France’s National Film Board (CNC) is taking an extra step towards affirmative action with the launch of a measure that will reduce public funding for production that fall short on diversity targets.
The new gender parity penalty/bonus system, which will kick off on Jan. 1, marks a significant shift in France’s efforts to improve gender representation behind the camera. Under the new rules, productions that employ at least 40% women in key management and creative positions will receive a 10% increase in CNC funding, while productions that fail to meet minimum thresholds will see their support reduced by 10%.
France had already established a gender parity bonus – a incentive-only system — back in 2019 to incentivize producers, but figures unveiled last year indicated that the scheme had lost momentum.
As such, only 33.5% of eligible productions qualified for the bonus in 2025, down from 37.3% in 2024 and 39.9% in 2023. Meanwhile, the proportion of films directed by women fell to 24% in 2024, its lowest level since the incentive was introduced. The CNC also noted that films directed by women had average budgets that were 44% lower than those directed by men in 2025.
Despite these setbacks, the country’s vibrant pool of female directors has shined at major international film festivals in the last five years, notably at Cannes, with Justine Triet and Julia Ducournau winning the Palme d’Or with “Anatomy of Fall” and “Titane,” respectively; Coralie Fargeat with “The Substance” nabbing best screenplay; and Claire Denis taking home the Grand Prize with “Stars at Noon;” while Audrey Diwan and Alice Diop won Venice’s Golden Lion with “Happening” and “Saint Omer,” respectively. Again this year at Cannes, three French female directors – Jeanne Herry (“Another Day”), Léa Mysius (“Birthday Girl”) and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet (“A Woman’s Life”) — presented their latest films in competition. Other critically acclaimed French female directors that recently vied for a Palme d’Or include Rebecca Zlotowski with “A Private Life” with Jodie Foster.
But the CNC, which is presided over by Gaetan Bruel, wants to go further with a long-term goal of ensuring that women will be filling at least 40% of key creative and management positions by 2030.
The new scheme will also be simplifying the way eligibility is calculated, replacing the points-based system, requiring productions to have a minimum number of key positions occupied by women.
For fiction features, 15 positions have been identified, with six required to qualify for the full bonus. Documentary productions will be assessed across 13 positions, also requiring six women to secure the incentive.
Animation will have separate criteria, reflecting the structure of the sector. Two-dimensional animated films will be evaluated across 21 positions, requiring nine to be held by women, while 3D animated productions will be assessed across 24 positions, with a threshold of 10.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, productions will only be penalized if they fall below an initial minimum threshold of three qualifying positions for fiction films, five for animation and two for documentaries. Those thresholds will increase incrementally each year until 2030, when they will match the full bonus requirements. Productions falling below the applicable threshold will receive a 10% reduction in CNC funding.
The reform marks a notable development in France, a country that has traditionally resisted quotas and other forms of affirmative action on the grounds of its Republican model which calls for citizens to be treated equally regardless of gender, race or origin.
Although France has progressively introduced specific gender-parity requirements in politics and the workplace, the CNC’s decision to penalize productions financially according to the proportion of women in key positions represents a significant extension of that approach into film funding. The move also builds on earlier initiatives within the French film industry. In 2018, Cannes became the first major international film festival to sign a gender-parity pledge, committing to greater transparency over its selection process and to working toward parity within its governing bodies.