Unifrance Rendez-Vous gathered 180 global buyers in its first edition in Le Havre

From September 2 to 6, the 30th Unifrance Rendez-Vous took place for the first time in Le Havre, on the Normandy coast. The total region extended a particularly warm welcome to participants, and showcased the region to great effect, whether during the opening evening at the Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer, where participants were welcomed by Édouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre and President of the Communauté Urbaine Le Havre Seine Métropole, or during the cocktail reception organized in Deauville at the Franciscaines, at the invitation of Hervé Morin, President of the Région Normandie. Both underlined the importance of the audiovisual sector at the local level, and its cultural and economic importance.

Export figures for French audiovisual programs in 2023 were announced by the CNC and Unifrance reporting sales that remained at a high level of €203.4 million. This is the third time in 30 years that sales have exceeded the €200 million mark, reflecting the quality and diversity of audiovisual works in all genres, which continue to appeal to the international market. Against this buoyant backdrop, the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre enabled 180 international buyers from some 40 countries to discover over 700 programs presented by 56 audiovisual distribution companies.

Of the 180 buyers present, 80% represented linear channels and 15% VoD services. This was a first-time participation for 17% of the companies present, and for 16% of the buyers. In terms of genres, 29% said they were looking for animation programs, 55% for fiction, and 64% for documentaries, bearing in mind that some buyers do not limit themselves to a single genre. In terms of delegations, the 10 most represented countries this year were Spain, Poland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, USA, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

NEW LAUNCHES
Throughout the Rendez-Vous, participants were able to discover the flagship programs featured at convivial lunches and dinners, as effective as ever in promoting the programs, as well as at screenings, which were also well attended. For the gala evening, showrunner and director Marc Fitoussi, actresses and dancers Nastasia Caruge, Audjyan Alcide, Océane Giustiniani, and Mia-Jade Guendjian, and producers Michel Feller (Mon Voisin Production-Mediwan) and Stéphane Sperry (Federation Studio France) made the trip to present the exclusive first episode of the "Ça, c'est Paris" series, created by Fitoussi, Edgar F. Grima ans Jérôme Bruno, and distributed by Feredration Studios. In the spirit of the series, guests were treated to an exclusive show presented by dancers from the legendary Paradis Latin.

SCREENING ROOM
The most viewed dramatic fictions in the screening room were "The Eclipse", series written by Cécile Lorne, Hélène Duchateau, and Baptiste Filleul, and directed by Franck Brett, distributed by About Premium Content, "Tom and Lola", series written by Camille Couasse and Sarah Farkas, and directed by Jason Roffé, distributed by Mediawan Rights; "The Black Widow", series written by Franck Olliver, and directed by Philippe Dajoux, distributed by Film & Picture; "Ça, c'est Paris", series written by Marc Fitoussi, Edgar F. Grima and Jérôme Bruno, and directed by Marc Fitoussi, distributed by Federation Studios; "Sea Shadows", series written by Jonathan Rio and Monica Rattazi, and directed by David Hourrègue, distributed by France tv distribution; "ex-aequo with Carpe Diem", series written by Julien Guérif and Pierre Isoard, and directed by Pierre Isoard, distributed by Newen Connect.

In the documentaries segment, buyers viewed "The Legends of Paris: A Tale of the 19th century Artistic Scene", series written by Amélie Harrault, Valérie Loiseleux, and Céline Ronté, and directed by Amélie Harrault, distributed by Arte Distribution; "De l’assiette à l’océan", written and directed by Julien Challandes and Malaury Morin, distributed by Only Distrib; "Une pastorale américaine", directed by Auberi Edler, distributed by Mediawan Rights; "Humans Before Neanderthals", directed by Emma Baus, distributed by ZED; "ex-aequo with Le rêve de Léonard: les secrets du vol dans la nature", written and directed by Clément Champiat, distributed by Java Films; and with "Decoding Animal Culture", directed by Alexandra Ternant and Hervé Glabeck, distributed by Terranoa.

In animation, the most viewed titles were "Lana Longbeard", series written by Baljeet Rai and Alice Prodanou, and directed by Franz Kirchner, distributed by APC Kids; "The Tinies", series directed by Wassim Botaleb Jutai, distributed by MIAM!distribution; "Samuel", series written and directed by Émilie Tronche, distributed by Folivari International; "No-No", series directed by Mathieu Auvray, Jean-Sébastien Vernerie, and Martin Granica, distributed by Autour de Minuit; "ex-aequo with La Vie de château", series written by Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat, directed by Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat and Nathaniel H'Limi, distributed by Xilam Animation; "ex-aequo with Where's Chicky?", series directed by William Hoareau, distributed by Xilam Animation; and "Woolly Woolly", written and directed by Emmanuel Linderer, distributed by Festivaal Distribution.