France’s national film board has doubled the money it hands out to Oscar campaigns, hired a dedicated awards strategist, and opened up about a problem that has been quietly growing for years: the country’s grip on international screens is slipping fast.
On Monday, the CNC held a conference on film and TV exports at its own agency, where it announced the changes. The board, known as the CNC, is increasing its financial support for campaigns by a factor of two. It has also appointed Sébastien Cauchon as its “Academy Awards” liaison. Cauchon will oversee the promotion of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Cannes Grand Prize winner “Minotaur,” which will serve as France’s entry this year.
The nation has failed to claim the international feature prize since Régis Wargnier’s “Indochine” secured it in 1993, even with repeated entries in that category. The fresh approach seeks to end that run by uniting work across directing, acting, screenplay and craft fields, instead of concentrating only on the international feature category.
The Man Behind the Campaign
Cauchon comes into the role fresh off the Oscar-winning campaign for Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh’s “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” He recently founded the Paris-based consultancy Cinema Collectors, and his resume includes work on Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” and a longstanding collaboration with Florian Zeller that produced “The Father,” which won two Oscars.
At Monday’s conference, Cauchon spoke about the awards strategist role, describing it as a field that remains rare in France and Europe.
“An awards strategist is a profession that isn’t very widespread in France, or even in Europe,” Cauchon said. He described the job as combining publicity, marketing and influence to keep films and talent in front of Academy members throughout the race.
Why France Has Been Slow to Embrace Awards Strategy
The CNC’s broader goal is to move beyond France’s traditional focus on the international feature category. Cauchon argued that French movies and talent are already represented across all categories, even when they do not compete as France’s official entry.
“In France, we sometimes focus a lot on the best international film category,” Cauchon said. “But we have such a diversity of productions and talent that we’re represented much more broadly across all the categories.”
He pointed to recent examples: Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” Gints Zilbalodis’s “Flow,” and Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” all thrived in the awards season without representing France officially.
What Is at Stake This Year
The film chosen to represent France this year is “Minotaur,” directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and distributed by Mubi. It joins a list of other French titles that the French committee has shortlisted for possible nominations, though none of them has been named here.
- Marine Atlan’s Cannes Critics Week winner “La Gradiva”
- Louis Clichy’s animated feature “Iron Boy,” which won a prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard
- Antonin Baudry’s “De Gaulle,” distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Lea Seydoux appears in two movies that could also surface in nominations: Arthur Harari’s “The Unknown” (Neon) and Marie Kreutzer’s “Gentle Monster” (Netflix).
The CNC has shifted its method to bring together resources sooner in the process, while also working alongside U.S. distributors. The aim is that a coordinated effort will increase the visibility of French entries to Academy voters.
The Streaming Battle
The tension between France’s cultural standing and the increasingly competitive global marketplace ran through Monday’s conference. French film and TV figures warned that the country’s international position can no longer be taken for granted.
Gaëtan Bruel, president of CNC, noted that France ranks third in terms of content broadcast on linear TV worldwide, behind only the U.S. and the U.K. However, he also said that the nation has not yet matched that standing on streaming platforms.
“We’ve spent years — rightly — celebrating the fact that we fill the top 100 fiction rankings on television, without seeing that we were losing the streaming battle,” Bruel said.
The contrast between Spain and South Korea was noted, with local programming commanding a much larger share of streaming consumption in the latter.
“To put it clearly, Spanish Netflix subscribers watch Spanish series first, ahead of American ones,” Bruel said. “French subscribers watch American series first, and then more Spanish and Korean series than French ones.”
Why France Has Lagged Behind
Bruel argued that smaller markets had no choice but to look outward from the start, since their home industries could not support production alone. He contrasted this with France, which has depended on its own market for a long time due to its “unusually robust internal system of financing, production and distribution.”.
“That’s an immense strength and there is obviously no question of abandoning it. But I think that strength explains why we have had less need than others to think internationally from the very beginning of projects. That is what now has to evolve, because the world has changed,” Bruel said.
The Data Problem
Gilles Pélisson, who leads UniFrance, warned about the same change, describing the rise of tech giants, streaming platforms and AI as a fundamental shift in the balance of power facing European content producers.
“The tech giants, which are now publishers — more or less, depending on the company — are taking power,” Pélisson said. “And all of this is happening in the context of the evolution of AI, which is impacting absolutely every sector.”
Daniel Elstner serves as the managing director at Unifrance, and Pélisson, who works alongside him, has asked France to overhaul export support schemes. That includes money set aside for film, television and shorts, along with help given to foreign distributors releasing French works.
“We have to think more broadly than our French territory,” he said. “Foreign distributors are obviously allies. How do we continue supporting them? We probably need to think about creating new forms of support.”
The strongest part of his argument focused on data. He claimed that streamers’ hesitation to disclose precise viewing figures is connected to the financial worth of the content they host.
“Data today is the underlying key to the value of works. And that’s why, strangely enough, the platforms have so much difficulty sharing data. Of course they do — it’s exactly what determines the value of our works and the value of your works.”
What Comes Next
The CNC’s new approach is a direct response to streaming’s challenge: the agency is betting that better coordination can make French films more competitive by doubling campaign funding and hiring a specialist.
The question is whether Cannes contenders can keep up with Hollywood. “Minotaur” stands as the representative, yet the shortlist points to a variety of other options.
France’s film industry is aware that the streaming fight shows no signs of ending, and the CNC is working to keep pace with it.
Key Facts Box
– France has not won the international feature prize since “Indochine” in 1993
– CNC doubles financial aid to campaigns
– Sébastien Cauchon appointed as “Academy Awards” liaison
– “Minotaur” represents France this year
– Cannes Critics Week winner “La Gradiva” also shortlisted
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| International Feature | “Minotaur” |
| Directing | Andrey Zvyagintsev |
| Shortlist | “La Gradiva,” “Iron Boy,” “De Gaulle” |
The CNC’s move is a step toward better coordination. It is also a recognition that France’s old model — relying on its own market — may not be enough in a streaming age. The Cannes contenders are strong, but the ecosystem around them is changing fast.
The Academy campaign marks a beginning, yet its success will ultimately hinge upon how French cinema fares in the coming season — and on whether other branches of the business soon follow the CNC’s example.
Source material: “France Boosts Oscar Campaign Support as Industry Sounds Alarm Over Declining Exports,” Variety.
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