Producers, the game is changing.
The Reaction Lab just dropped a powerful piece on the rise of international co-production agreements—and it’s more than a trend. It’s a strategic recalibration of how we finance, create, and distribute films across borders.
Read the link here:
https://thereactionlab.com/blog/the-rise-of-film-co-production-agreement...
From accessing multi-country grants to unlocking domestic status in multiple territories, co-productions are rewriting the rules. But behind every agreement is a story of trust, negotiation, and creative expansion.
So I’m opening the floor:
Have you produced a film across borders?
What did you learn—about collaboration, culture, or yourself?
What advice would you offer to someone stepping into their first international co-pro?
Whether it was a quiet indie between Lisbon and London or a multi-country drama with five funding bodies and three languages, your experience matters. Share it. Celebrate it. Let’s build a map of global producing wisdom, one story at a time.
I’ll start: My journey has taught me that emotional intelligence and clarity are just as vital as contracts. And that sometimes, the most powerful stories emerge when we lean into a collective vision.
Your turn.
2 people like this
Hello Sandra. Although I love co productions and of course they are a great financing tool, I have found two challenges. First, costs rise as you need to accomodate all parties percentage. But, the most important is to have your voice heard creatively, if you are not the delegate producer. That is an greatly tough one.
1 person likes this
Hi Elena Priovolou , thank you for naming this so clearly. I’ve felt both of those challenges deeply. Coming from a fashion CEO background into filmmaking, I learned early that co-productions are as much about emotional intelligence as they are about contracts. When I began collaborating internationally, especially between Portugal, the USA, and beyond, I quickly saw how costs can spiral when each partner’s percentage needs honoring. It's a delicate balance of vision and viability.
But the creative voice piece is what gives it its soul. Not being the delegate producer can be like watching your story from the sidelines. I've had to learn how to advocate for my story without overwhelming the collaboration.
What has helped me the most is clarity from the start: aligning on values rather than just deliverables. And modeling trust, because when trust exists, even the most difficult negotiations can result in shared breakthroughs.
Thank you for sharing.