The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with primary influence also on the creation of national cinemas in Asia.
The movement, which inspired global filmmakers, faded by the late s. Meanwhile, commercial French cinema gained popularity with comedies like La Grande Vadrouille Directors like Bertrand Tavernier explored political and artistic themes. By the late s, films like La Cage aux Folles achieved significant global success. France was able to produce several major box office successes into the s such as Cyrano de Bergerac , while certain film like La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element reached an international audience.
In , France was the second largest exporter of films in the world after the United States, and a study showed that French cinema was the most appreciated by global audiences after that of the US. He would retire in After World War I, the French film industry suffered because of a lack of capital, and film production decreased as it did in most other European countries.
This allowed the United States film industry to enter the European cinema market, because American films could be sold more cheaply than European productions, since the studios already had recouped their costs in the home market. When film studios in Europe began to fail, many European countries began to set import barriers.
France installed an import quota of , meaning for every seven foreign films imported to France, one French film was to be produced and shown in French cinemas. He followed this with other films including The Baker's Wife. In , renowned playwright and actor Sacha Guitry directed his first film and went on to make more than 30 films that were precursors to the New Wave era.
