Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV Mart Kicks Off in Le Havre
With French production continuing to grow in all major genres, the 30th edition of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market kicks off for the first time in Le Havre, welcoming international buyers from around the globe.
Last year, some 200 international buyers from 40 countries, along with 58 French sales companies, attended the Rendez-Vous, and organizers are expecting similar numbers for the current edition.
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Speaking with Variety about this year’s event, Unifrance’s president, Gilles Pélisson, and executive director, Daniela Elstner, offer their insights on the latest trends, the significant role of the Rendez-Vous for the industry, and the growing international reach of French programming, from high-end drama to animation and documentary fare.
While international streamers have been pulling back from original production, French productions continue to grow in all major areas, Pélisson points out.
“French production has experienced steady growth over the last years, especially when it comes to fiction. Animation has always been very strong, and this will continue. French animation was even present at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games with the Minions! As for documentaries, they seduce buyers from all over the world and are an important part of the programs shown during the Rendez-Vous. This great diversity of French programs enables sales not only to streamers but to broadcasters of all kinds.”
Pélisson adds that the European Union’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive makes “various streamers look for European content.” The directive mandates that streamers in member states offer a 30% quota of European content. “We will probably see the consequences in the future, even though it is too early to draw any conclusions.”
Unifrance will announce exact industry figures for 2023 during the Rendez-Vous.
Highlights at this year’s market include France Télévisions’ “Zorro,” starring Jean Dujardin; Federation Studios’ “?a, c’est Paris,” about a theater director who sets out to revive his once famous cabaret; Mediawan’s cop show “Tom & Lola”; mystery drama “The Eclipse,” from About Premium Content; and ARTE Distribution’s animated documentary series “The Legends of Paris: a Tale of the 19th Century Artistic Scene.”
The shows reflect the continuing attraction of television for filmmakers and actors and its potential for high-end content.
“Observing this trend for a while, Unifrance merged the two previous existing associations — TV and cinema — three years ago,” Elstner notes. “This allows us to be stronger as we are able to offer a 360-degree promotion to all of our members. We can take fully into account the needs of French talents, but also international distributors and producers.
“In that way, we have extended at the Rendez-Vous the promotional aspects for the programs: adding a Gala screening in the presence of the director, scriptwriter and cast and working with our different social media to make the programs exist differently: ‘Ca, c’est Paris’ will be our Gala Screening, ‘Zorro’ will be presented at the closing night. This kind of promotional work continues throughout the year. End of October this year, for the first time, Unifrance will be organizing special events around World Animation Day. MyFrenchAnimationDays (MyFAD) will be highlighting French animation series and films, ‘The Legends of Paris,’ an animated documentary series, will be part of it.”
The Rendez-Vous is also helping French content makers find new buyers and new markets.
“Last year was my first participation in the Rendez-Vous,” Pélisson notes. “I could observe the great opportunity the event offers to all attendees. For an international distributor, spending four days in a kind of a bubble with buyers who are focused on French programs brings new contacts and opportunities. In traditional markets, you do not always have the time to speak to everyone. Also, during the Rendez-Vous, buyers exchange amongst themselves. If they like a program, they might as well tell the buyer of another country to screen it. This word of mouth is crucial and brings new opportunities to French productions.”
The market is expanding its scope despite recent challenges, Elstner says.
“For the Rendez-Vous Unifrance Le Havre, we do invite buyers from all over the world. As every market organization, we are dealing with new post-epidemic questions: travel restrictions for ecological reasons for example. The fact of being closer to Paris, and easy to reach with a local train, has been part of our decision process to move from Biarritz to Le Havre. And we have new buyers attending, especially from the U.S. and Asia.”
“Our biggest markets are traditionally based in Europe,” Pélisson adds. “The U.S. has been growing into an important partner, especially for fiction. The Rendez-Vous unites buyers from all important pay and free TV broadcasters in Europe. And for this year, we are very happy to have some new companies attending from Latin America and Asia.
“For this 2024 edition of the Rendez-Vous, Unifrance offers a new venue, with and thanks to the great support of the city of Le Havre and the region of Normandy,” Pélisson points out. “There will be a different location for every evening. Hopefully, this also means new opportunities for the various French programs.”
This year’s event will have around 40 territories represented and around 200 buyers – similar to last year.
“We are facing new challenges, and it is our first edition in Le Havre,” Elstner says. “But with over 1,000 programs screened, we are confident that buyers will cherish their experience.”
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