Ted Sarandos Urges France to Expand Film Tax Rebates in Push for Global Production Dominance

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French President Emmanuel Macron was not joking when he informed EbMaster that France would make efforts to bring “Emily in Paris” back home, following the popular Netflix series’ adventure in Rome.

Netflix’s CEO, Ted Sarandos, was among a select group of prominent American business figures invited by President Macron to attend the eighth installment of “Choose France,” an initiative aimed at highlighting France’s appeal for attracting investments. This event, which took place on May 19th at Versailles, represented the inaugural time that “Choose France” concentrated on cinema and audiovisual industries.

Although the cultural aspect of the summit had been planned long before President Trump suggested a 100% tariff on foreign films, which escalated tensions between U.S. and French guilds, it proved fortuitous for a transatlantic meeting at this particular time. As details about Trump’s plan are still unclear, participants mainly concentrated on expanding France’s share in film production.

Emmanuel Macron sat down at a table with Netflix CEO/chairman Ted Sarandos, Mediawan chairman Pierre-Antoine Capton, A24 co-founder Daniel Katz, Apple’s global video head Jamie Erlicht, Russell Grandinetti (SVP for Amazon’s international stores), France’s culture minister Rachida Dati, CNC president Gaetan Bruel, and Valerie Pecresse (president of the Île-de-France Regional Council). Other attendees included French producers like Alexia Laroche-Joubert (CEO of Banijay France), Pascal Breton (Federation Studios), as well as executive producers Raphael Benoliel and John Bernard.

As a devoted fan, I’d like to share my perspective on an intriguing point raised during the recent discussion – a call for France to fortify its tax incentives for international film productions. Presently, France offers a 30% rebate on below-the-line costs incurred within the country (with up to 40% if visual effects are locally handled), but industry leaders like Sarandos, Benoliel, and Bernard propose expanding this to include above-the-line expenses, such as actor salaries. Despite prior attempts that didn’t bear fruit, President Macron has hinted at potential reconsideration of this matter.

For the first time since 2009, when the international tax rebate was introduced, we were able to discuss overhead costs and finally felt our opinions were acknowledged,” said Benoliel. “There’s been a decrease in productivity across the board, and if we want to remain competitive with countries like Italy and the U.K., it’s crucial that we implement this because it will positively impact our entire economy, workforce, and creative community, ensuring that all the facilities being constructed in France will serve their purpose,” Benoliel added.

In the course of the conversation, Macron emphasized France’s efforts to elevate its status as a prime location for global film projects. This includes a €1 billion investment, with €300 million coming from public funds, aimed at enhancing filming facilities, nurturing elite technicians and workforce in animation and visual effects, within the framework of the government’s France 2030 plan. In addition, Macron and the French delegation mentioned renowned sites like the Chateau de Versailles and the Louvre Museum, which have recently served as shooting locations. Notably, Coralie Fargeat’s Academy Award-winning film “The Sustance,” produced by Working Title and Universal, was filmed entirely in Southern France, despite being set in Los Angeles.

According to Bruel, the main topic of discussion on Monday revolved around the France 2030 initiative. This project involves expanding our film production capabilities by building additional studios, constructing a backlot that mirrors Paris, establishing new educational institutions, and so forth.

Just before the meeting at Versailles, an important event took place on May 17th in Cannes, which was organized by the CNC and the French Army’s Mission Cinema. This event brought together several American business leaders aboard a French Navy warship.

Bruel highlights that by demonstrating this, they aimed to illustrate the seamless integration of France’s film support services and how the French system functions dynamically, allowing us to tackle any issues and generate innovative solutions swiftly, with the backing of our top-tier authorities.

Laroche-Joubert points out that although the U.K. has larger tax rebates than France and is an English-speaking country, executives from the U.S., during a “Choose France” roundtable discussion, argued that British filming locations and workforce are already overused. To emphasize his point, Laroche-Joubert states, “Let me make this clear: Britain doesn’t possess landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, or the Champs-Élysées; neither does Italy.” Notably, Laroche-Joubert’s company, Banijay France, recently collaborated with Apple on “Carême,” a French historical drama set in the 19th century, which partially filmed at Versailles and Palais Royal.

Laroche-Joubert mentioned something remarkable: “Erlicht told me that if he were to produce ‘Carême’ in the U.S., it would have cost him four to six times as much, given the level of production quality you’ve established,” he said.

The efforts by the French to lure film productions have sparked discontent among certain members of U.S. film guilds like the DGA and MPA, who have expressed their worries about runaway productions to the U.S. Trade Representative. However, the attendance of influential American figures such as Sarandos, Katz, Erlicht, and Grandinetti at Choose France suggests that the alliance between the French and U.S. film and TV sectors remains amicable.

Indeed, Sarandos was quite thrilled about his trip to Choose France. He even shared a selfie with Macron on Instagram and expressed that he had “an extraordinary few days in Paris.” He further mentioned that “France has consistently been at the core of cinema and storytelling,” and that “Netflix takes great pride in continuing our partnership with French artists to bring these distinctive voices to the global stage.

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A post shared by Ted Sarandos (@tedsarandos)

Larado’s post garnered likes and comments from none other than Lily Collins, famously known as Emily Cooper from “Emily in Paris.” She responded with a series of enthusiastic high-five emojis. In the coming days, Collins will be jetting off to Paris once more to film the remaining episodes of “Emily in Paris” season 5. Benoliel, one of the show’s producers, playfully teased Macron (who made news when he shared his intentions to keep the series in France last October) that he would intercept Collins in Rome to ensure her prompt return to Paris.

In the course of selecting France, Sarandos revealed plans to increase investments in the vibrant southern city of Marseille. This will be achieved by bolstering the film school Kourtrajmé Marseille and initiating a Cinematheque within Marseille.

In this eighth iteration of the Choose France event, over 400 attendees from 46 different countries were present. This edition set a new benchmark with 53 investment commitments totaling €40.8 billion. Half of these investments are slated for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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2025-05-23 21:47