LE RENDEZ-VOUS BIARRITZ: THE PLACE FOR THE BEST FRENCH CONTENT

The 26th edition of Le Rendez-Vous Biarritz, to be held from September 7 to 9, is to take a special hybrid format. As part of this event, TV France International is offering its members the opportunity to present international buyers with some of their new flagship programs in the form of real television programs and, for the first time, to present video pitches of documentary projects in the early stages of development.

Nine highlighted French programs will be offered across the three days, with fiction on Monday 7, documentaries on Tuesday 8, and animation series on Wednesday 9. They will be the subject of nine programs filmed either in live conditions or actually live and then available to watch again on the event’s dedicated digital platform: http://rdvbiarritz.com/. As of Monday, September 7, 15 documentary projects presented via video will also be on the platform, which will be available until September 30.

PROGRAMS HOSTED BY JOURNALISTS MAKE FRENCH CONTENT THE MAIN EVENT

Among the programs shown by members of TV France International, nine have been selected by the TV France Board of Directors. They will be each be the subject of a 30-minute filmed program hosted by two alternating moderators: Elsa Keslassy, journalist for Variety, and François-Pier Pelinard Lambert, Editor-in-Chief of Le Film Français. Broadcasting from a Biarritz-style set installed on the roof of the Publicis Groupe building on the Champs Elysées, they will hear from distributors, producers, authors, and actors. A conversation will be interspersed with extracts about the origins of the programs and their unique qualities, as well as details of how they will attract audiences from across the globe.

The 3 programs in the Animation category are: “Esther's Notebooks” ( Studiocanal); “Kid Lucky” (Mediatoon Distribution) and “Pompon Little Bear” (Dandelooo).

The 3 programs in the Fiction category are: “About Last Night” (Studiocanal); “Parliament” (France tv distribution) and “Wonderland” (Mediawan Rights).

The 3 programs in the Documentary category are: “The Mad Adventures of Louis de Funès” (Balanga); Iran from Above  (Lucky You) and “Pierrefonds, the =Eternal Castle” (INA)

PITCHING SESSIONS FOR AMBITIOUS FRENCH DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS

Taking advantage of this year’s unique digital offer, Le Rendez-Vous Biarritz has, for the first time ever, invited its members to share pitches for new documentary projects with the buyers and commissioning editors set to attend the event (already 314 to date). Fifteen recorded pitches of four minutes each will be available between September 7 and 9 on the Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz 2020 digital platform.

The 15 documentary projects chosen are “When Big Tech Targets Healthcare (ARTE Distribution); Trump Almighty (Kwanza); “Agrochemicals vs Life – The Mass Extinction of Insects” (AndanaFilms); “Tank Tech: Evolution of a War Machine” (Balanga); “Animal Democracy” (Terranoa); “Of Vaccinations and Science” (AndanaFilms); “Charlie Parker” (Illégitime Défense); “Europe Rebooted” (Point du Jour International); “1942, the World at War” (Lucky You); “Anti-Semitism, 2 000 Years of History” (ARTE Distribution); “Genius Plants” (ZED); “The Altruistic Enterprise: a Realistic Utopia?” (Beliane); “The Zimov Experiment” (CLPB Rights); “The Lost Ones - Season 2” (INA); “Virus Hunter” (Only Distrib).