French audiovisual program exports on the rise

The figures from the latest study conducted by the CNC and Unifrance show increasing activity. In fact, exports of French audiovisual programs in 2021 (sales, pre-sales, and co-production contributions) reached a new record with a total of €375.9 million (+6% compared to 2020). In particular, international sales of French dramas recorded a historic increase of 21.8% to €57.3m, representing 30.8% of total sales.

The Coming Next from France event, organized as part of the Series Mania Forum – the "industry" component of the Séries Mania festival, will present five French series available or soon to be available on the international market to a panel of decision-makers and foreign buyers. This will be an opportunity for five distributor/producer pairs to increase awareness of their programs on the international market.

The five series presented in 2023:

• Love Is All, distributed by Wild Bunch TV
• 9/12, distributed by Mediawan Rights
• Sambre, distributed by Federation Studios
• Sex (re)Education, distributed by Have A Good One
• French Roulette - A Mother’s Ordeal, distributed by France tv distribution

These five series offer a wide range of writing styles, worlds, and genres (true crime, detective, comedy, romance...) and are bolstered by strong casts of established actors alongside new faces, who are as equally talented. Each of these series explores a part of French society or its history from its brightest to darkest aspects.

* Sources: CNC − Unifrance / Ampere Analysis
 

Love Is All

International title: Love Is All
Format: 6x26’
Genre: Comedy
Distributor: Wild Bunch TV
Production company: Phase 4 Productions
Writer: Fred Hazan
Director: Fred Hazan
Starring: Fred Hazan, Clémentine Célarié, Laetitia Vercken, Gérard Jugnot, Constance Labbé…
French broadcaster: OCS

Synopsis: Marco Delgado, a porn actor at the end of his career, works as a bouncer in a pub to make ends meet. Recently, he has been suffering from dizzy spells and ends up fainting. He's diagnosed with a strange illness: he needs love. If he doesn't find it, one day he will collapse and won't get up again.

About Wild Bunch
Wild Bunch is an independent European film and TV distribution company with a catalog of over 2,200 titles. With headquarters in Berlin and Paris, the company is involved in the acquisition, co-production, and distribution of films and TV series for the international market. As a major company, Wild Bunch has developed a pan-European network, notably in Italy, Germany, and Spain.

9/12

International title: 9/12
Format: 4x52’
Genre: Thriller, action
Distributor: Mediawan Rights
Production company: Scarlett Production
Writer: Laetitia Masson(adapted from the novel by DOA)
Director: Laetitia Masson
Starring: Raphaël Quenard, Nailia Harzoune, Gringe, Pierre Arditi, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Frédéric Pierrot, Idir Chender, Laurent Stocker…
French broadcaster: ARTE

Synopsis: The day after September 11, two barrels of extremely dangerous chemicals, "lost" by France, are recovered, bought back, and sold to terrorists who are planning an attack in the heart of Paris. An anti-terrorist operation is set up to recover them and prevent the attack.  

About Mediawan Rights
Mediawan Rights is one of the most important players in Europe for the distribution and international co-production of content, with a diversified catalog of approximately 20,000 hours of programs.

Sambre

International title: Sambre
Format: 6x52’
Genre: Thriller
Distributor: Federation Studios
Production company: What's Up Films
Writers: Alice Géraud and Marc Herpoux
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
Starring: Alix Poisson, Noémie Lvovsky, Clémence Poésy, Olivier Gourmet, Jonathan Turnbull, Pauline Parigot…
French broadcaster: France 2

Synopsis: Inspired by real events,Sambre (named after the river in northern France where the tragedies took place), tells the story of a serial rapist, the perpetrator of some 60 crimes between the 1980s and 2018. The series follows the case through the eyes of six protagonists: victim, judge, mayor, scientist, policeman, rapist – at different times, multiplying the aspects of an unsuccessful investigation, which confronts the police with their inability to consider that a rapist could be a quiet man, known and appreciated by all. Sambre is a thriller that speaks of social reality and an era, that of a slow change in the face of sexual violence, from the 1980s to the #MeToo era.

About Federation Studios
Based in Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Madrid, Berlin, Cologne, Brussels, London, and Tel Aviv, Federation Studios embodies a new model for the design, production, distribution, and marketing of original premium creative developed within its integrated studio for the global broadcast market.

Sex (re)Education

International title: Sex (re)Education
Format: 10x26’
Genre: Comedy, romance
Distributor: Have A Good One (HAGO)
Production company: Next Episode
Writers: Clémence Azincourt, Clément Marchand, and Alice Vial
Director: Alice Vial
Starring: Féodor Atkine, Sylvie Granotier, Irène Jacob, Justine Lacroix…
French broadcaster: OCS

Synopsis: Isabelle can no longer keep her 80-year-old father, Jacques, at home and finds a place for him in an upscale retirement home by the sea. But Jacques hates old people. He would rather be finished with them than vegetate in this "dorm for the dying." He is about to take the plunge when his path crosses that of Rose Chardon, a resident in her 80s. And it's love at first sight! Their love story will change the lives of all those around them: their families, the nursing staff, the management of the establishment, and the other residents. Galvanized by desire and love, Jacques and Rose will live their passion despite all the small inconveniences and big obstacles linked to old age...

About Have A Good One
Have a Good One is a TV development, co-production, and distribution company launched by Virginie Boireaux and Constantin Briest in 2021. Since then, Have a Good One has collaborated with renowned producers, whose dramas have been selected several times in festivals such as Séries Mania and La Rochelle.

French Roulette - A Mother’s Ordeal

International title: French Roulette – A Mother’s Ordeal
Format: 4x52’
Genre: True crime
Distributor: France tv distribution
Production company: Effervescence
Writers: Vincent Garenq, Nicolas Jean, Isabelle Dubernet et Olivier Eloy
Director: Vincent Garenq
Starring: Michèle Laroque, Yannick Choirat, Marie Zabukovec…
French broadcaster: France 2

Synopsis: Nice, 1970s: Agnes Le Roux, the young heiress of the Palais de la Méditerranée, one of the most prominent casinos on the French Riviera, mysteriously disappears. For her mother, Renée Le Roux, there is no doubt that Maurice Agnelet, the family's former lawyer and her daughter's lover, killed her to get his hands on her fortune. A relentless struggle for the truth begins.

About France tv distribution
A subsidiary of the France Télévisions group, France tv distribution is a major player in the distribution market in France and abroad. The company puts its expertise and know-how at the service of producers to create bespoke productions for all audiovisual genres.