French Culture Minister Unveils Major Funding Plan for Film Restoration at Lumiere Festival

variety.com:

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While visiting the Lumiere Festival in the city of Lyon, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati unveiled a significant budget increase aimed at restoring and digitizing French cinema classics, as well as extra funding for film centers known as ‘cinematheques.’ Dedicated to classic cinema, the Lumiere Festival is organized by Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, who also serves as director of the city’s historic Institut Lumière, devoted to heritage cinema preservation. “First of all, we’re going to improve the support for cinemas.

French films are making a real comeback. But the return has not been the same everywhere. There is an imbalance, and this will be taken into account in the new distribution of support to cinemas, to which I will devote an additional envelope of €3 million ($3.3 million) each year, starting in 2025,” she said at a press conference on the sidelines of the festival.

Dati also announced increased funding for cinematheques across France. “I’ve asked [France’s national film board] the CNC to step up its support for these structures by releasing an envelope of specific funding, so that they can continue to operate in their local areas. “Firstly, annual operating support will rise from €900,000 ($990,000) to €1.5 million ($1.65 million): that’s an increase of 67%.

Secondly, a one-off grant of €1.4 million ($1.54 million) in 2025 will finance particularly relevant investment projects,” she said, adding that her goal is to make cinema more accessible, by supporting mediation and activities such as open-air screenings.