France

France

France has the fifth largest economy in the world, has a relatively young population and is highly influential in terms of culture.

France is a priority country in Dutch International Cultural Policy 2017 - 2020. Its capital, Paris, is a global hotspot for photography, fashion, art-dealing, heritage and theatre. Cities like Avignon (theatre), Cannes (film), Marseille, Lyons and Arles (photography) are also cultural magnets. What’s more, France is not far from the Netherlands and therefore it is attractive for the Dutch cultural field to work with the French.

The joint, comprehensive multi-year strategy for 2017-2020 focuses on fields in which the Netherlands is strong and that also offer opportunities in France: photography, books, the design disciplines, film and the performing arts. It not only concentrates on the presentation of what already exists, but also the new, the beginning phase of the creative process. Accordingly there is special emphasis on talent development as well as on up-and-coming creatives – artists and cultural organisations with international ambitions that have the potential of developing further abroad.

Atelier Néerlandais
The Atelier Néerlandais, founded by the Netherlands Embassy in Paris in 2014, is a central locale for Dutch artists and organisations. The Atelier offers a springboard to France, practical support, and advice on exploring the French culture and market. It functions as the Dutch base during fairs and festival weeks such as Paris Photo, D’Days, FIAC, Futur en Seine, Paris Design Week and the spring and fall fashion weeks in Paris.

Oh! Pays-Bas
From June 2017 through July 2018, a wealth of presentations from the Netherlands is being shown under the title Oh! Pays-Bas – Dutch-French Cultural Season. A random selection: the Dutch literary landscape at countless book festivals, our presence at the Salon du Livre in Paris, several big exhibitions in the areas of photography and painting, a focus on Dutch theatre, concerts and films. Read more: Oh! Pays-Bas (in Dutch).

Partners
In order to promote Dutch culture in France, the Netherlands Embassy in Paris is partnering with the EYE Film Institute, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Performing Arts Fund NL and Dutch Performing Arts, the Mondriaan Fund, the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Creative Industries Fund NL, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl), Click NL, Topteam Creatieve Industrie , Het Nieuwe Instituut and DutchCulture.