From Auteur to Cluster: A Paradigm Shift in French Cinema Policy? State Support for Film Studios in France during the 2020s

Launched as part of the ‘France 2030’ plan, the ‘La Grande Fabrique de l’Image’ (GFI) call for projects aims to transform the French audiovisual ecosystem through massive support for production infrastructures. This paper analyses the GFI as a lens through which to examine the transformations in French cultural policy, specifically the doctrinal shift from supporting ‘filières’ () such as film and television, to supporting a broader sector : the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). Drawing on the history of technical industries, cluster theory, and a critical analysis of official documents (parliamentary reports, needs assessments, Court of Auditors’ reports, CNC balance sheets), this article demonstrates that the GFI is orchestrating a major strategic shift : the move from a support policy traditionally centred on works and authors (‘politique des auteurs’) to an industrial policy of ‘studio-ization’ (the systemic development of studio-based ecosystems in France), which places infrastructure at the heart of the value-creation process. This shift, however, proves to be paradoxical: by promoting ‘technical quality’ as a pillar of competitiveness, it revives the imaginary of the ‘qualité française’ (French Quality) cinema of the 1930s–1950s, while creating tension with the legacy of the ‘politique des auteurs’ that has shaped the doctrine governing film subsidies since 1959. Critical analysis of the programme also reveals its limitations (biases in the assessment of training needs, a lack of economic impact data) and the reactive role of the CNC, which is compelled to integrate an industrial logic that is no longer natural to it. The conclusion questions the ability of this new industrial order to coexist sustainably with the cultural model upon which French cinema has hitherto been built.