New French Production Unveils at Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre

With French manufacturers constantly expanding in all major genres, the thirty version of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market started for the first time in Le Havre, welcoming customers from all over the world.

Last year, approximately 200 customers worldwide from 40 countries, together with 58 French gross sales companies, attended the Rendez-Vous, and the organizers expect numbers related to the current version.

Talk to Election about this year’s event, the president of Unifrance, Gilles Pélisson, and the government The director, Daniela Elstner, gives insight into the latest traits, many Rendez-Vous positions for business, and the rising world of French programs, from high-end drama to animation and documentary fare.

While streamers around the world have pulled back from original manufacturers, French production continues to grow in all major regions, the Pélisson factor stands out.

“French manufacturing has had a skillful regular progress over the past several years, especially in fiction. Animation has always been very strong, and this can continue. French animation is even now in the opening ceremony of the Paris Video game Olympics with Minions! As for the documentary , they attract customers from all over the world and are a necessary part of the package proven in the course of the Rendez-Vous. This variety of good French packages allows gross sales not only for streamers but for broadcasters of all kinds.

Pélisson provides that the European Union Audiovisual Media Providers Directive creates “a variety of streamers looking for European content material.” The directive mandates that streamers in member states provide a quota of 30% of European content material. “We will see the implications sooner or later, although it is too early to draw any conclusions.”

Unifrance will announce its actual business figures for 2023 during the Rendez-Vous.

Highlights of this year’s market include France Télévisions’ “Zorro,” starring Jean Dujardin; Federation Studios’ “Ça, c’est Paris,” a couple of theater directors who unit out to revive the once well-known cabaret; The Media Police presents “Tom & Lola”; drama thriller “The Eclipse,” from About Premium Content material; and ARTE Distribution’s animated documentary collection “The Legends of Paris: a Story of the nineteenth Century Creative Scene.”

The exhibition reflects the persistence of tv’s appeal to filmmakers and actors and its potential for high-quality content material.

“Observing this development for some time, Unifrance merged its 2 current associations – TV and cinema – three years ago,” notes Elstner. “This allows us to be strong because we can provide a 360-degree promotion for all our members. We will take really into consideration the wants of French skills, but in addition to world distributors and producers.

“In this approach, we have long been in the Rendez-Vous promotional elements for the package: including the Gala screening in the presence of the director, scriptwriter and solid and take care of social media that is very different to make the package non-existent. : ‘Ca, c’est Paris’ will probably be our Gala Screening, ‘Zorro’ will probably be introduced in the closing evening. This kind of promotional work will continue until October this year, for the first time, Unifrance will probably organize certain events throughout the World Animation Day. MyFrenchAnimationDays (MyFAD) will probably highlight a collection of French animation and films, ‘The Legends of Paris,’ a collection of animated documentaries, will probably be part of it.

Rendez-Vous can also serve French content producers who are finding new customers and new markets.

“Last year was my first participation in the Rendez-Vous,” notes Pélisson. “I can see a good alternative that is given to all participants. For world distributors, spending 4 days in the form of a bubble with customers focused on the French package brings new contacts and alternatives. In the conventional market, you don’t have time to talk to everyone. In addition, during the Rendez-Vous, the patrons take turns. If they like the program, they may tell clients from other countries to present the screen. This word of mouth is important and brings new alternatives to the French production.

The market is expanding its scope regardless of the latest challenges, Elstner said.

“For the Rendez-Vous Unifrance Le Havre, we invite customers from all over the world. As every market group, we are dealing with new post-epidemic questions: travel restrictions for ecological reasons, for example. The reality is closer to Paris, and easy to reach with environmental practice, has become part of our choice to maneuver from Biarritz to Le Havre. And we have new customers coming, mainly from the US and Asia.

“Our biggest market is historically based mainly in Europe,” Pélisson provides. “The US has become a necessary friend, especially for fiction. The Rendez-Vous brings together customers from all paid and free TV broadcasters in Europe. And for this year, we are very satisfied to have several new companies attending from Latin America and Asia.

“For the 2024 version of this Rendez-Vous, Unifrance provides a new venue, with and thanks to the kind help of the city of Le Havre and the Normandy region,” Pélisson factors out. “Maybe there will be a different location for every night. Hopefully, this will also mean a new alternative to the various French packages.

In this year’s event can have around 40 regions represented and around 200 customers – like the end of the year.

“We are facing a new challenge, and this is the first version in Le Havre,” said Elstner. “But with more than 1,000 packages screened, we’re confident our customers will appreciate their expertise.”