Often described as an alternative to the dominant Hollywood model, French cinema owes its specificity and its prosperity to its strong regulatory framework, its comprehensive support system and its protectionist attitude towards its domestic industry. However, the French model is not a closed national system. France was the first country to sign inter-governmental co-production agreements, it has a well-established tradition of welcoming foreign artists and it has been at the forefront of European initiatives to promote European cinema and help other, less privileged cinematographies. This article demonstrates that, while French film policy may be informed by contradictory internal and external pressures, it continues to foster a rich, diverse cinema both at home and abroad, a cinema which is both national and transnational.
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