films

French culture minister Françoise Nyssen has announced that film productions with a minimum of four women in key professional roles will be eligible to greater financial subsidies than others, in a drive to reach greater gender parity in the industry.

France's health minister Agnès Buzyn has said she will discuss with her culture ministry counterpart measures to remove or reduce the appearance of smoking in films as part of an anti-tobacco drive in the country where an estimated 75,000 people per year die from smoking-related diseases.

A new law due to be announced early February will replace 2003 legislation by which people under the age of 18 are automatically barred from seeing films 'with non-simulated sex scenes and extreme violence' in French cinemas.

Figures show French-made films sold 34 million tickets abroad last year, a fall of 70 percent compared to 111.4 million in 2015, a bumper year.

After row over 'too white' US Oscars, top French César film awards went to movies that deal with life as an immigrant and forced marriage.

Online viewing and lack of major hit films blamed for sale of only 192.8 million tickets in 2013, below the average for the past 10 years.

Overseas box office of French movies also jumped by 93.8% to 144.1 million admissions, of which 70.6% were garnered by the top five movies.

Aurélie Filippetti urges Bollywood producers to consider the benefits of filming in French Alps during two-day trip with President Hollande in India.

At home the industry faces criticism, but French exports brought in nearly $1.2 billion in international markets last year and sold 140 million tickets.