Visions du Réel, one of Europe’s leading documentary film festivals, shines the spotlight on France this year, celebrating its deep-rooted documentary tradition powered by a robust public funding model, global co-production appeal, and a receptive local audience.
The country is a key presence at VdR again this year: among the 156 films selected are 32 French productions and co-productions, including 26 world premieres.
VdR is a major launchpad for auteur-driven documentaries with festival and theatrical ambitions, and France has plenty of those.
“The Attachment”
Courtesy of VdR
Eugénie Michel Villette, founder of boutique doc production outfit Les Films du Bilboquet, has four projects featured across Visions du Réel’s festival and industry sections – all international co-productions. “Anamocot” by Marie Voignier and “The Attachment” by Mamadou Khouma Gueye are vying for the festival’s top prize, while “I Eat With Two Hearts” by Natyvel Pontalier and “Alea Jacaranda” by Hassen Ferhandi are presented at the pitching and work-in-progress strands.
“The CNC’s unique support system, combined with Creative Europe MEDIA, regional funds like Pictanovo [which backs film production in the Hauts-de-France region] – and international co-productions, lets us build strong development frameworks with real flexibilities – all while maintaining full editorial freedom,” Michel Villette tells Variety. “That balance between long-term sustainability and creative independence is what truly defines our strength.”
Her producing partner, Mathilde Raczymow, adds: “It’s during development that we give filmmakers time to explore. Some projects evolve over years, with deep, singular writing processes. It’s that time and support that make our films stand out. By the time we move to the production phase, we have a clear vision for the film’s narrative structure, the dramaturgy, and the creative direction.”
“Anamocot”
Courtesy of VdR
Looking ahead, some in the French industry see growing demand for a strong and stable French documentary industry – especially in the U.S., where political shifts could jeopardize access to nuanced, critical storytelling.
“There will be a need for alternative content,” one key industry player tells Variety. “Just look at what Trump is doing to the Smithsonian,” they add, referring to the U.S. President’s push to remove exhibits deemed “anti-American” from the institution’s museums. “It’ll be very interesting to see how far he’ll go in trying to reshape broadcasters – not just how they produce, but what they’re even allowed to air.”
While cultural budgets face cuts across much of Europe, France’s documentary film sector remains resilient, buoyed by a robust and multi-layered public funding system anchored by the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), regional and European funds, and steady broadcaster support, notably from Arte and France Télévisions.
At the core of this structure is France’s “exception culturelle,” a policy designed to preserve and promote cultural diversity, particularly in film. The CNC stands out globally for its self-financing model, reinvesting levies from cinema tickets, broadcasters and digital platforms directly into the industry.
To boost what it calls “creative docs” of the kind championed by VdR, the CNC offers two key schemes. The first, the “Fonds d’aide à l’innovation en documentaire de création” (Innovation fund for creative documentaries), backs early stage projects from French or EU nationals, as well as foreign filmmakers residing in France. Open to both emerging and seasoned filmmakers, it supports writing and development, often before a broadcaster or a producer is on board, with a focus on originality, experimentation, and bold storytelling. In 2024, the fund awarded a total of nearly €3.2 million ($3.5 million) across 30 projects.
The second, the highly selective “Aide aux Cinémas du Monde” (ACM), is a co-production fund run by the CNC and the Institut Français. Open to feature-length fiction and documentary films with French participation, it targets films from all over the world destined for major festivals like Cannes, Venice or Berlin, as well as theatrical distribution. A total of €6 million ($6.5 million) was distributed in 2024.
Recent beneficiaries include Wang Bing’s 2023 film “Youth,” one of the rare docs to enter Cannes’ Official Selection, and “The Brink of Dreams” (“Les Filles du Nil”) by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir, which won the Œil d’Or at Cannes 2024 and hit French theaters this spring.
These director-driven docs don’t just thrive on the festival circuit – they also find a loyal audience in French cinemas, a reflection of the nation’s strong cinephile culture and its vibrant arthouse theater network supported by public institutions.
This virtuous cycle where the success of French cinema directly fuels new productions at every stage, makes France an attractive partner for producers worldwide looking to finance ambitious documentary projects.
Visions du Réel runs in Nyon through April 11. VdR-Industry kicked off on April 6 and runs until April 9.
