The British Film Institute and France’s Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée signed a Moving Image Co-operation Agreement in London on Wednesday, coinciding with President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the United Kingdom. The deal, inked at BFI Southbank by BFI chief executive Ben Roberts and CNC president Gaëtan Bruel in the presence of French culture minister Rachida Dati and UK minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism Chris Bryant, establishes a formal framework for closer collaboration between two of Europe’s largest screen industries. The accord commits the agencies to joint work on public policy, education programmes, heritage preservation, audience development and employee exchanges, with a particular emphasis on co-productions and the distribution of diverse works in both territories. It also addresses emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability and intellectual-property protection. Complementing the agreement, the British Film Commission and Film France CNC signed a separate memorandum to streamline cross-border productions and encourage inward investment. The initiative builds on recent UK incentives, including a 40% Independent Film Tax Credit for productions with budgets up to £15 million and expanded support through the UK Global Screen Fund. Both sides said the partnership aims to strengthen cultural diversity, widen audiences and bolster independent filmmaking at a time when European producers are seeking scale and new funding models in the face of global competition.