With 4 million online viewings throughout the world, the 2014 edition has set new records. A report on this year's festival and the complete awards list.
The 4th edition of the online festival of French cinema, organized by UniFrance Films from January 17 through February 17, 2014, was an unprecedented success, with results 4 times higher than those achieved in 2013. During the festival's month-long run, visitors from 205 different countries clocked up 4 million viewings of French films (features and shorts) on the MyFrenchFilmFestival site and on the event's 20 partner platforms.
Notable points about the 2014 edition:
• The festival worked particularly well in China, on the Youku and Tudou platforms, with 3.5 million viewings (+830%). The short film In Seventh Heaven alone attracted more than 2.5 million viewings, while Augustine, a feature, recorded 350,000.
• The number of films seen on the myFrenchFilmFestival.com platform also increased by 20%, with 230,000 viewings.
• The top 5 countries in terms of viewings were: China, Poland, Russia, Mexico, Brazil.
• With regard to paying territories, the global number of viewing increased by 21%, with
46,000 rentals compared to 38,000 during the previous edition. When it comes to the results on iTunes, they almost doubled.
• For the first time, 550 theatrical sessions were also organized in the USA and Russia alongside the online event, thanks to a partnership established with the American distribution company Specticast. Dozens of non-theatrical sessions were also organized via the Institut Français nework.
• The number of subscribers on the MyFrenchFilmFestival.com platform: 100,000.
• The number of fans on the festival's Facebook page doubled in 1 month, with a total of180,000 net surfers..
• To date, the festival's trailer has been seen 2.6 million times throughout the world.
AWARDS 2014
All 7 prize-winning films will be screened onboard Air France planes for 6 months, beginning in summer 2014. They will also be offered to ten other foreign airlines as part of an agreement struck with Skeye.
Filmakers Jury Prize (President Jean-Pierre Jeunet with Marco Bellocchio (Italy), Anurag Kashyap (India), and Frédéric Fonteyne (Belgiqum).
Welcome to Argentina by Édouard Deluc
Audience Award (more than 30,000 votes counted)
Feature: Little Lion by Samuel Collardey
Short: Kiki of Montparnasse by Amélie Harrault
International Press Jury Prize (selected by 10 journalists writing for international newspapers)
Feature: The Virgin, the Copts and Me by Namir Abdel Messeeh
Short: Just Before Losing Everything by Xavier Legrand
Social Networks Prize (a jury of 100 net surfers, with a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter, from 20 different countries)
Feature: In a Rush by Louis-Do de Lencquesaing
Short: Clay by Michaël Guerraz
