Created in 1946, the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) is an independent public organization. It comes under the authority of the Ministry of culture and communication and Dominique Boutonnat is its president.

The principal missions of the CNC are related to regulation, the production and distribution support of audiovisual works, and to the preservation and promotion of culture heritage.

The CNC core activity is to support audiovisual creations. It has thus introduced a policy to support the promotion and distribution of works, as well as access to a wide audience in cinemas, through a system of special grants. The CNC is also responsible for developing the export and promotion of French film and television abroad, in cooperation with the other ministries concerned. Furthermore, it supervises financial instruments for the sector based on tax relief and various support schemes for production.

Regarding regulatory aspects from a national perspective, the CNC participates in the study and the drafting of regulations. It also controls their application by the different film, television, video and multimedia industry actors. On the European and international scene, the CNC is in charge of defining and implementing multilateral policy for the film and broadcasting sector, whether European (European Union, Council of Europe) or international (WTO, OECD, UNESCO, etc.).

Finally, the CNC financially supports the preservation of works as well as the promotion of the heritage within institutions and all types of culture-heritage schemes (cultural, educational, training, promotional projects).