12/01/2021 - Organised online this year from 13 to 15 January, UniFrance's event will provide upwards of 800 buyers from 59 countries with the opportunity to discover the line-ups of 44 French sales agents

Scores of cinemas around the world might still be closed on account of the health crisis (resulting in a huge number of films awaiting release and the prospect of hefty backlogs once movie-theatres are eventually given the green light), but the ability of film industry professionals to look to the future, not to mention the appeal of French films, both remain fully intact, as evidenced by the mighty battalion of 800 buyers, hailing from 59 countries, who have signed up for the 23rd Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Paris, which will this year unfold online, between 13 and 15 January, under the aegis of UniFrance (steered by Executive Director Daniela Elstner and President Serge Toubiana). The event is preceded, today, by an assortment of online panels and keynote speeches, under the banner “Beyond Borders” (which can be followed live here), and will also host an XXL press junket involving 90 artists (filmmakers and actors) who are toplining a variety of French films - whose 2021 release is the subject of much excitement around the world - and who are scheduled to meet with 144 international journalists via videoconference as part of the Rendez-Vous event. All this, without forgetting the launch of the 11^th MyFrenchFilmFestival on 15 January (article).

Over the course of the three-day online market, buyers will get to watch 67 French films (31 of which will be market premieres) via a dedicated and secure Cinando website, and will also get to negotiate over the 136 French productions or co-productions presented within the remarkably diverse line-ups put forward by the 44 French international sales agents in action.

Wild Bunch International will be screening A Brighter Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
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interview: Souheila Yacoub
film profile] by Yassine Qnia in a market premiere, and will notably be pre-selling post-production titles Deception [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud Desplechin
film profile] by Arnaud Desplechin, Titane [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julia Ducournau, Vincent Li…
film profile] by Julia Ducournau, Incredible But True [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Quentin Dupieux
film profile] by Quentin Dupieux, Happening [+see also:
film review
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interview: Anamaria Vartolomei
film profile] by Audrey Diwan (based upon Annie Ernaux’s novel of the same name and starring Anamaria Vartolomei, Sandrine Bonnaire and Pio Marmaï) and The Road Ahead [+see also:
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film profile] by Nessim Chikhaoui (starring Shaïn Boumedine at the head of the cast), without forgetting Earwig [+see also:
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interview: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
film profile] by Lucile Hadzihalilovic, and a film which is currently in the shooting phase: Both Sides of the Blade [+see also:
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trailer
film profile]  (working title: Fire) by Claire Denis (involving a love triangle composed of Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon and Grégoire Colin, with sales jointly managed by French-British firm Anton).

Playtime will be wagering on the market premiere of Nine Antico’s Playlist [+see also:
film review
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interview: Nine Antico
film profile] and will also be wielding an incredible number of more or less secret weapons shining bright in post-production, including Arthur Rambo [+see also:
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interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile] by Laurent Cantet, Paris 13th District [+see also:
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film profile] by Jacques Audiard, Everything Went Fine [+see also:
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film profile] by François Ozon, 15 Ways to Kill Your Neighbour [+see also:
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film profile] by Santiago Mitre, Memory Box [+see also:
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interview: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil J…
film profile] by the directorial duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, and Nobody Has To Know [+see also:
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interview: Bouli Lanners
film profile] by Bouli Lanners, not to mention Inexorable [+see also:
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interview: Fabrice Du Welz
film profile] by Fabrice du Welz and Joan by Laurent Larivière (article). For its part, Playtime’s Belgian subsidiary Be For Films has a few aces up its sleeves in post-production, in the form of Azor [+see also:
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interview: Andreas Fontana
film profile] by Andreas Fontana and Little Lesson of Love [+see also:
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film profile] by Ève Deboise.

Over and above the market premieres of the documentaries I Have Been Waiting for You [+see also:
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film profile] by Stéphanie Pillonca and Gallant Indies [+see also:
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film profile] by Philippe Béziat, Pyramide International will be pinning their hopes on the post-production titles Cop Goes Missing [+see also:
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film profile] by Frédéric Videau and Secret Name [+see also:
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interview: Aurélia Georges
film profile] by Aurélia Georges.

Also on the agenda, courtesy of Charades, is a market premiere of Skies of Lebanon [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Chloé Mazlo (awarded Cannes’ 2020 Critics’ Week label) and, among other French titles in post-production, Little Nicolas’ Treasure by Julien Rappeneau, The Test by Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud (article), Madeleine Collins [+see also:
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interview: Antoine Barraud
film profile] by Antoine Barraud and Zero Fucks Given [+see also:
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interview: Emmanuel Marre and Julie Le…
film profile] by Emmanuel Marre.

Le Pacte, who will be unveiling Tokyo Shaking by Olivier Peyon and Three Times Nothing [+see also:
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film profile] by Nadège Loiseau, will also be banking - post-production-wise - on Besties [+see also:
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film profile] by Marion Desseigne Ravel and Onoda – 10,000 Nights in the Jungle [+see also:
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interview: Arthur Harari
film profile] by Arthur Harari.

Indie Sales will primarily place its trust in the future with three post-production works: France [+see also:
film review
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interview: Bruno Dumont
film profile] by Bruno Dumont, Florence Miailhe’s animated film The Crossing [+see also:
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film profile] and Flore Vasseur’s documentary Bigger than Us [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Best Friend Forever (Indie Sales’ Belgian subsidiary) will offer up two appealing market premieres in the form of I Comete – A Corsican Summer [+see also:
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interview: Pascal Tagnati
film profile] by Pascal Tagnati (which is set to compete in Rotterdam’s 2021 Tiger Competition) and Louloute [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Hubert Viel (which triumphed in La Roche-sur-Yon).

Kinology will also be flaunting an eye-catching selection of films in post-production, namely Annette [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Leos Carax, Bergman Island [+see also:
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interview: Mia Hansen-Løve
film profile] by Mia Hansen-Løve, Dirty Paradise [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Bertrand Mandico, Ahed's Knee [+see also:
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interview: Nadav Lapid
film profile] by Nadav Lapid and Eugénie Grandet [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Marc Dugain.

Les Films du Losange will screen Benoît Jacquot’s Suzanna Andler [+see also:
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film profile] in a market premiere, before it moves on to the Rotterdam Film Festival.

Totem Films will present a market premiere of the documentary Sheroes [+see also:
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film profile] by Aude Pépin and, in post-production terms, will notably wager on Softie [+see also:
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interview: Samuel Theis
film profile] by Samuel Theis.

The Bureau Sales will unveil Lifelines [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Fabienne Godet.

Three market premieres will come courtesy of WTFilms, in the form of Margaux Hartmann [+see also:
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interview: Ludovic Bergery
film profile] by Ludovic Bergery, The Lodger [+see also:
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film profile] by Baptiste Drapeau and the comedy Fake News by the duo Mouloud Achour – Dominique Baumard (starring Anthony Bajon, Roman Frayssinet, Djimo, Mathieu Kassovitz and Ludivine Sagnier).

Gaumont will treat buyers to market premieres of Aline, The Voice of Love [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Valérie Lemercier and Vicky and Her Mystery by Denis Imbert, while Hold Me Tight [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Mathieu Amalric, Fantasies by David and Stéphane Foenkinos, Lost Illusions [+see also:
film review
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interview: Xavier Giannoli
film profile] by Xavier Giannoli, From Africa With Love [+see also:
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film profile] by Nicolas Bedos and The Accusation [+see also:
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interview: Yvan Attal
film profile] by Yvan Attal are also worth mentioning on their post-production film slate.

France TV Distribution will bank on the market premiere of Hommes au bord de la crise de nerfs by Audrey Dana.

Bac Films will wager on a market premiere of The Enemy [+see also:
film review
interview: Stephan Streker
film profile] by Stephan Streker and will be banking, in post-production terms, on Our Men [+see also:
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interview: Rachel Lang
film profile] by Rachel Lang and Nicolas Pleskok’s soon-to-wrap work The Murder Party (news).

Orange Studio will be presenting three market premieres, in the form of C’est magnifique ! [+see also:
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film profile] by Clovis Cornillac and comedies Uman - The Perfect Man [+see also:
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film profile] by Xavier Durringer and The Imaginary Doctor by Ahmed Hamidi.

Other Angle Pictures will also put forward a trio of market premiere comedies; namely The Butcher’s Daughter [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Christopher Thompson, Retirement Home [+see also:
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film profile] by Thomas Gilou and Spoiled Brats [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Nicolas Cuche.

Pathé International will likewise pin their hopes on three market premieres, composed of Fly Me Away [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Christophe Barratier, Christmas with the Tuches by Olivier Baroux and Knock, Knock, It’s Mom by Éric Lavaine.

Elle Driver will be banking on post-production titles Promises [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Kruithof
film profile] by Thomas Kruithof (toplined by Isabelle Huppert) and The Companions by François Favrat, among other works.

Last but not least, mk2 Films will chiefly try their luck with post-production movies The Young Lovers [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Carine Tardieu, The Love Letter [+see also:
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film profile] by Jérôme Bonnell and Petite Solange [+see also:
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interview: Axelle Ropert
film profile] by Axelle Ropert.

Buyers will also have the opportunity to negotiate with all those French international sales agents who aren’t offering market premieres but whose line-ups are full to bursting with highly diverse titles, whether finished, in post-production, in production or at the project stage: Memento Films International, The Party Film Sales, Luxbox (who have The Restless [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Lafosse
film profile] by Joachim Lafosse in post-production), Alpha Violet, Loco Films, Funny Balloons, Shellac (Our Eternal Summer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Émilie Aussel
film profile] by Émilie Aussel in post-production), Pulsar Content, Coproduction Office, Celluloid Dreams, TF1 Studio, StudioCanal, Wide, Urban Distribution International, Alfama Films, Cinexport, Cité Films, MPM Premium and Autour de Minuit, not to mention Reel Suspects (news) and SND (read our article - who will notably open the online Meetings with a market premiere of Délicieux [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Éric Besnard).

(Translated from French)