Film production in France
France is covered here with 15 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 8h 26min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Locations at a glance
The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.
| Location | Daylight June | Daylight December | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lille | 16h 27min | 8h 01min | 8h 26min |
| Paris | 16h 09min | 8h 17min | 7h 52min |
| Strasbourg | 16h 06min | 8h 19min | 7h 47min |
| Rennes | 16h 02min | 8h 23min | 7h 39min |
| Nantes | 15h 54min | 8h 31min | 7h 23min |
| Annecy | 15h 43min | 8h 41min | 7h 02min |
| Lyon | 15h 42min | 8h 42min | 7h 00min |
| Grenoble | 15h 37min | 8h 46min | 6h 51min |
| Bordeaux | 15h 34min | 8h 49min | 6h 45min |
| Nice | 15h 26min | 8h 57min | 6h 29min |
| Toulouse | 15h 25min | 8h 58min | 6h 27min |
| Montpellier | 15h 25min | 8h 58min | 6h 27min |
| Cannes | 15h 24min | 8h 58min | 6h 26min |
| Biarritz | 15h 24min | 8h 58min | 6h 26min |
| Marseille | 15h 23min | 9h 00min | 6h 23min |
What that means for planning
Lille has the widest swing at 8h 26min, Marseille the narrowest at 6h 23min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Lille sets at 16:44, with golden hour starting as early as 15:45. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Film incentives and rebates
France refunds international productions 30 % of French spend, rising to 40 % with heavy VFX work. France's TRIP targets international productions without a French co-producer; Paris looks, Provence and the VFX houses (BUF, Mikros) are the draw.
What that means in practice depends on the qualifying share: on a €1m budget with 70 % qualifying spend, the 30 % rate returns roughly €210,000. Provided without warranty. Permit and incentive conditions change; the responsible authority is always the binding source.
As of: 2025-01 · Source: cnc.fr (TRIP)
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in France are covered here?
15. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in France has the longest shooting days?
In June, Lille with 16h 27min of daylight. In December that drops to 8h 01min.
When is the best time to shoot in France?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.