Unifrance will be based in Cannes from May 17 through 28 on the Pantiero, at the entrance to the International Village, in an extended pavilion space set up to welcome professionals from the export sector, crew members from the French films presented in the various festival sections, and international media representatives, and to host a large number of events.
The UniFrance Pavilion at Cannes, a key platform for French cinema in the international arena
Designed once again by Sarah Lavoine, the UniFrance Pavilion has been expanded this year to include a 50-square-meter mezzanine level overlooking the Cannes harbor. In this larger space, UniFrance will host meetings and interviews between French film crew members and foreign festival directors and programmers, international distributors, sales agents, market directors, journalists, film and television attachés, cultural consultants, partner organizations, and the full range of professionals working in the export sector. It is a unique location aimed at fostering networking opportunities and promoting French films and artists in strategic markets, as well as reaching out to new audiences and new distributors around the world, with a view to consolidating French cinema's status as the world's second biggest film exporter.
Program and Highlights
COCKTAIL RECEPTION FOR SALES AGENTS AND DISTRIBUTORS
UniFrance will bring together French sales agents and international distributors at its customary cocktail reception (invitation only) to celebrate the opening of the Cannes Film Market, held on Thursday, May 18, from 6 p.m.
RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA—PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
A new exhibition will be held at the UniFrance Pavilion throughout the festival, organized in partnership with Madame Figaro. Entitled Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, it will present 40 portraits of French film industry artists photographed by Jean-Baptiste Le Mercier on the sidelines of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Paris held by UniFrance in Paris in January.
FACEBOOK LIVE WITH TÉLÉRAMA & THE NEW YORK TIMES
This year, UniFrance has signed two high-profile partnership deals aimed at enriching the online media coverage of festival news events concerning France:
- Every day, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Unifrance Pavilion will welcome the editing team from Télérama magazine and their guests for a daily news report to be posted live on Facebook.
- To mark the 70th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, UniFrance and The New York Times have joined forces to produce a series of Facebook Live events with leading figures from the French movie industry who are in Cannes this year. It will provide an opportunity for film enthusiasts around the world and the prestigious American daily newspaper's 14 million Facebook fans to be able to communicate and exchange views in real time. Discussions will be moderated by Rachel Donadio, The New York Times' culture correspondent, and can be also followed on UniFrance's Facebook page. The first artists to feature in this program include Michel Hazanavicius, Isabelle Huppert, and François Ozon.
DEBATE: "How can we improve the circulation of French-language films around the world?"
On Monday, May 22, UniFrance will be setting up base at the Salon des Ambassadeurs in the Palais des Festivals from 10:30 a.m. until midday to host a panel discussion organized by UniFrance in collaboration with the SODEC and the Institut Français:
Cannes Film Festival Debate—Salon des Ambassadeurs
Monday, May 22, 2017: 10:30 a.m. to midday
Participants:
- Anne Tallineau, deputy executive director of the Institut Français
- Loïc Wong, director of the film department at the Institut Français
- Jean-Paul Salomé, president of UniFrance
- Isabelle Giordano, executive director of UniFrance
- Monique Simard, president of the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC) in Quebec
- Elaine Dumont, executive director of international affairs at the SODEC
- Alexis De Rendinger, co-founder of Under the Milky Way
- Tonjé Bakang, founder and CEO of the VOD platform Afrostream
- Augustin Favereau, assistant director of culture and the media at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
- Anaïs Lebrun, international programming director at MUBI
The debate will be moderated by Marjorie Paillon, journalist at France 24 and France Culture.
"CANNES FRENCH PARTY" DINNER
Chopard, Madame Figaro, and UniFrance are joining together to celebrate the broad scope of French cinema around the world at an invitation-only dinner held Thursday, May 18, at the Terrasse By Albane.
KERING AND UNIFRANCE: WOMEN IN MOTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
This 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be an occasion for UniFrance and Kering to pay tribute to the signature of a new partnership aimed at encouraging visibility at international film festivals: The Women In Motion program, initiated at Cannes and designed to shine the spotlight on the contribution of women in the movie industry, both in front of and behind the camera. In honor of this program, Isabelle Giordano will give a talk focusing on one emblematic personality in French cinema.
INITIATIVES FOR BUILDING NEW AUDIENCES
In addition to its ongoing activities, UniFrance will reinforce its efforts at Cannes in favor of renewing audiences for French films across the globe.
- UniFrance/France Culture International Students' Award
UniFrance continues its partnership with France Culture to present the International Students' Award during the Cannes Film Festival. This year, 16 international film schools gave their students the chance to vote for their favorite French film. The winning film will be announced on Sunday, May 21, at 11:00 a.m., at our pavilion in the presence of Mathieu Gallet, CEO of Radio France; Sandrine Treiner, director of France Culture; Jean-Paul Salomé, president of UniFrance; and Isabelle Giordano, executive director of UniFrance. The award ceremony will be followed by a cocktail reception (invitation only).
- Award Ceremony, AEFE/MyFrenchFilmFestival
On Saturday, May 20, at 10:00 a.m., UniFrance will also celebrate the renewal of our partnership with the Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Etranger and UniFrance's online French Film Festival, MyFrenchFilmFestival, whose program for the 7th edition earlier this year was screened at around twenty schools around the world (including Zagreb, Chicago, and Singapore).
The AEFE Critics' Prize is open to high school students at French high schools abroad who have chosen the Audiovisual Option as part of their studies.
The two winning critics will be chosen by, and in the presence of, a jury composed of Marie-Christine Saragosse (president of France Médias Monde), Christophe Bouchard (executive director of the AEFE), Emmanuel Ethis (commissioner of education in Nice), and Isabelle Giordano.
WE LOVE FRENCH VR
For the second year, VR will also benefit from a strong presence at the UniFrance Pavilion.
From May 18 to 25, the VR company Hervé, equipped with Samsung Gear 4, will present demos of French VR films, including Alteration, Sergent James (recently selected at Tribeca), Proxima (screened at this year's Berlinale), and Kinoscope.
At 9:00 p.m. on May 18, UniFrance will host a cocktail reception at our pavilion (invitation only) to celebrate the first anniversary of the think tank Uni-VR. Launched at last year's Cannes Film Festival as part of the NEXT Market, Uni-VR already boasts around one hundred members (including writers, business figures, developers, technicians, producers, media agencies, and advertisers), with the intention of bringing together French talent and expertise in the French VR sector.
FRANCO-GERMAN FILM MEETINGS
At 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, the UniFrance Pavilion will host the General Assembly of the Franco-German Film Academy, which will be followed by a board meeting. At 6:30 p.m., a cocktail reception (invitation only) will gather together the association's members and guests to discuss the upcoming edition of the Franco-German Film Meetings, which will be held in December 2017.
QUEER FILM MARKET
Tuesday, May 23, will also feature the 3rd Queer Film Market, to be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the presence of all of the sales agents and buyers of French films in competition for the Queer Palm (Cannes' LGBT Prize), as well as programmers of queer festivals and guests including Daniel Chabannes De Sars (Épicentre Films), Jules Marco (Forum des Images), and Cyril Legann (Festival Chéries-Chéris).
SHORT FILM DAY
On Thursday, May 25, UniFrance will be dedicating the day to short films at its pavilion. The program is as follows:
- 9:30 a.m.: Networking Breakfast held in partnership with TitraFilm
- 13:00 p.m.: Short Film Luncheon
- 6:00 p.m.: Presentation of the UniFrance Short Film Prize
Kicking off at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, the UniFrance Pavilion will play host to the "La Fémis Students-Film Market meetings," which will include a presentation by Jérôme Paillard. At 11:00 a.m. the FIPRESCI Cannes 2017 jury will get together to deliberate on their verdict.
To refresh your memories, some key figures for French films abroad in 2016:
- 37.4 million admissions abroad
- €241.5 million in box office revenues generated outside France
- 24.8 million admissions registered by French-language films
- 556 French films shown in theaters abroad
- 6 French films attracted over 1 million spectators outside France
- 517 trips made by French actors and directors to accompany the presentation of their films (short films and features) in foreign countries.
In 2017, the UniFrance Pavilion in Cannes benefits from support from Lacoste, TitraFilm, Télérama, Nespresso, Douka Paris, San Pellegrino, Dammann Frères, and Haribo.
Providers: Clos Saint Michel
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for health, consume with moderation.
