Netflix Joins Forces With Audiens to Set Up Relief Fund For French Crews, Artists

By Elsa Keslassy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Netflix has joined forces with Audiens, the social protection group of the French cultural sector, to set up an emergency fund for local freelance artists and crew members.

Netflix is set to inject €1 million ($1.09 million) into the fund that’s being set up with Audiens, in collaboration with France’s National Film Board (CNC).

The grant is aimed at supporting the most vulnerable freelance workers in the TV and film sectors, notably carpenters, electricians and hair and make-up artists, who have been hit by the cancellations and/or postponing of productions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re grateful to be able to work with Audiens to support the hardest hit workers in TV and film production, who are a part of the internationally admired French creative industry,” said Damien Couvreur, head of original series at Netflix France, whose current pipeline includes Damien Chazelle’s “The Eddy” (pictured).

“In addition to the support we give to the crews, casts and technical partners involved in our productions, we also want to help those who most need financial assistance in the sector more broadly, especially freelancers hit by the current crisis,” added Couvreur.

Isabelle Thirion, the head of social development at Audiens, said the fund complements the existing emergency subsidies that Audiens has recently put in place.

“One of the founding values of Audiens is solidarity and we thank Netflix for their commitment to supporting professionals, artists and technicians working in the audiovisual and film industry in these difficult times,” said Thirion.

Netflix announced March 20 the creation of a $100 million relief fund to help members of the creative community who became unemployed virtually overnight, with no avenues to earn income during the coronavirus crisis.

The bulk of the relief fund will focus on those working on Netflix productions in the U.S. However, around $15 million has been earmarked for international emergency funds created in partnership with other organizations, such as Audiens, around the world, including in the U.K., Italy, Spain and India.