UniFrance is the driving force behind this third meeting, to be held from October 22 through 25 this year, between French sales agents and Russian distributors.
Even though Russia is one of the biggest export markets for French films (60 new titles were released on Russian screens in 2017, attracting 6.5 million spectators), this market remains something of a mystery, and representatives from French sales companies rarely travel to Russia as film sales are undertaken at the major international film markets.
It is with the idea of gaining a better understanding of the subtleties of this market and the various challenges faced by distributors, as well as to get to know movie Moscow movie theaters and their programmers, and to meet with VOD providers and independent exhibitors, that UniFrance decided in 2016 to accompany seven French sales companies to Moscow to meet with Russian distributors. The more than positive outcomes achieved by sales companies prompted UniFrance to repeat the event.
After the first trip made in 2016 with Gaumont, Pathé Films, Kinology, Indie Sales, Paradise City Sales (ex-Memento International), Other Angle Pictures, and Goodfellas, UniFrance accompanied SND – Groupe M6, STUDIOCANAL, EuropaCorp, TF1 Studio, Les Films du Losange, Le Pacte, and Pyramide International to Moscow last year. This year it is the turn of BAC Films, Charades, Elle Driver, France tv distribution, The Bureau Sales, MK2 Films, and Playtime to spend three intense days packed with meetings in the Russian capital.
During this trip, a presentation of the VOD platform Okko and a round table with all of the Russian distributors, followed by a pitching session of new films by sales agents, will be held at the Pioner Cinema. In addition, a tour of the various movie theaters (multiplexes and independent sites) is planned. One day and a half will be set aside for the sales companies to organize individual meetings, some of which will take place in the offices of the distributors.
Taking full advantage of this French delegation's visit, the French Ambassador in Russia, Sylvie Bermann, will award the title of "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" to the Russian financier Alexander Mamut, who in 2017 bought and merged two of the country's major cinema networks (630 screens) and has entrusted the theater programming to a French national, Jean-Marc Quinton.
