On September 2, 2021, the President of the Republic detailed a strong ambition for the city of Marseille and its Metropolis through «Marseille en grand». The film and audiovisual component of this plan, which provides for a total State investment of €22.5 million over the next three years, is a major European project with the dimension of the Mediterranean arc in favour of production, facilities for the reception of film shoots and especially training in film and audiovisual professions. The strength of the projects that materialize is the result of the collective work of all the communities and actors concerned, alongside the State.

The Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, visited Marseille on Monday, January 9, on the occasion of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the film and audiovisual component of the Marseille en Grand planRenaud MUSELIER, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, Martine VASSAL, President of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, President of the Aix-Marseille Metropolis, and Benoit PAYAN, Mayor of the city of Marseille. This memorandum of understanding materializes the exceptional financial commitment of the State around the 4 cultural projects. The authorities, for their part, confirm the principle of their participation in the realization of the 4 projects and undertake to notify before 31 January the amount of their financial commitment to the Ecole Cinéfabrique Marseille.

This exceptional effort by the State, €22.5 million over three years, will be complemented by the winners of the national call for projects «Grande fabrique de l'image» of the France 2030 plan, a major investment plan with €350 million, operated by the Caisse des dépôts in conjunction with the Centre national du cinéma (CNC) and including the «Marseille en Grand» projects, under the aegis of the General Secretariat for Investment, which aims to make France one of the largest countries for filming and digital production by 2030. The winning projects will be nominated by the Prime Minister in spring 2023 on the proposal of an independent expert panel chaired by filmmaker Cédric Jimenez and video game designer Muriel Tramis. Of the 170 projects submitted, more than forty files from studios and training organizations were submitted for projects located around the Mediterranean.

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The film and audiovisual component of the «Marseille en grand» plan is articulated around 4 flagship projects:

  • The creation of l'Ecole Cinéfabrique Marseille (€15m) with the prior installation of its orientation and preparation class, which aims to open the careers of cinema and audiovisual to diversity and social diversity, through a completely free training in 3 years;
  • The creation of a provisional production logistics base (€1 million) able to receive local, national and international film crews;
  • The modernization of the Pôle Média de la Belle de mai (€1.5 million) to make the venue more attractive for businesses and the general public in the creative and cultural industries;
  • The creation of an antenna of the French film library (€5 million) which will offer screenings, cultural and educational activities, as well as exhibitions.

Thus, a little more than a year after the announcements of the President of the Republic, concrete changes are already at work in Marseille:

  • Cinefabrique orientation and preparation class opened September 5, 2022 37 rue Guibal and welcomed its first class of twenty students from disadvantaged backgrounds thanks to the support of the State and the provision, by the City of Marseille, of premises of 800 m2. While waiting for a final site of establishment of the School, this place which will host the first two promotions of the School will be the subject of development work from 2023.
  • The work for the provisional production logistics base will start in January 2023 on the site of 56 boulevard du Capitaine Gèze, for an opening in September, thanks to the support of the State (€1 million in investment) and the Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence (operating budget) with the Association régionale des techniciens du Sud (ARTS) which will operate the equipment. The base will accommodate local, national and international shooting teams who need workshops (manufacturing and storage of sets and costumes), car parks and offices for production or castings.
  • The commitment for a modernization project of the Pôle Média de la Belle-de-May, supported by a State investment of €1.5 million, was voted on 29 June 2022 by the City of Marseille, which has been hosting the Kourtrajmé school at advantageous rates since June 2022, on the State’s proposal.
  • A cultural project developed by the Cinémathèque française and shared with partner local authorities With the objective of broadening and democratising practices and audiences, the project proposed by the Cinémathèque française provides for a priority axis of cultural and educational actions, a programme of films and temporary exhibitions, as well as collaborations with local structures working in the field of image, contemporary or heritage.
  • Finally, concerning the Ecole Cinéfabrique and the Marseille branch of the Cinémathèque française, the protocol values the agreement of all parties around the initiative of the Southern Region to create a Regional and Mediterranean City of Cinema installed at the Docks des Suds that should host these two projects. The programmatic orientations and priorities of this project will be clarified by the Region in the coming weeks, in close liaison with the State and all partner communities.