The Institut français is supporting the Hauts-de-France Region in developing its cultural relations with its neighbouring areas, as well as working to promote its expertise on the theme of “Images” among its network. It was in this context that the programme of professional meetings focusing on “Digital Images” was created, aimed at agents in the network and professionals from the neighbouring countries of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

These two days in Tourcoing, on the Plaine Images site, sought to establish the terms of dialogue between regional and European colleagues and operators. The programme included a presentation of the regional policy to promote these sectors, round-tables, site and company visits, meetings with local stakeholders, project pitches, artwork presentations and some thirty speed-meetings.

As this is a multidisciplinary itinerary, the foreign delegation was made up of a range of profiles:

For Belgium:

• Géraldine Bueken, Founder, XR4heritage
• Emmanuel Angeli, Artistic Director, BRUSSELS MAJOR EVENTS
• Dirk Lambrecht, Coordinator of the DAE – Digital and Arts Entertainment course, focused on video games and animation, HOWEST
• Margaux Berrettoni, Policy Officer - Cultural and Creative Industries, French Embassy in Belgium

For Germany:

• Tina Sauerlaender, Co-Founder and Director, Radiance VR
• Sofia Saa, Audiovisual Attachée, Institut français of Germany/French Embassy 

For the Netherlands: 

• Ramon Amaro, Researcher in Digital Culture, Nieuwe Instituut
• Willem Hilhorst, Media and Digital Creation Project Manager, Beeld en Geluid
• Annabet Langkamp, Director, Kaboom Festival
• Eva Monnier, Deputy Cultural Cooperation Attachée, Institut français of the Netherlands/French Embassy in the Netherlands 

For the United Kingdom: 

• Henriette Mahamane, Head of International Relations, Leeds City Council
• Shazia Bibi, Production Manager, East Art Street
• Nicola Greenan, Head of Cultural Partnerships for Bradford, United Kingdom City of Culture 2025, Bradford District.

Time was made for an overview of the existing or desired European partnerships by the sectors’ leading structures in the different regions: Pictanovo (regional agency for the Digital Images and Creative Industries sector), Plaine Images(European hub for creative industries), Game In (association of video game professionals in Hauts-de-France), Noranim (association of animation professionals in Hauts-de-France) and the Rencontres Audiovisuelles (association dedicated to new images in Hauts-de-France). 

5 schools also exchanged views on European development issues relating to training digital creation talent: Le Fresnoy, l’ESAAT Roubaix, Rubika, PÔLE 3D and ARTFX. 

The programme was punctuated by two wonderful visits: one to Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains and a place of high-level arts, audiovisual and multimedia training, and another to Ankama, the internationally-renowned triple-A video game studio behind Dofus and the animated series Wakfu.

One sequence showcased digital creation in Hauts-de-France. Pictanovo presented its support policy for the sectors, now in its 10th year, to the delegation. 

The pitches by the 5 structures, meanwhile, provided an overview of the vitality and diversity of digital creation in Hauts-de-France. European professionals were introduced to the work of independent video game studiosAccidental Queens and Ishtar, the animation studio Tchack, the mapping creations of Rencontres Audiovisuelles, and the Blue Box digital mediation project from Neographic Digital. 

The Institut français and the Hauts-de-France Region share the objective of developing the global reach of cultural operators in the region. To this end, a digital publication promoting regional operators is being made available to agents of the French cultural network abroad, aimed at promoting the excellence of the region's "Images" ecosystem.