Since December, Unifrance has been reinventing its presence on social networks, with regular meetings designed for foreign audiences, with the aim of whetting their appetite for French films and audiovisual programs, and fostering ongoing exchanges around French creation in all its many genres and forms.
Exceptionally diverse works (from fiction to animation, documentaries to genre films, short films to VR, not forgetting series), singular auteurs, a strong commitment to co-production, films and TV programs that top the charts at the most important international festivals and are exported... In many respects, French cinematographic and audiovisual creation, the linchpin of our cultural exception, stands out for its rich, eclectic range that is acclaimed abroad.
In a globalized world marked by the growing importance of digital technology, particularly in the lives of young people, and in the face of real competition, it seems essential, in addition to physical operations and events, in Europe and around the world, to take advantage of these new tools to reach audiences where they are. This is now vital to accompany the encounter between a work of art and a foreign audience, whose tastes, affinities, languages, value systems, exposure, or access to works of art are by definition heterogeneous. It's a huge challenge to help maintain the appeal and curiosity of audiences around the world with regard to our films, our programs, and the artists who bring them to life – directors, actors, composers, scriptwriters, and so on.
In support of distributors, broadcasters, journalists, festivals, and all the professionals who participate locally in bringing French productions to foreign audiences, Unifrance has hence decided to rethink and structure a genuine editorial content strategy on social networks, with a number of major objectives:
- Increase foreign audiences' awareness of French cinema and audiovisual arts, raise the profile of French productions and artists, and increase opportunities for encounters between works and audiences outside France, even beyond physical events.
- Expand to a less captive audience by opening up to other fields (music, literature, gastronomy, fashion, photography, etc.) to illustrate the vitality of French creativity.
Several collections covering all film and audiovisual genres – from fiction to documentaries, animation to VR – will showcase content creators in a variety of ways: entertaining, informative, heritage-focused, and more. They will be launched in the coming months on social networks, and will amplify existing content – in particular interviews conducted during the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris and the Cannes Film Festival, but also at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, or during Séries Mania…
This new content strategy is built around several editorial pillars – news, artists, expertise, emergence, heritage and icons, timelessness and French culture.
These new formats include Coming Up, a monthly calendar of theatrical releases in four strategic countries (Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland) produced in local languages, a collection designed to adapt to audiovisual broadcasts, particularly on platforms; Play, which each month entrusts a music composer with the creation of a playlist featuring the soundtracks of French films and audiovisual programs, to be discovered on networks and listened to on Spotify; and De bouche à oreille (Word of Mouth), a video module produced with the contribution of six foreign journalists.s (Patrick Heidmann – Germany, David Martos – Spain, Rebecca Leffler – United States, Chiara Nicoletti – Italy, Kuriko Sato – Japan, Anna Tatarska – Poland) who, each month, share with their fellow citizens their favorite French films and audiovisual programs to be discovered in cinemas, on VOD, or on television. There will also be masterclasses with leading directors, interviews with creators, profiles of games, formats based on icons and cult works, posters of films and series from around the world, trailers and portraits of artists...
By increasing and diversifying the content broadcast on its social networks, which are conceived as regular gathering places for foreign audiences, Unifrance intends to ensure a more continuous presence in order to retain the attention and loyalty of its audiences. To be fully effective, this new strategy must be accompanied by amplified distribution thanks to the establishment of partnerships (for distribution, content production, etc.) and finer targeting of audiences.
This editorial strategy fits seamlessly into the digital ecosystem already deployed by the organization, supported by three online promotional tools, including the latest MyMetaStories, but also, and above all, MyFrenchShorts and MyFrenchFilmFestival, which will celebrate its fourteenth edition in January 2024, and which have succeeded in building, step by step, strong communities of Internet users around the world, already won over and loyal, and no doubt eager for cinema and audiovisual content throughout the year.
The organization's new website will also play a key role in consolidating Unifrance's position as a an essential information hub for French cinema and audiovisual works, aimed both at professionals and general audiences abroad.
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