2014 Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée
Documentary is one of the privileged spaces to question the world through the image. That is why cultivating it also means cultivating our capacity to question. This is the goal we are targeting in this twenty-sixth edition of the event, and eighth year of partnership between the Centre national du cinéma (CNC) and the États généraux. Creative documentary is at the heart of the reflection and activities organised since 1989 by Jean-Marie Barbe and his team. It is also a crucial subject for the CNC which will organise in the Autumn a reform of the support fund for audiovisual programmes Cosip in favour of creative documentary, announced in January 2014 by the Minister of Culture and Communication.
Responding to the recommendations made by the authors of the report “Le documentaire dans tous ses états”, Serge Gordey, Catherine Lamour, Jacques Perrin and Carlos Pinsky, the CNC will give more support to the most creative and innovative documentaries, historical and scientific documentaries, with the aim of giving them greater visibility in the programmes offered by French television. This reform will also encourage the industry's transparency and support its capacity to export to international markets.
The États généraux will provide the CNC an opportunity to present this reform, which has also been the object of more than a year of discussion with professional organisations. The spotlight will focus precisely on scientific documentary with a workshop around the film Gens des blés by Harold Vasselin, a film supported by the Fonds d’aide à l’innovation audiovisuelle (Audiovisual Innovation Aid Fund), a precious tool to defend the documentary diversity. A second workshop will enable professionals to become better acquainted with CNC support mechanisms for new production technologies. And, like each year, the French Film Archives held by the CNC will also be present in this twenty-sixth edition through a selection of Italian documentary films.
I am certain that once again this year, the États généraux will stimulate debates that will continue to shine light on and orient our action, as well as offer us a remarkable programme of films. I wish to congratulate Pascale Paulat, Christophe Postic and their team for their ongoing commitment and assure them of the CNC's support.
Frédérique Bredin
Présidente du Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC)
Frédérique Bredin