The 30th Unifrance Rendez-Vous, an event usually held in Biarritz, will shift to Le Havre. Since 2007, Biarritz has hosted the world's largest market devoted to French audiovisual works. After seventeen editions on the Basque coast, Unifrance wanted to breathe new life into these Rendez-Vous, while retaining a particularly effective formula for promoting the sale of French audiovisual programs.
The Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre will take place in the Normandy city in early September 2024. The event will welcome 60 French distributors and around 200 buyers, from some 50 countries around the world, over three days of market. These meetings will be punctuated by themed lunches and dinners, including the gala evening initiated in 2022. Buyers will be able to discover the latest French audiovisual creations in a wide range of genres: fiction, animation, documentary, live performance, and entertainment.
According to the organizers, the city's geographical location, just two hours by train from Paris, is a major advantage for the organization of these Rendez-Vous. The proximity of the capital makes the market more accessible for buyers who flock to them from all over the world, sellers, or artists.
Unifrance will be able to count on strong support from local authorities, both at city and regional level, who are already actively involved in supporting the French audiovisual and film industries. Through its Normandie Images agency, the Région Normandie supports the creation and production of films, as well as hosting numerous film shoots, notably for French series. Since 2015, the city has also been home to the Rencontres Nationales sur les Séries du Havre. In June 2023, Le Havre also launched Les Révélations, an event that celebrates the image and film industry, with the aim of helping people discover all the stages of production and the spheres of work involved, with a view to encouraging vocations.
“Unifrance is delighted with this new collaboration with the city and regional teams, who are especially closely involved. This partnership, which will undoubtedly be rich and constructive, will further enhance the dissemination and reputation of French audiovisual creation,” the company said.