AFAR - Association Française des Assistants Réalisateurs de fiction

What AFAR - Association Française des Assistants Réalisateurs de fiction does

AFAR (Association Française des Assistants Réalisateurs de fiction) is a French non-profit professional association (loi 1901) founded in March 1998 and headquartered in Paris, France. It represents assistant directors working in fiction production — primarily in cinema and audiovisual — and currently counts approximately 187 members structured across three professional tiers (87 first ADs, 52 second ADs, 24 third ADs), plus 7 honorary and 17 associate members.

The association's core deliverables are membership-oriented rather than commercial: a member directory, salary reference grids, a professional charter, safety and on-set resources, training programs, filming guides, and a member toolbox. Operations are run by a volunteer Bureau (current President Jérémie Steib, in office since 2021, with a new Bureau elected in 2026) under the operational umbrella of a strategic partnership with the CST, which provides hosted office space at 9 rue Baudoin, 75013 Paris. The technology footprint is minimal — a public website built on the SPIP CMS with Google Analytics — and the organization has no disclosed commercial products, no proprietary platforms, and no AI capabilities.

AFAR's revenue model is membership-dues-based (a recurring/subscription mechanic) supplemented by voluntary donations collected via the PAY ASSO payment platform. It generates no transactional or commercial revenue, has no disclosed financials, and is funded entirely by its membership and donor base. Go-to-market is community-led: outreach via industry events, training sessions, inter-association coordination, and representation in regulatory and industry bodies (CNC, Film France, Film Paris Region, Paris Film, Ecoprod, and a 14-association Inter-Associations bloc).

Name

AFAR - Association Française des Assistants Réalisateurs de fiction

Legal name

Association Française des Assistants Réalisateurs de fiction

Website

https://afar-fiction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFAR is a French non-profit professional association founded in 1998 that represents assistant directors working in fiction production, providing ~187 members with salary grids, a professional charter, training, safety resources, and industry advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The association is a non-profit organization under French law (1901 law) that operates primarily through membership fees. Donations are also accepted via the Pay Asso platform at Credit Mutuel bank.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AFAR is a French professional association (loi 1901) founded in March 1998 that represents first, second, and third assistant directors working in fiction film and television production. It sells membership to its community of 187+ assistant directors and provides a searchable member directory, reference salary grids, a professional charter governing working conditions, and training/workshop resources.

Product overview

AFAR operates as a professional association providing a centralized platform of services for assistant film directors in France. The offering consists of a member directory with 187+ professionals searchable by category, a comprehensive salary grids database for cinema and audiovisual productions, a professional charter establishing quality and ethics standards, safety resources for film productions, and practical tools including templates and software recommendations. The association does not sell software products but provides information services, professional networking, and industry advocacy for its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFAR Association Membership Annual membership in the French professional association for first, second, and third assistant directors working in fiction film and television production. Available to practicing assistant directors in the French fiction production industry.
• AFAR Member Directory Searchable online directory of AFAR's 187+ member assistant directors, used by French fiction productions to identify and contact qualified first, second, and third assistant directors for hire.
• AFAR Salary Grids Reference compensation grids for assistant director roles in French fiction production, providing standardized salary benchmarks for productions and members.
• AFAR Professional Charter Codified professional charter governing working conditions, ethical standards, and professional practices for assistant directors in French fiction film and television production.
• AFAR Training and Workshops Training programs and workshops delivered to AFAR members to advance professional skills and knowledge specific to the assistant director craft in fiction production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 170 experienced members available for productions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CST (Commission Supérieure Technique de l'Image et du Son)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR maintains an office at CST headquarters (9 rue Baudoin, Paris). CST is a member associate of AFAR, indicating a close institutional relationship supporting the technical and professional standards of the film industry.
• Film France CNCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR maintains close ties with Film France CNC, participating in meetings, events, and professional gatherings related to film and audiovisual production.
• Film Paris RegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR maintains close ties with Film Paris Region, participating in meetings, salons, events and public or private demonstrations related to film and audiovisual production.
• Paris FilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR maintains close ties with Paris Film and participates in related professional events and gatherings.
• EcoprodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR maintains close ties with Ecoprod (environmental production initiative), participating in related meetings and events.
• CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNC supports AFAR through various initiatives including site development (site realized with support from Commission du Film d'Île-de-France and CNC). CNC is also referenced in VHSS training requirements from September 2026.
• Commission du Film d'Île-de-FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the development of the AFAR website as noted in website footer.
• Conservatoire des techniques cinématographiques de la CinémathèqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR co-organized an afternoon study session with the Conservatoire des techniques cinématographiques on 'The First Assistant Director, master of time and organization' held at the Cinémathèque.
• Inter-Associations (14 professional associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR participates in inter-association collaborations with 14 professional associations from cinema and audiovisual industries. They issued a joint communiqué on creative freedom, dialogue, and defense of the French audiovisual model (May 2026). Also collaborated on VHSS (violence and harassment prevention) study with 17 associations and 4 collectives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Directors Guild of America (DGA): The DGA is the US labor union and professional association representing directors, unit production managers, and assistant directors. It is the most internationally established counterpart to AFAR's role as the French professional body for assistant directors, with a similar focus on crew standards, contracts, and AD certification.
• Ecoprod: Ecoprod is a French film industry initiative focused on environmentally responsible production, and a direct AFAR partner. It operates as an analogous French industry body serving production professionals with shared standards and best practices.
• CST (Commission Supérieure Technique de l'Image et du Son): CST is AFAR's host institution and partner, representing French technical cinema professionals. Both organizations share French film crew representation, mutual membership, and co-location at 9 rue Baudoin Paris, making CST a structurally analogous French film industry body.
• La Cinémathèque Française: La Cinémathèque Française is a major French film heritage institution and AFAR partner, having co-hosted AFAR's professional study sessions on the first assistant director role. It is a French film industry institution with overlapping professional membership and educational mandates.

Regional players

• BFI (British Film Institute): The BFI is the UK's national body for film culture, funding, and heritage. As a regional equivalent to AFAR's role supporting French film professionals, it offers a comparable institutional structure, though it operates in a different geography.
• Australian Directors Guild (ADG): The ADG is the Australian professional guild for directors and assistant directors. It is a regional international counterpart to AFAR, with the same professional representation model for assistant directors in a different geographic market.
• Film Paris Region (Commission du Film d'Île-de-France): Film Paris Region is the regional film commission serving Paris/Île-de-France, an AFAR partner and current sponsor of its 'Films en cours' initiative. It is a comparable French regional film industry body focused on production support and crew access.

Broad incumbents

• CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée): CNC is the French national film regulatory and funding body. It is a broader incumbent that oversees the entire French film industry in which AFAR's members work, and provides direct institutional support to AFAR including funding for safety training initiatives.
• BAFTA: BAFTA is the UK national academy for film, television, and games. As a comparable national film industry body, it provides a peer benchmark for industry recognition and professional standards, even though it does not specialize exclusively in crew roles like AFAR.
• European Film Academy: The European Film Academy represents pan-European film industry recognition and standards. It is a broader incumbent operating at continental scale, comparable to AFAR in its role as a standards and recognition body for film professionals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/AFARfiction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afarfiction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFAR - Association Française des Assistants Réalisateurs de fiction