Questions and Answers

IFdigital aims to encourage the international distribution of French digital creation. The site allows users to:

• discover French digital creations, professionals and the French digital creation ecosystem;
• programme and distribute works;
• find the digital expertise and know-how you need;
• identify and make contact with French professionals to develop networks, partnerships and co-productions;
• benefit from programming suggestions;
• obtain resources and keep up to date with industry news.

IFdigital is fully bilingual in French and English.  

Good idea! The Institut français strongly encourages the French cultural network abroad to promote IFdigital extensively, as a tool for the international development of French digital CCIs, to its local partners (cultural venues, museums, festivals, production studios, curators, broadcasters, etc).

A full bilingual French/English communication kit is available. This kit includes:

• a presentation pack;
• social network banners;
• screenshots of the website;
• a poster;
• a teaser video;
• a sample press release.

This communication kit is available to all and can be accessed at this address.

You can also promote the site to French digital artists who have not yet listed themselves on the site and invite them to do so. Be sure to check the listing criteria beforehand.

IFdigital is divided into three main sections: Creations, Professionals, Selections.

• Creations: IFdigital uses summary pages to highlight French digital creations. The site's Creations pages present works intended for international distribution. Each fact sheet describes the audience experience, specifies the technical conditions and operating procedures for the work, and provides useful contacts for distribution and programming.
• Professionals: The Professionals pages offer a directory of the French digital creation ecosystem. They present both individuals (artists, experts, freelancers, etc) and structures (studios, producers, distributors, professional organisations, festivals, funding structures, etc). They highlight their areas of expertise, references and achievements.
• Selections: Throughout the year, IFdigital offers Selections, which editorialise and promote the creations and professionals listed on the site according to themes, subjects or news. Curated by the Institut français and its partners, Selections showcase the richness and diversity of French digital creation, the major trends in the sector and provide resources for programming.

In the "News" and "Resources" sections, the Institut français also shares news and useful resources concerning digital creation (studies and data on the sector, guides, directories, information on Institut français programmes, calls for projects, etc).

French digital creation professionals can submit their profile, their organisation or their creations by creating an account on IFdigital and then completing an online form. The entries are then submitted to the Institut français for approval before publication on the website. The IF may call on external partners for support in the referencing process.

To find out more about referencing criteria.

IFdigital is a website designed to support the export of French digital creations and professionals. Apart from a few exceptions (see below), the rights to creations have not been subject to prior negotiation for cultural network establishments and their partners. To programme a work referenced on IFdigital, it is your responsibility to contact the team responsible for this creation (artists, producers, distributors, etc) and discuss the conditions for presenting the work directly with them.

Exception: Works marked with "Institut français scheme" icon are part of a "turnkey" programming offer for the cultural network from the Institut français and benefit from pre-negotiated presentation terms. To find out more about the presentation terms, click on the icon.

On each Creations page, a "Contact for distribution" box gives the contact details of the distributor for the work.

This contact box is also available on the Professionals pages.

On IFdigital, two search engines allow you to search in detail among creations and professionals according to your needs.

The creations search engine allows you to search by: sector, format, availability, themes, audience, experience, languages and media.

The professionals search engine allows you to search by: sector, format, type of organisation and expertise.

These two search engines are accessible from the Creations and Professionals pages, as well as from the home page and a shortcut in the site header.

Selections are curated by the Institut français or its partners (artists, curators, specialists in a particular discipline, festivals, etc).

The Institut français publishes new Selections every quarter. It also updates the Selections already published with recent works.

A glossary giving definitions of sectors, formats, distribution methods, financial models and types of interactivity is available on IFdigital at this address.

Anyone with an email address can create an account. Click on the "User account" icon in the header at the top right of the site. Then click on "I want to create an Institut français account", and follow the instructions.

The account is created on the Institut français website (IFdigital and the Institut français website have the same account management system). If you create an account, your login details will be valid on both sites. If you already have an account on the Institut français website, you can connect to IFdigital with your existing account.

Please note that you must create an account on the Institut français website:

You have the choice of creating a private account or a professional account. For professional accounts only, tick either "member of the French diplomatic network" or "cultural professional". For private accounts, do not tick anything.

Please note that the creation of a professional account as a "member of the French diplomatic network" is subject to approval. You will receive confirmation by email once verification has been completed.

When you first open an account, you must enter your profile: French digital creation professional or Interested in digital creation. If you click on French digital creation professional, you will be able to create Creations and Professionals records via your user account. Please note that only French digital creation professionals can list themselves and their creations on the site. You can change your profile at any time in your account settings.

If you are a member of the French diplomatic network, this step is not required.

Click on the "User account" icon at the top right of the site in the header. Then click on "Forgot your password?" and you will be redirected to the Institut français website. Enter the e-mail address linked to your account. An email will be sent to you allowing you to recover your password. Check your "Spam", "Junk mail" or the "Promotions" tab if you can't find the message in your inbox.

Creating a user account gives you access to additional features:

• creating personalised lists and bookmarking Creations and Professionals pages;
• list sharing - a very useful feature for making creative and/or professional suggestions/recommendations to your colleagues or partners.

To save a Creations or Professionals page as a Favourite, simply click on the bookmark at the top of the page or on the page thumbnail, then select or create the list in which you wish to store your new favourite.

You can view all your lists in "My favourites" in your user account. By clicking on each list, you can:

• change the list title;
• add a description;
• delete the list;
• share the list (by sharing the URL in the pop-up window that opens).

You will receive an e-mail with the links to confirm the creation of your account and, if you forget it, a new password.

To subscribe to our newsletter, please write to us at this address: numerique@institutfrancais.com

IFdigital aims to support French digital creation professionals in their international development, export their creations and expertise, and encourage international collaborations.

Featuring a clear and precise presentation of professionals and creations, it aims to become the leading programming tool for the French cultural network abroad and cultural professionals in the digital creation sector.

IFdigital is fully bilingual in French and English.  

The Institut français is a key player in France's foreign cultural policy and is under the dual authority of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. It has three fundamental missions:

• Promote French language and culture around the world: The Institut français works to promote the internationalisation of French creators and French cultural and creative industries. It supports those involved in promoting the French language and multilingualism.
• Working towards cultural diversity around the world: the Institut français supports the international movement of talent and encourages encounters between French culture and that of other countries. It contributes to welcoming foreign cultures to France.
• Amplifying the action of the French cultural network abroad: the Institut français works with all establishments in the French cultural network abroad: Instituts français, Alliances Françaises, Services de coopération et d'action culturelle of French embassies or bi-national centres. It supplies advice and expertise, supports their projects and creates and provides them with tools and resources.

Discover "Short stories from the Institut français".

IFdigital is divided into three main sections: Creations, Professionals, Selections.

• Creations: IFdigital uses summary pages to highlight French digital creations. The site's Creations pages present works intended for international distribution. Each fact sheet describes the audience experience, specifies the technical conditions and operating procedures for the work, and provides useful contacts for distribution and programming.
• Professionals: The Professionals pages offer a directory of the French digital creation ecosystem. They present both individuals (artists, experts, freelancers, etc) and structures (studios, producers, distributors, professional organisations, festivals, funding structures, etc). They highlight their areas of expertise, references and achievements.
• Selections: Throughout the year, IFdigital offers Selections, which editorialise and promote the creations and professionals listed on the site according to themes, subjects or news. Curated by the Institut français and its partners, Selections showcase the richness and diversity of French digital creation, the major trends in the sector and provide resources for programming.

In the "News" and "Resources" sections, the Institut français also shares news and useful resources concerning digital creation (studies and data on the sector, guides, directories, information on Institut français programmes, calls for projects, etc).

French digital creation professionals can submit their profile, their organisation or their creations by creating an account on IFdigital and then completing an online form. The entries are then submitted to the Institut français for approval before publication on the website. The IF may call on external partners for support in the referencing process.

To find out more about referencing criteria.

Selections are curated by the Institut français or its partners (artists, curators, specialists in a particular discipline, festivals, etc).

The Institut français publishes new Selections every quarter. It also updates the Selections already published with recent works.

Anyone with an email address can create an account. Click on the "User account" icon in the header at the top right of the site. Then click on "I want to create an Institut français account", and follow the instructions.

The account is created on the Institut français website (IFdigital and the Institut français website have the same account management system). If you create an account, your login details will be valid on both sites. If you already have an account on the Institut français website, you can connect to IFdigital with your existing account.

Please note that you must create an account on the Institut français website:

You have the choice of creating a private account or a professional account. For professional accounts only, tick either "member of the French diplomatic network" or "cultural professional". For private accounts, do not tick anything.

Please note that the creation of a professional account as a "member of the French diplomatic network" is subject to approval. You will receive confirmation by email once verification has been completed.

When you first open an account, you must enter your profile: French digital creation professional or Interested in digital creation. If you click on French digital creation professional, you will be able to create Creations and Professionals records via your user account. Please note that only French digital creation professionals can list themselves and their creations on the site. You can change your profile at any time in your account settings.

If you are a member of the French diplomatic network, this step is not required.

Click on the "User account" icon at the top right of the site in the header. Then click on "Forgot your password?" and you will be redirected to the Institut français website. Enter the e-mail address linked to your account. An email will be sent to you allowing you to recover your password. Check your "Spam", "Junk mail" or the "Promotions" tab if you can't find the message in your inbox.

Creating a user account gives you access to additional features:

• creating personalised lists and bookmarking Creations and Professionals pages;
• list sharing - a very useful feature for making creative and/or professional suggestions/recommendations to your colleagues or partners.

From your personal account, in the "My profiles" section, you can create:

• Creations pages, to present your creations for international distribution
• Professionals pages, to present your profile or your organisation

To do this, you need to fill in all the mandatory fields in the forms provided, then click on "Submit Form". The entries are then submitted to the Institut français for approval before publication on IFdigital. You can complete these forms multiple times as changes are automatically saved.

We are aware that choosing from your numerous creations and projects can be complex. However, we suggest that you select works that would be most relevant for international distribution, as the site is particularly used by our institutional partners around the world.

To share media on your page, you need to enter the URL of the video (YouTube/Vimeo) or sound (Soundcloud) in the dedicated field in the form. Please note that you must first ensure that the settings on the platform hosting your media (YouTube/Vimeo/Soundcloud) allow it to be shared on other sites. You must also share the URL of the media, and not that of the associated channel. 

The Creations pages on the site allow you to list projects with international distribution, so that foreign programmers can identify French projects. The "Achievements" section of your Professionals page is useful for listing other projects that are not (or are no longer) being presented internationally, but which nevertheless showcase your expertise.

No. Only the fields marked with an asterisk(*) are compulsory for submitting the form.

A glossary giving definitions of sectors, formats, distribution methods, financial models and types of interactivity is available on IFdigital at this address.

You will receive notification by email as soon as your listing has been approved and published by the Institut français. You may also receive an intermediate notification requesting additional information before your listing is published.

You can change or update your listing at any time from your user account in "My pages".

It seems that another person has already listed your project on IFdigital. We can only associate a listing with one account. However, you can contact us so that we can put you in touch with the person who created the file.

To save a Creations or Professionals page as a Favourite, simply click on the bookmark at the top of the page or on the page thumbnail, then select or create the list in which you wish to store your new favourite.

You can view all your lists in "My favourites" in your user account. By clicking on each list, you can:

• change the list title;
• add a description;
• delete the list;
• share the list (by sharing the URL in the pop-up window that opens).

You will receive links to your e-mail address confirming the creation of your account, your new password if you have forgotten it, and all the notifications relating to the monitoring of your listings if you are listed on the site. You can deactivate these notifications at any time from your user account settings.

To subscribe to our newsletter, please write to us at this address: numerique@institutfrancais.com