The French production landscape has come a long way since Emily first hit town.
In early 2019, “Emily in Paris” was among 15 international shoots to touch down in Gaul, together generating around $70 million in local spending per quarter. Six years later, that picture looks very different. The post-pandemic boom has subsided while investment has surged, with between 18-20 commensurate projects now averaging $175 million over similar periods. In fact, overall spending crested past $300 million in the first quarter of 2025, driven by “Emily’s” fifth-season return and a sector strengthened by new capacity in animation, VFX and studio infrastructure — all part of a wider plan to make France a one-stop shop for production.
Public support has been central to that transformation. A 2020 update to France’s Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP) added a 10% bonus for projects spending at least $2.3 million with French VFX and post-production facilities, in addition to the standard 30% rebate. Since then, the France 2030 modernization plan has supercharged infrastructure and workforce development, dotting the landscape with new assets such as a highly detailed 3.7-acre backlot replicating the City of Light, which recently played an ersatz Paris for “Emily” and her crew.
“Projects now stay longer, shoot more days, do more VFX and invest more deeply,” says Arnaud Roland, who oversees the initiative for the national film agency CNC. “When you combine efficiency with agility, you understand why producers come back. American filmmakers often say that something uniquely French always comes through on screen, no matter how international the project.”
That certain je ne sais quoi has become an advantage in a fiercely competitive global market where tax breaks are merely table stakes. As part of an expanding outreach effort, the CNC’s international commission, Film France, now champions locally made productions with global footprints, spotlighting “The Substance” and the action comedy “Heads of State” as titles that used French locations to stand in for Spain, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, the U.K., the U.S. and Poland.
But in order to attract even greater attention in the coming years — including the next season of HBO’s “The White Lotus” — Film France will trade on Gaul’s emblematic institutions.
“Father Mother Sister Brother“
Les Films du Losange
“Our strength is agility,” says Film France head Daphné Lora. “We can rapidly coordinate across government services to meet every production’s unique needs, from military access to brand collaborations. We’ve connected filmmakers to infrastructures and historic sites that are normally closed to the public and brought in luxury partners when the story called for it. We also handle critical logistics, such as securing visas in under 48 hours. It may not sound glamorous, but it’s essential, and it gives us a real edge.”
Building on that momentum, Film France has expanded its outreach by hosting “inspiration tours” for visiting producers and sending delegations of French VFX and production experts to Los Angeles for industry meetings. This year, it also formalized a funding partnership with the American French Film Festival, creating a direct channel for dialogue between the two ecosystems by connecting CNC leadership with U.S. industry guilds.
“The goal goes far beyond promoting France as a filming destination,” Roland adds. “It’s about elevating France’s global profile and building lasting creative and technical partnerships. We want the country to be seen not just as a service hub but as a genuine collaborator — a place that can deliver blockbusters and festival winners [like Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother”] both in the same year.
“When the next major franchise decides to film here, it shouldn’t feel like luck,” he adds. “It should feel inevitable.”
