“Come and work with us,” CNC president Gaëtan Bruel urges UK producers

Gaëtan Bruel, president of the CNC, has rallied for stronger UK-French collaboration, telling an audience of UK and French producers at a BFI London Film Festival event: “We need you to be more ambitious about what France and the UK can create together.”

He spoke at a reception as part of the fourth iteration of the New Waves programme, which runs during the BFI London Film Festival, at London’s Institut Français.

The New Waves programme aims to foster collaboration between UK and French producers, with a programme of meetings and events held from October 8-10. Sixteen UK producers took part, including Debbie Gray of Genesius Pictures, Erebus Pictures’ Helen Simmons, Shudder Films’ Jack Tarling, Bêtes Sauvages’ James Watson and See-Saw Films’ Lily Brook.

From France, 12 producers included Jean-Benoît Gillig of Léonis Productions, Justin Pechberty of Les Valseurs and 24 25 Films’ Thibault Gast.

Bruel called on UK filmmakers and producers, “Bring us more projects – come and work with French producers,” and pointed towards LFF opening night film Elsinore as an example of UK and French collaboration thanks to the involvement of French-owned Studiocanal and Pathe.

Concrete projects

He pointed to the CNC’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (World…