigations /> In May 2024, the [[French parliament]] launched a Commission to investigate reports of sex abuse in the French film industry.<ref name=investigations>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/france-commission-sexual-abuse-film-industry-investigation-1235888550/|title=French Commission to Investigate Sexual Abuse Across Film Industry|first=Lily|last=Ford|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=May 2, 2024|accessdate=July 5, 2024}}</ref> In July 2024, in the wake of the investigation, and later rape charge, against Jacquot for separate sex abuse allegations, it was reported that several men in the French filmmaking industry were facing a flurry of sex abuse allegations.<ref name=abusereports>{{cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240704-france-film-director-jacquot-charged-with-raping-two-actors|title=France film director Jacquot charged with raping two actors|publisher=France 24|date=July 4, 2024|accessdate=July 4, 2024}}</ref> It was also alleged that the industry provided a cover for abuse.<ref name=abusereports />

== See also ==
{{Portal|Film|France|European Union}}
*[[List of French actors]]
*[[List of French directors]]
*[[List of French-language films]]
*[[French comedy films]]
*[[List of highest-grossing films in France]]
*[[:Category:French film awards|French film awards]]
*[[Cinema of the world]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Austin, Guy. ''Contemporary French cinema: an introduction'' (2nd ed. 2008) [https://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-French-cinema-introduction-Austin-dp-0719078296/dp/0719078296/ excerpt]
* Harison, Casey. "The French Revolution on Film: American and French Perspectives."'' The History Teacher'' 38.3 (2005): 299–324. [https://www.academia.edu/download/31442249/Frecn_Revolution_on_Film.pdf online]{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* Hayward, Susan. ''French national cinema'' (Routledge, 2004).
* Lanzoni, Rémi Fournier. ''French cinema: from its beginnings to the present'' (A&C Black, 2004).
* Morrey, Douglas. ''The legacy of the new wave in French cinema'' (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018).
* Palmer, Tim and Charlie Michael (eds.) (2013). ''Directory of World Cinema: France'', Intellect/University of Chicago Press, London & Chicago. {{ISBN|1-8415-0563-3}}.
*{{cite book|editor-last1=Passek|editor-first1=Jean-Loup|editor-link=Jean-Loup Passek|title=D'un cinéma l'autre : notes sur le cinéma français des années cinquante|date=1988|publisher=Centre Georges Pompidou|location=Paris|isbn=9782858504459|oclc=19327256}}
* Powrie, Phil. ''French Cinema in the 1980s: Nostalgia and the Crisis of Masculinity'' (Oxford University Press, 1997).
* O'Dwyer, Jules. ''The Seduction of Space: Cruising French Cinema''. (University of Minnesota Press, 2025)

== External links ==
* [http://en.unifrance.org/ Unifrance.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051220073138/http://www.afdesacramento.org/filmfest/ Sacramento French Film Festival]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080104102809/http://www.cyranos.ch/sbinde-e.htm Biographies and autographs of French cinema stars]
* [https://frenchtogether.com/blog/best-french-movies French Movies for French Learners] 
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100323085913/http://frenchprofessor.org/french-movies.htm French Films]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200222183618/http://www.frenchdirectors.com/ French Directors]}}

{{Cinema of France}}
{{France topics}}
{{World cinema}}
{{Europe topic|Cinema of}}

[[Category:Cinema of France| ]]
[[Category:Cultural history of France]]
[[Category:French film industry]]