Armed Forces Liaison Mission Cinéma Offers Military Expertise to Gallic Industry
Ben Croll Building on the critical success and renewed public interest drummed up by the Canal Plus series “The Bureau,” and inspired by the U.S. Defense Department’s various Hollywood liaison offices, France’s Ministry of Armed Forces launched its own outreach post, opening the Mission Cinéma in 2016.Meant to be a one-stop-shop for all production needs, the Mission Cinéma presents itself as a single point of access to France’s defense department, offering filmmakers technical support, trainings sessions and immersive residencies free of charge.In practical terms, that means coordinating requests for costumes, locations and highly guarded materials (including the Presidential plane, apparently a common request), while organizing creative scouting missions for screenwriters and producers, depositing film pros on aircraft carriers and letting them witness training drills in order to kindle the spark of imagination.