In line with their shared commitment to promoting French productions in the international arena, UniFrance and La Fête du Court have joined forces to create this new Short Film Distributor's Award. The first award was presented to the company Autour de Minuit in Cannes on May 23 during the UniFrance Short Film Awards ceremony, which was held as part of celebrations for the 70th anniversary of UniFrance.
Founded in 2001 by Nicolas Schmerkin, Autour de Minuit has made an impact on the movie industry with the production of innovative projects that have garnered many awards at international film festivals and awards ceremonies (most notably the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2010 and the French César Award for Best Short Film in 2011 for Logorama).
In 2004, Autour de Minuit went on to create a successful international distribution branch for animated films and experimental digital works, now offering a catalogue of around 300 productions.
With this award, UniFrance offers a grant of €1,000 in order to permit the winning distributor to travel to an international film festival or film market. La Fête du Court Métrage will also put the spotlight on Autour de Minuit in the programming of its festival held in 2020.
