Unifrance releases its annual report analyzing the circulation of French short films abroad.
Since 2018, the French short film market has been on a steady rise. In 2024, revenues, the number of sales, and the number of films reached the highest level since this study was initiated (2009), breaking records: €1.19 million, 3,855, and 1,477 respectively!
During the year under review, certain trends were confirmed: the long life cycle of short films on foreign markets, buyers' predilection for the shortest formats, and the consolidation of platforms' position among short film distributors. The rise of animation among the genres and the return of buyers who had invested heavily in acquiring French productions in the past were particularly characteristic of 2024.
As far as festivals are concerned, they renewed their interest in French works, which remained an essential part of their selections and prize lists.
This report is presented in a new format. The structure has been reorganized and made more coherent: it begins with a commentary highlighting the trends of 2024, enriched by the shared experiences of industry professionals collated during in-depth interviews; this is followed by graphs and tables tracking the evolution of indicators over the past ten years, and divided into three main themes – analysis of works, analysis of geographical areas, and analysis of buyers.
THE MAJOR INDICATORS IN 2024
Exports
- €1,185,239 in revenues, 3,885 sales, and 1,477 titles sold.
- 900 buyers, with Disney+ (United States) the leader.
- Animation represented more than 60% of total exports.
- Letter to a Pig, the leading French short in terms of revenues.
- 27, the leading French short in terms of number of sales.
- North America and the United States were respectively the leading geographic zone and the leading country in terms of revenues.
In festivals
- 699 French short films selected and 1,634 presentations in 91 international festivals tracked by Unifrance.
- 157 awards won.
- Wander to Wonder, the leading French short film by number of selections.
The 2024 report can be downloaded below (in French only)
Study
Unifrance - Bilan CM 2024
