After a successful first edition in 2023, the French TV Screenings will once again be a highlight of the 26th Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris. These exclusive and event-based presentations will allow audiovisual buyers to discover the latest releases from eight distribution companies.
The French TV Screenings will take place on January 16 and 17, 2024, at the Club de l'Étoile, and will be open to international television buyers, the press, Unifrance guests, along with those of the companies presenting their programmes.
Discover below an overview of the eight participating companies' presentations.
● ARTE DISTRIBUTION
For its French TV Screening, ARTE Distribution will present the richness of its catalogue, and the talents that make it. In the vast nature & discovery collection, Le cinquième rêve, producer of the International Emmy Award-nominated “700 Sharks,” will present footage from the series “Europe’s Wildest Heritage.”
In the History category, producer Ma Drogue à Moi will reveal archaeological discoveries by “The Mystery of the Desert Kites” team. Then, directors Jules Giraudat and Arthur Bouvart will guide the audience through a geopolitical thriller spanning several years and several continents to find “The Thing, America's Invisible Enemy.”
Véronique Préault and the Tournez S'il Vous Plaît Production team will answer the question: is a girl as likely to become rich as a boy in a major societal investigation regarding “Women & Money?”, while Hauteville Productions will help attendance understand the mechanisms of our brain and thought in “Your Brain is Playing Tricks” on you.
Finally, Silex Films will transport the audience to the heart of the 19th century with beautiful animated images from the sublime artistic and historical fresco: “The Legends of Paris: a Tale of the 19th century Artistic Scene,” which is a true voyage through different countries and eras to understand a little more about man and humanity.
● BALANGA
Balanga will present the first episode of the series “2080, Our Futures” (4x52’), produced for Canal+. In this documentary series, each episode gives a glimpse of conceivable futures through the daily life of a fictional character. The scientists' interviews will approach various issues related to technology, environment, energy, demographic.
● FEDERATION STUDIOS
Meanwhile, Federation Studios comes back to the French TV Screenings to present in world premiere the first images of their event series presented in 2023, in presence of the talents: Bruno Nahon and Yan England for “Rematch,” and Jean-Xavier De Lestrade and Matthieu Belghiti for “Samber.” It will also be the occasion to introduce the most recent series from its 2024 lineup, already available or looking for pre-sales.
● FRANCE TV DISTRIBUTION
France tv distribution will be presenting, for the first time and exclusively to international buyers, the first episode of the event series “The Huguenots” (6x52'), produced by Les Films du Cap and Together Media for France 2. The screening will be introduced by director Christopher Thompson and by some members of the cast.
Based on the best-selling literary saga “Fortune of France,” “The Huguenots” is an adventure series about a family plunged into the European wars of religion in the 16th century: the Sioracs. The series boasts a prestigious cast of renowned actors such as Nicolas Duvauchelle, Lucie Debay, Guillaume Gouix, Grégory Fitoussi, and Antoine Gouy, and also rising talents like Simon Zampieri, Lou Lampros, Angelina Woreth, Marcel Thompson, etc.
● HAVE A GOOD ONE (HAGO)
Have A Good One will present four very different titles: a dystopian thriller where a disease erases people’s personal memory (“LT-21”); a dramatic comedy in which laughter is forbidden (“Rictus”); a 6-part thriller where anyone can become a hitman or a target (“Knok”); and finally a love-at-first-sight story between two women on the set of a show, where feminine desire, feelings, sex and sensuality are central, with a completely unprecedented vision (“Split”).
● MEDIAWAN RIGHTS
Mediawan Rights will be presenting three of its 2024 highlights: “Machine,” a whirlwind of action and suspense, where thriller meets revolution; “Serial Hunter,” a thrilling crime series featuring a pair of extraordinary investigators who will do anything to track down an elusive serial killer; and “Tom & Lola,” the new DEMD series starring Dounia Coesens and Pierre-Yves Bon.
● NEWEN CONNECT
Newen Connect will present its French TV Screening in the presence of creative teams, showcasing a selection of event titles for 2024. Covering all genres, these include dramas “Unit 8200” (Elephant International & Keshet Studios International for TF1 - work in progress title), “Le Négociateur” (Caméra Subjective & B2films for TF1), “In the Shadows” (Elzévir & Deuxième Ligne Films for France 2), “Law & Disorder” (Itinéraire Productions for TF1), and ARTE’s record-breaking series “Polar Park” (247 Max).
Furthermore, the company will showcase documentary titles “Winds: an Invisible Strength” (Films à Cinq for ARTE), “Hamas” (Capa for France Télévisions) and “Jesus’ Family Secrets” (Capa for RMC Story), plus animated series “Azuro & the Dragon’s Squad” (La Chouette Compagnie for TF1).
● OBLE
Lastly, Oble will be showing an episode from the series “The Plague,” reflecting the timely themes addressed in the fiction, followed by a discussion on the timelessness of Albert Camus' best-selling novel “La Peste” and its even greater resonance today.
As a slightly dystopian drama, “The Plague” echoes our post-Covid society’s preoccupations and asks where our humanity lies in times of great uncertainty. The series’ creators and actors will address how the story of Dr. Rieux, the heroes at his side and their antagonists, has been updated through contemporary and universal storylines. In particular, they will discuss the social issues addressed in Camus’ novel and introduced in the series (freedom, democracy, surveillance, etc.).