The French film funding body, the CNC, is doubling its financial support for Oscar campaigns for French films. At the same time, it is expanding the strategic coordination of international awards marketing and is drawing on the expertise of Sébastien Cauchon as the new central point of contact for awards campaigns.

The funding is being administered by Unifrance. The aim is to raise the profile of French films and filmmakers at the 99th Academy Awards in March 2027. In addition to financial support, the activities of the organisations involved are to be more closely coordinated in future. These include the CNC, Unifrance and the French diplomatic network, which will work alongside the film crews to support the campaigns.

Cauchon has experience with international Oscar campaigns, including for The Father, The Substance and the short film Two People Exchanging Saliva. He is to make his expertise available to French film crews and help raise awareness of these works amongst the Academy’s members. The productions receiving support include Minotaurs by Andrei Zvyagintsev, a French co-production which is in the running for France in the „Best International Feature Film“ category.

The measure forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen the international distribution of French film and audiovisual productions. Against the backdrop of a shrinking international market in the audiovisual sector and a greater concentration of box-office hits, France intends to further develop its export promotion programme. A detailed roadmap is due to be available in early 2027.