On May 19, the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak and the Secretary General for Investment, in charge of France 2030, Bruno Bonnell, presented at the Cannes Film Festival, the winners of the call for projects «La grande fabrique de l’image» of France 2030, including The Yard VFX !
« La Grande Fabrique de l’Image » is an unprecedented initiative in France. Endowed with 350 million euros from France 2030, implemented by the General Secretariat for Investment and operated on behalf of the State, by the Caisse des dépôts and the Centre national du cinéma, the plan is aimed at making France a leader in filming, in the production of films, series and video games, in post-production (visual effects in particular) and in training in the fields of cinema and audiovisual.
The ultimate objectives of the governmental plan are to modernize and expand France’s prodution industry, recruit new talent to meet the needs, and anticipate future changes.
As stated in the official press release of France’s Ministry of Culture :
This is not just an economic and industrial issue, but it is a matter of defending France’s model of independence, diversity, freedom of creation and cultural sovereignty.
Following a call for projects, two selection committees chaired by filmmaker Cédric Jimenez and video game designer Muriel Tramis, composed of independent experts with complementary profiles, examined 175 applications, whose eligibility and feasibility had been previously assessed by the CNC and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. The expert committees selected the dossiers that best meet the criteria of the specifications and the ambition of France 2030.
The Yard VFX is very proud to be part of the 68 selected projects and one of only two VFX studios for films to have been picked out. By winning the call for projects, The Yard will be able to consolidate its position as France’s leading VFX partner studio for international productions, offering premium quality visual effects. More particularly, its expansion in Occitanie region (south of France) will allow The Yard to be physically closer to its strategic partners ArtFX and PICS Studio in the region, and to become more attractive to talent by opening a new studio in a very dynamic and fast-growing region for the film industry.
Before, talent went to companies; today, companies have to go to talent. We decided to expand where there is a strong talent pool, which is the case in the Montpellier metropolis, especially thanks to ArtFX, which is one of the five best schools in the world.
The selection within France 2030 is also a springboard to further development in France in close collaboration with other partners such as Creative Seeds and Dark Matters.
To read the official announcement of the 68 winning projects of the Grande Fabrique de l’image by France’s Ministry of Culture announcing the , please click here.
Some other coverage can be found below :
« The Yard VFX, one of France’s most influential special effects studios, is heading south, choosing Montpellier as the location for its second studio after Paris. The studio stands out for its recent contributions to such high-profile productions […] and is planning an exciting educational collaboration with Montpellier’s ArtFX school. »