No sexism allowed on Paris film sets, new charter requires

From the openings of The 400 Blows to Emily in Paris, France’s capital has always been an iconic mainstay on screen. If you fancy filming your next project in the City of Light though, don’t expect a laissez-faire approach to government regulation.

New regulation set to come into force from 1 January 2025 will require production companies to sign a charter pledging to tackle sexism, discrimination and sexual violence on sets in Paris.

In the charter, filmmakers will promise to promote gender parity on set, to train their crews against sexism and fight gender discrimination and violence.

There are also stipulations about shooting sex scenes, with requirements on actor protections. Since the #MeToo movement took over Hollywood in 2017, intimacy coordinators became a more standardised part of the industry.

Although France has reacted slower to the #MeToo movement than Hollywood – Céline Sciamma and Adèle Haenel walking out of Roman Polanski’s César win comes to mind – this is a positive step towards improving France’s industry.

It’s unclear exactly how these regulations will be enforced for companies that sign the charter which essentially extends regulations already in place for all French productions to international productions taking place in Paris.

This measure “extends that adopted by the National Cinema Centre, which only applies to the film industry” deputy mayor for culture Carine Rolland said of the charter.

For the moment, this new measure is only for film productions, but it may impact TV productions, such as Emily in Paris in future.

Paris has become an increasingly desirable production shooting location, having always featured heavily in the French film industry. Every year, the city grants over 7,000 days’ worth of filming permits for everything from TV series to adverts.

Filming outdoor scenes with the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe in the background is a no-brainer for most Paris-centric productions, but if you want to do so, you have to receive a filming permit from the Paris Police Prefecture.

According to the Police Prefecture, it’s not all stipulations. If you’re a filming crew of under 10 people and it’s before 11pm, you’re allowed to film as you please. This helps encourage the indie filmmakers like those in the French New Wave that have inspired much of the current crop of filmmakers.

Bigger productions will have to apply to the Mission Cinéma de la Ville de Paris which can help with road closures and the other complicated admin involved with filming outdoors in a major city.