For the first time in its history, the interstate film market of the former USSR, whose 88th edtion took place during the 22nd Kinotavr Film Festival in Sotchi, welcomed uniFrance Films.
Our association, whose aim is to always better promote French films worldwide, decided to make its way to this market where Russian distributors, who acquire the film rights of Russian and foreign films for the former USSR territory, present their latest acquisitions to film exhibitors and some 800 distributors from the regions and other countries of the former Soviet zone.
From June 6 through June 12, uniFrance Films hence ran a market stand, offering a brochure in Russian with information about dozens of new French films, and, during traditional presentations made by distribution companies, screened to almost 200 exhibitors and distributors a series of thirty trailers of the latest French films. The trailers reflected the diversity of our cinema, ranging from Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami by Alain Chabat to Holy Motors by Leos Carax, and not forgetting the yet-to-be-released In the House by François Ozon and Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia by Laurent Tirard.
Apart from these events, during the Kinotavr Film Festival, a roundtable chaired by the great Russian film critic Andreï Plakhov and by uniFrance Films' CEO Régine Hatchondo also took place. It focused on film distribution and new film consumption modes; Audrey Azoulay, assistant general manager of the CNC, Bernard Tani, in charge of VOD at France Télécom, and Jean-Philippe Guérand, a Le Film Français journalist, also took part. The subject of the diversity and constraints of distribution and exhibition is, in Russia, one of the most complex at this time.
