Presentation
ARTE France Cinéma supports the production of some twenty films every year. We are as keen to support the work of established filmmakers as to discover talent from all backgrounds exploring cinematic genres of every kind.
In addition to these twenty fiction features, we also support two to four documentary feature films and one animation feature per year.
Project proposals must be sent to us by French producers who are either executive producers or co-producers of the film, and must be accompanied by an application completely drafted in – or translated into – French (cf. list of information necessary for the submission).
The co-production contract includes a pre-purchase component for broadcast on ARTE’s television channel and its digital platform arte.tv. The total investment in projects co-produced by ARTE France Cinéma and pre-purchased by ARTE France varies according to the type and characteristics of each film. (cf. terms and conditions of co-production)
If you’d like to submit a proposal for the co-production of a feature-length film (fiction, documentary, animation) to ARTE France Cinéma, you can file your application on the dedicated platform by clicking on the following button: :
Important
- For fiction feature acquisitions, please write to the Cinema unit by clicking here
- For short and medium-length films, refer to the unit’s page here
- For documentary feature films, please contact the Arts and Performances unit, or the Discovery and Knowledge unit, or the Society and Culture unit (cf. editorial lines)
How we work
Fiction features
Proposals are accepted on a quarterly basis (cf. submission deadlines). Projects are then examined by an editorial team which includes external members so that each script is assessed by at least three people.
The director of the Cinéma unit pre-selects approximately ten scripts for presentation to the ARTE France Cinéma Selection Committee.
This committee is composed of filmmakers and industry representatives as well as cinema department directors from ARTE France and ARTE G.E.I.E. It meets four times a year to review and select projects. At the end of this process, applicants are notified if their project has been selected or rejected.
Documentary features
ARTE France Cinéma welcomes and registers documentary proposal applications three times a year (cf. submission deadlines).
Projects are examined the following month by the editorial teams of the Society and Culture unit. The final choice is jointly made by the Society and Culture unit of ARTE France, which ensures editorial oversight, and the ARTE France Cinéma subsidiary, which is responsible for the legal and financial aspects. The Selection Committee plays no role in this decision.
Once this process is completed, applicants are notified if their project has been selected or rejected.
Animation features
Proposals must be sent to us by the end of September (cf. submission deadlines). They are examined in autumn by the editorial team and the final selection is announced by the end of the calendar year. The Selection Committee plays no role in this decision.
Once this process is completed, applicants are notified if their project has been selected or rejected.
2024/2025 calendar
Please check this section regularly for updates as these dates may be subject to change.
Fiction features
|
Submission deadline |
Selection committee |
|
9 September 2024 |
12 December 2024 |
|
2 December 2024 |
13 March 2025 |
|
3 March 2025 |
12 June 2025 |
|
2 June 2025 |
18 September 2025 |
|
8 September 2025 |
11 December 2025 |
Documentary features
|
Submission deadline |
Selection committee |
|
13 January 2025 |
February 2025 |
|
5 May 2025 |
June 2025 |
|
15 September 2025 |
October 2025 |
Animation features
|
Submission deadline |
Selection committee |
|
30 September 2024 |
Autumn 2024 |
Information necessary for the submission of your proposal
- Producer’s contact information
- Production house (SIREN number)
- Title (Original + Title in French)
- Feature category (Fiction, documentary, animation)
- Genre (original concept, remake, adaptation, graphic novel adaptation)
- Type (French film, international co-production, first film)
- Last name and first name of the director
- Filmography and links to previous films
- Last name and first name of the author
- Casting project
- Estimated length of the film
- Estimated duration, length and location of the shoot
- Shooting language
- Shooting format
- Co-producing country/company
- Any investment approvals (France, Europe, E.O.F.)
- Budget
- Short synopsis (log line)
- Long synopsis
- Producer’s statement of intent
- Director’s statement of intent
- Script (Fiction or animation feature) or treatment (feature-length documentary)
- Estimated quote
- Financing plan
- Optional elements: mood board, film reviews, storyboard
Receipt confirmation of the proposal
Study within the subsidiary
Notification of the answer within two months
