The unifrance meeting shines a spotlight on french programming

For French buyers and sellers, the meeting market is a rear time after the summer holidays. After having moved from Biarritz to the port city of Le Havre in Normandy, in the north of France, he sees the participants spending several days together, with the projections of gala, lunches, dinners and evening events which are part of the main program.

Unifrance, the organization dedicated to promoting television and French film, organizes business, which take place at a different pace from Mipcom in October. If the Cannes market is focused on days full of 30-minute consecutive meetings, Le Havre Shindig is a more relaxed matter and buyer-seller conversations take place longer. The acquisition leaders of more than 40 countries will be in the city, mainly from Europe.

This is the largest market of the year for French programming and the emphasis on gallic prices is useful, said on the deadline of Cécilia Rossignol, international sales and development in Gaumont. “Buyers know what they will get in Le Havre, it is French content – its quality time to discuss French programs.”

For sales outfits like International Federation which have French and English dishes, Le Havre is an opportunity to really get into the first. The federation will have French dramas, including thriller series DisconnectWho was in competition at the Mania series. Speaking of the place where appointments is part of the calendar, the codication of the distribution of Federation International, Monica Levy, said: “You eat together, you go together to events together, and it is a way for us to be in contact with our customers, some that we may not be able to see at Mipcom.”

She added: “As it is before Mipcom, it is also an opportunity for us to assess the success of certain programs. We could have comments which mean that we return and change a little strategy. Calendar is really ideal.”

There are many international markets and events that are in a particular genre, but the appointment has always extended all types of fiction programming to children to children with 51 exhibitors in town this time. The animation specialist Xilam, for example, will be there, pushing Pig manufacturers,, Where is Chicky?,, Zig & Sharko And Jim submarine. “It has become a tradition at Xilam to attend Unifrance meets as an excellent way to launch our market season,” EVP Distribution.

We recorded with a few key distributions to see what they get behind this time.

FTD Vendetta

“It is a very important opportunity to connect with our long -standing partners many European linear broadcasters, which we like to meet in this more relaxed atmosphere, before the rush in charge of Mipcom,” said Julia Schulte, France TV distribution of international sales to Deadline before making the trip to Le Havre.

France TV Distribution will host one of the galas with a projection of VendettaThe criminal drama of the bone -on -law produced by Marco Cherqui, producer of Jacques Audiard’s film A prophet. The cast and the crew will be in town while FTD pushes sales.

The distributor will also have the news, third, the season of the drama of cybercrime StemAbout a gifted pirate who uses his skills to take revenge on medium classmates. The previous points have sold in more than 120 countries, a large number for French fiction. “It was one of the first digital series that we launched internationally: targeting an audience younger than the usual prime time productions broadcast on France TV, with a new narrative style and younger protagonists,” said Schulte. “Season 3 A new adventure for Lux as he enters a more adult world and explores the burning subject of artificial intelligence, which makes the season even more attractive for broadcasters and banners, with a change to a wider and more common audience.”

Studiocanal brings A prophet In Le Havre

Another of the great French distributors, Studiocanal, will go to Le Havre at the Venice Film Festival where its series A prophet had had its world premiere. A reimagination of the emblematic film Jacques Audiard, it takes place in a brutal French prison and featuring the talents in small groups Mamadou Sidibé.

“See you in Le Havre is a timely opportunity in the sales cycle – it comes just after the summer, in a context of return to consumption, and allows Studiocanal, to highlight our French language series to an organized group of buyers in actively research of this type of content,” said Chloe Marquet, the international studio head of studio for movies and television series.

The French studio will also have The Sentinels On the market, a high concept series on a group of super soldiers fighting in an alternative version of the First World War. The timing is good with the Striking Spirits and Federation Studios series about to bow on Canal + in France.

The federation increases factual

Federation International has its own major distribution operation and is one of the main players in the meeting. Known for his written titles, this time, he rides in town with a large number of documents, after having folded the catalog of Doc Distrib Lucky You in his.

There will be a screening event to go to Nature: the call for reconciliationThe last of the filmmaker, journalist and environmental activist Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

“His new films are always a big event and we have always taken it in Germany with the ZDF and has already been broadcast in France on M6,” said Ilan Sarfati, who directs the documentary sales of the Federation. “This shows the beauty of the earth and also aware of the urgency of acting and fighting climate change. It is heavy in some respects, you face the hard truth, but at the same time, it is absolutely visually surprising.”

Manufacturing The agreement For Gaumont

The agreement is a co-production between Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Belgium and follows people and events while Switzerland hosts last chance nuclear discussions between the United States and Iran, with Europe, Russia and China also present. He won the price of buyers of this year Mania series.

The series is multicangue and was for Arte in France and RTS in Switzerland. Gaumont will seek to mark more sales in Le Havre, which, according to Cécilia Rossignol, international sales and development, have always been an important market for the company.

“The main goal for us since the start of an appointment is to take quality time with buyers and from editor to committee, to know what they want and who they are. We cannot always make offers we need to know people, it’s a human relationship – and it’s a good place for them. You get a different hour. “