BNP Paribas Fortis’ close involvement in the world of Belgian cinema continues undiminished: for the third year in a row the Bank is sponsoring the ‘Magritte du Cinéma’ awards. BNP Paribas Fortis is one of the few organisations to have built a communication and sponsorship strategy around film and film-making. The support the Bank gives to the ‘Magritte du Cinéma’ awards is a notable example of this.


For the third year running BNP Paribas Fortis is one of the main partners in this initiative, which showcases Belgium’s French-speaking cinema industry. The shortlist of nominations for the awards was officially announced last week on 10 January and the process will culminate in the awards ceremony on 2 February when twenty coveted statuettes will be handed over in recognition of film-making talent in a number of categories. No-one need miss the event as it will be broadcast via both direct transmission and in HD on Be TV.

With our support for the ‘Magrittes’, BNP Paribas Fortis underlines its position in the world of Belgian film. This year, the Bank will also be sponsoring the Anima Film Festival, for animated films, in Brussels; the Festival International du Film Francophone (International Festival of French Language Film) in Namur; the prize-giving ceremony for the Ensor Awards – the Dutch-speaking counterpart of the ‘Magrittes’ – in Ostend; and the Be Film Festival in Brussels; not forgetting our ongoing multiannual partnerships with institutions such as Cinematek (the Belgian Royal Film Archive) and Bozar (the Centre for Fine Arts) in Brussels, and Cinevox, Belgian cinema’s website featuring film shoots, latest happenings, interviews, etc., plus a range of special screenings taking place in cinemas throughout the country. Last but not least of course, every year we run the BNP Paribas Fortis Film Days, when tickets are sold at reduced prices.

Stemming from the Bank’s long experience in the world of the ‘seventh art’ in Belgium, the BNP Paribas Fortis Film Fund – a fund for investment in the movie industry – continues its work in support of all kinds of film-making through the film industry’s tax shelter mechanism.

Since it was set up in 2008, the BNP Paribas Fortis Film Fund has financed over 60 productions, including movies, television series and film documentaries, has brought on board more than 400 investors, and invests some €30 million per year in the film sector on behalf of third parties. In the course of its involvement over the last three years in international productions, Belgian productions and co-productions, of both mass-market movies and ‘niche’ films, the BNP Paribas Fortis Film Fund has had the pleasure of seeing some ten feature-length films that it has backed nominated for a ‘Magritte’ award. Among the films put forward for an award this year we note especially 2 Days in New York and A perdre la raison (released in English under the title ‘Our Children’). Over these three years, the Film Fund’s investment in movies nominated for the awards has amounted to over €12 million. This capital not only helps to support the Belgian film industry across the board but also makes a contribution to the Belgian economy as a whole.