The 30th Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre, the world's largest market for French audiovisual programs, will be held from September 2 to 6. At this flagship event for the sector, 180 buyers from some forty countries will be able to discover more than 700 audiovisual programs covering all genres (drama, animation, documentary, live performance, and entertainment), presented by 56 distributors of French audiovisual works.
Among the 180 buyers expected to attend, some will be taking part in the Rendez-Vous for the first time, such as HITN (a public channel aimed at the Spanish-speaking community in the United States), V-me (a Latin American youth channel in the United States), Gusto TV (a channel specialising in gastronomy in Canada), and buyers from the Spanish channels Antena 3, Movistar, and Mediaset España (Telecinco).
OneGate Media (ex-Studio Hamburg / Germany), ORF (Austria), Warner Bros. Discovery – HBO Europe, LRT (Lithuania), TV Nova (Czech Republic), FTV Prima (Czech Republic), and the Markíza (Slovakia) group (Slovakia) will also be present with new representatives. There will also be a large Polish delegation, making it the second most represented country after Spain.
In terms of Asia, the WOWOW channel (Japan), will be taking part for the first time, while public broadcaster PTS (Taïwan) will be returning after several years' absence. From the Middle East, distributors will be able to count on the participation of Al Araby TV (Qatar), the MBC+ group's Shahid platform, already present at previous Rendez-Vous but back again this year, as well as a Turkish delegation including the Turkuvaz group for the ATV and MovieBox channels and Warner Bros. Discovery Turkey.
For the third year running, Unifrance has also invited the main French broadcasters to the Rendez-Vous.
As for distributors, 56 French companies are expected to attend..
> Click here for the full list of participating companies
This anniversary edition of the Rendez-Vous will open on Monday, September 2 with a cocktail reception at the Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer, at the invitation of the Mairie du Havre (Le Havre City Hall), in the presence of Monsieur Édouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre and President of the Communauté Urbaine Le Havre Seine Métropole.
On Wednesday 4 September, participants will also be invited by the Région Normandie to a cocktail reception at the Franciscaines à Deauville, at the invitation of Monsieur Hervé Morin, President of the Région Normandie, who will be present.
At this event, Deadline, a partner of these Rendez-Vous, will be presenting the Deadline French TV Disruptor Award to a young artist with a remarkable career.
The market and video library will open their doors on Tuesday 3 September at the Carré des Docks. International buyers will be able to discover a robust range of over 700 French audiovisual programs covering all genres: fiction, animation, documentary, live performan, and entertainment.
This year again, each company is able to showcase a flagship program in the form of a highlight, with privileged visibility in the Screening Room. These programs are already available online on the event's viewing platform, and will also be accessible on site in the video library.
Refreshing a formula that has proved effective in promoting sales of French audiovisual programs, accredited guests will be invited to discover several productions due to hit the screens soon, at lunches, dinners, and screenings.
During the gala evening on Tuesday, September 3, accredited guests will be able to discover the Ça, c'est Paris created by Marc Fitoussi, Edgard F. Grima, and Jérôme Bruno, produced by Mon Voisin Productions (Mediawan) and Federation Studio France, in co-production with Butler Industries, and distributed by Federation Studios. The showrunner and director Marc Fitoussi, actresses and dancers Nastasia Caruge, Audjyan Alcide, and Océane Giustiniani, as well as the producers Michel Feller (Mon Voisin Productions – Mediawan) and Stéphane Sperry (Federation Studio France) will be on hand to present an exclusive screening of the series' first episode at the Pathé Docks Vauban, and to meet foreign professionals at a festive dinner in the Carré des Docks auditorium. Guests will also enjoy an exclusive dance performance by dancers from the legendary Paradis latin.
During the market, accredited visitors will also be able to discover:
- The animated documentary series The Legends of Paris: A Tale of the 19th century Artistic Scene created by Amélie Harrault, at a screening hosted by ARTE Distribution on Tuesday, September 3 at 12:30 pm..
- The fiction series Tom & Lola, created by Camille Couasse and Sarah Farkas, and distributed by Mediawan Rights, at a screening on Wednesday, September 4 at 12:30 pm.
- The fiction series The Eclipse created by Hélène Duchateau, Cécile Lorne, and Baptiste Filleul, presented by About Premium Content, at a lunch on Thursday, September 5 at 12:30 pm.
- The fiction series Zorro, an adventure comedy created by Benjamin Charbit and Noé Debré, during a screening at the Pathé Docks Vauban cinema on Thursday, September 5 at 6pm, followed by the closing party at Magic Mirrors starting at 8pm, hosted by France tv distribution.
On Tuesday September 3, the CNC and Unifrance will also co-present the 2023 figures for French audiovisual program exports at a press conference in the Carré des Docks auditorium, which will also be broadcast online in English. To register, click here.
> Click here for the full program
Unifrance warmly thanks the City of Le Havre and the Région Normandie for their support and the work they have done together to ensure the success of these Rendez-Vous, and looks forward to seeing this collaboration continue throughout the event.
The 30th Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre enjoys the invaluable support of the République Française, CNC, PROCIREP, City of Le Havre, and the Région Normandie. Unifrance would also like to thank Estandon, the event's official supplier; its sponsors Accor and Vranken-Pommery Monopole; and its media partners: Variety, Prensario, and Deadline.
