News

Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” is finally getting a U.S. release, six years after premiering at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize under Lucrecia Martel’s jury. The film, which won four of its 12 César nominations including Best Director in 2020, is now set for a two-week limited engagement, starting August 8, at New York City’s Film Forum.

Film Forum isn’t handling the release beyond showings at its own venue, IndieWire has learned, which were booked by “An Officer and a Spy” producer Alain Goldman. News of the engagement was included deep into Film Forum’s summer programming announcement that went out Monday, June 9 (and also highlighted by World of Reel).

“An Officer and a Spy” is led by Louis Garrel, who portrays French army Captain Alfred Dreyfus after his trial. The politically scandalous Dreyfus affair took place around the turn...

Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti is set to receive the Variety Vanguard Award, which will be presented in October at the Mipcom global content market in Cannes.

The award recognizes television industry leaders who have made a significant contribution to the global business of entertainment. Bassetti, who leads the French-headquartered TV production and distribution giant behind hits including “Survivor” and “Peaky Blinders,” will receive the award, presented by Variety and Mipcom, on Oct. 13 as part of his keynote conversation at the Palais de Festivals.

“Marco Bassetti is one of the most entrepreneurial, visionary and impactful television executives of our era who has led Banijay Entertainment to be the world’s largest production and distribution group through his championing of creativity, independence, and innovation,” said Lucy Smith, director of Mipcom Cannes and Mipjunior. “It is our privilege to partner with Variety to recognize his achievements in front of the global TV industry...

Exclusive: Here’s a very cool project bubbling at this year’s Cannes market.

We can reveal that Jacob Elordi and Lily-Rose Depp, two of the industry’s buzziest young names, are set to star in Outer Dark, a film based on iconic author Cormac McCarthy’s (No Country For Old Men) dark 1968 novel.

The “dark fairytale”, which is being lined up to shoot in 2026, will mark the English-language debut of Oscar-winning Son Of Saul filmmaker Laszlo Nemes.

Outer Dark is set in Appalachia during the Great Depression and tells of a young woman who bears her brother’s baby. The brother leaves the nameless infant in the woods to die, but tells his sister that the newborn died of natural causes and had to be buried. The sister discovers this lie and sets out to find the baby for herself. But as both brother and sister separately move through the countryside,...

Exclusive: France’s Studio TF1 has hired Julia Stuart, the former director of original Film at Sky, on a consultancy basis, and appointed Warner Bros. France exec Cristina Batlle as the head of its budding theatrical distribution operation.

The hires follow the rebranding in January of Newen Studios to Studio TF1, followed by an internal restructuring in March, and an announcement that the Paris-based pan-European production and distribution group would be expanding its cinema activities in France and getting behind more ambitious international co-productions.

The strategy is being spearheaded by Pierre Branco, who joined Studio TF1 (then Newen Studios) as CEO in March 2024, after 17 years at Warner Bros. France, where he rose to the position of General Manager France, Benelux and Africa.

Originally acquired by commercial TV giant the TF1 Group in 2015, the rebranded Studio TF1 group encompasses 50 production and distributions labels in 12 territories in Europe and predominantly focuses on audiovisual content.

Lazlo Nemes, the Hungarian filmmaker whose harrowing Holocaust drama “Son of Saul” won the Oscar for best international feature in 2016, is returning to WWII for his latest movie.

“Moulin” is set to tell the story of French Resistance hero Jean Moulin, and will be a French-language film starring Gilles Lellouche (“Tell No One”) and Lars Eidinger (“Clouds of Sils Maria”). The film will be introduced to buyers at this year’s Cannes Film Market, with Patrick Wachsberger’s 193 representing sales rights.

Based on true events, the story will follow Moulin (Lellouche) as he’s parachuted into occupied France to unite the French resistance fighters under Charles de Gaulle’s leadership. The film depicts how, despite all efforts to stay in the shadows, Moulin is ultimately betrayed and tortured at the hands of the ambitious head of the Gestapo in Lyon, Klaus Barbie (Eidinger). But even when locked in a tense,...

Patrick Wachsberger and Legendary’s Jv 193 will rep sales rights in Cannes to French-language biopic Moulin, about WWII resistance fighter Jean Moulin.

Gilles Lellouche (Tell No One) and Lars Eidinger (Clouds of Sils Maria) will star in the film from Oscar-winning filmmaker László Nemes (Son of Saul).

Based on true events, the film will chart how Jean Moulin (Lellouche) parachuted into occupied France to unite the French resistance fighters under Charles de Gaulle’s leadership. Despite efforts to stay in the shadows, Jean Moulin is ultimately betrayed and tortured at the hands of the ambitious Head of the Gestapo in Lyon, Klaus Barbie (Eidinger). But even when locked in a tense, deadly standoff with the vicious Barbie, Moulin doesn’t break, and his courage and silence helps lead to the liberation of France, while leaving behind a new spirit of strength and resistance.

The film is produced by Alain Goldman...

For over six decades, the names Asterix and Obelix have conjured images of indomitable spirit, potent magic potions, and resounding slaps delivered to hapless Roman legionaries. Since their debut in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote in 1959, the diminutive, cunning warrior Asterix and his eternally strong, menhir-delivering friend Obelix have stood as icons of French popular culture. Created by the legendary duo of writer René Goscinny and artist Albert Uderzo, their adventures resisting Julius Caesar’s legions in 50 BC have captivated generations, selling over 385 million books worldwide in 111 languages and dialects. The saga of the small Gaulish village holding out against Roman occupation has spawned a multimedia empire, encompassing numerous animated and live-action films, video games, merchandise, and even a beloved theme park, Parc Astérix.

Netflix is set to premiere Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, a new 3D computer-animated miniseries consisting of five 30-minute episodes. While Netflix previously hosted the...

After releasing stand-out animations like Nimona, Ultraman Rising, Spellbound, and Wallace & Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl, Netflix is ready to take this year’s Annecy International Animation Festival by storm with exciting new releases planned for 2025 and beyond. Netflix Animation returns to the Théâtre Bonlieu on Wednesday, June 11, for the fest, with exclusive previews for the animated fantasy adventure In Your Dreams and Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.

Executive producer Eric Robles will present a world-exclusive first look at the Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 series, while director Alex Woo, production designer Steven Pilcher, and VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender will debut never-before-seen footage from their upcoming film In Your Dreams during a special panel. Additionally, Netflix will bring Genndy Tartakovsky’s Fixed to the Annecy stage for its world premiere on Wednesday, June 11.

Other must-see events include A masterclass with Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of BoJack Horseman, which follows on Thursday, June...

The story of an infamous alleged French swindler is getting the series treatment.

Banijay France has revealed its banner Screenline Productions is teaming with StudioFact Stories, and newspaper Le Parisien, to jointly-develop a series about the case of French businesswoman Aurélie Bard, aka Aurélie B., under the working title of L’Arnaqueuse de Kiabi.

Based on the investigation and exclusive revelations from ‘Le Parisien’, the series will explore the story of the former treasurer of fashion brand Kiabi, who allegedly embezzled over €100 million.

An unassuming woman, she is accused of reportedly exploiting financial loopholes for over a decade to fuel an extravagant lifestyle. After a meteoric rise, she was arrested by authorities in August 2024, but to date, she is presumed innocent, with the case ongoing.

“The Aurélie B case is a fascinating story of alleged deception and fraud, driven by a complex, romantic character with a dark side. With Le...

Banijay France has combined Banijay Studios France and Shine Fiction to create a scripted powerhouse, which will be known as Shine Fiction. The company, which will be led by chairman Dominique Farrugia and chief operating officer Guillaume Thouret, will concentrate on premium series for French broadcasters and global streamers.

Shine Fiction now houses some of France’s standout dramas, including “Marie Antoinette,” which has sold to over 140 markets via Banijay Rights, and has just debuted its second series on Canal+. Other titles include Apple TV+ series “Carême,” which has its world premiere at Series Mania. Upcoming shows include comedy-crime series “The Family Detective” (TF1), thriller “Rien ne t’efface” (TF1), and mysterious coming-of-age drama “Désenchantées” (France TV).

Shine Fiction’s team of producers including Chanelle Bernard, Stéphanie Chartreux, Carole Della Valle and Soizic Gaolbird.

Alexia Laroche-Joubert, CEO of Banijay France, said: “By proactively bringing together these two renowned labels under the Shine Fiction banner,...

Global streamer Netflix has unveiled a teaser and new photos for the upcoming Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, a French-language animated series based on the popular comic book franchise Asterix & Obelix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo that is set for release in spring 2025.

Alain Chabat, writer and director of the blockbuster 2002 live-action hit Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, created the series and is directing it with Fabrice Joubert. Mission Cleopatra, starring Christian Clavier as Asterix and Gérard Depardieu as Obelix, grossed more than $128 million at the global box office.

“Rome is desperate to conquer the last independent village in Gaul and the home of Asterix and Obelix,” according to a synopsis of Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, produced by Alain Goldman and from animation studio Tat Productions. “The secret to the Gauls’ battle superiority is a magic potion, but when the potion master loses his memory, the...

Netflix gave a sneak peek at its 2025 line-up of non-English programming yesterday with shows such as The Leopard (Italy), Last Samurai Standing (Japan), The Empress S2 (Germany), El Refugio Atómico (Spain), Senna (Brazil), Alice in Borderland S3 (Japan), and even this year’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia).

“People like the authenticity of local stories,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said.

“When you try to make something that appeals to everyone, you just end up making something that appeals to no one.” It’s why Bajaria encourages her teams to be ambitious and support the vision of creators with the “goal to make shows and films that resonate in their home country first.”

Netflix shouted out the stat that they dub in 36 languages and subtitle shows in 33 languages. Bajaria also said that 80% of Netflix subs watch Korean content.

Bajaria at Netflix’s International Showcase

Alcaraz (Spain)

Docuseries

Alcaraz...

November 2024 brings an exciting lineup of Prime Video Originals, featuring a diverse range of films and series that cater to various tastes. Kicking off the month is Freedom on November 1, a gripping French thriller inspired by the true story of a notorious gangster, featuring a strong cast led by Lucas Bravo. Following this, on November 7, the Hindi action series Citadel (Honey Bunny), a spin-off of the acclaimed original, delves into the world of international spies with stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan. The disaster film Every Minute Counts arrives on November 8, chronicling the aftermath of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

On November 10, the documentary series German Cocaine Cowboy examines the rise of gangster Joe Marx within the Cali cartel. Other highlights include the thriller series Cross on November 14, the action-adventure film Red One on November 15, and the intriguing docu-film Billions Mike on November 17. Comedy fans can look forward to Jeff Dunham...

Prime Video has released the official trailer and poster for Mélanie Laurent’s new film Freedom (“Libre”), starring Lucas Bravo of Emily in Paris. The film will begin streaming globally on November 1.

Inspired by the daring exploits of a legendary outlaw in France in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Freedom follows the electrifying story of Bruno Sulak (Lucas Bravo), a suave and daring criminal who stole hearts alongside riches. Known for his charm and finesse, Sulak masterminded daring heists without firing a single shot.

But as his infamy grew, so did the relentless pursuit of George Moréas, a tenacious police commissioner with a knack for outsmarting criminals. As Moréas closes in, Sulak’s escapes from prison become legendary, fuelled by a lust for freedom, and a burning desire for his lover Annie (Léa Luce Busato).

Amidst the chaos of their criminal spree, Sulak and Annie become the ultimate symbols...

Lucas Bravo is bringing one of France’s most iconic criminals to life in Mélanie Laurent’s “Freedom.”

The Amazon Prime Video feature is inspired by true story of Bruno Sulak, who infamously masterminded jewelry-store heists — sans guns — in the 1970s and early 1980s. Bravo portrays Sulak in the biopic.

Here’s more, straight from the film’s official synopsis: “Known for his charm and finesse, Sulak masterminded daring heists without firing a single shot. But as his infamy grew, so did the relentless pursuit of George Moréas (Yvan Attal), a tenacious police commissioner with a knack for outsmarting criminals. As Moréas closes in, Sulak’s escapes from prison become legendary, fueled by a lust for freedom, and a burning desire for his lover Annie (Léa Luce Busato). Amidst the chaos of their criminal spree, Sulak and Annie become the ultimate symbols of defiance in the most exhilarating game of...

Amazon Prime Video has set the launch date and unveiled art for Mélanie Laurent’s upcoming heist romance “Freedom” (“Libre”) starring Lucas Bravo (“Emily in Paris”).

The movie, which will launch exclusively on Prime Video on Nov. 1 across more than 240 countries, reteams the streamer and the acclaimed actor-turned-filmmaker following “The Mad Women’s Ball” which world premiered at Toronto Film Festival in 2019.

Based on a true story of a renowned French gangster of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, “Freedom” stars Bravo as Bruno Sulak, a highly charming criminal à la Arsène Lupin who orchestrated daring heists without firing a single shot. The film also charts Sulak’s cat-and-mouse game with George Moréas (Yvan Attal), a tenacious police commissioner, as well as his numerous escapes from prison and relationship with lover Annie, who is played by newcomer Léa Luce Busato.

Thomas Dubois, head of French originals at Amazon Studios, said working...

Picture Perfect Entertainment head Patrick Wachsberger arrives on the Croisette with key pre-sales in the bag on his hot-ticket French adaptation of The Incredible Shrinking Man starring Jean Dujardin.

Production began in Brussels last week on the feature based on the Richard Matheson novel and Universal’s 1957 black and white film about a man who faces danger at every turn after he is exposed to radiation and insecticide and shrinks to less than one inch tall.

Dujardin, who won the Oscar for The Artist, reunites with his 99 Francs director Jan Kounen.

Deals have closed in Germany (Leonine), Italy (Rai), Latin...

Less than three months after being tapped CEO of Banijay France, Alexia Laroche-Joubert, a well-known industry figure, has enlisted Authentic Media, a leading French premium scripted banner that will join the “Peaky Blinders” production-distribution powerhouse.

The acquisition of Authentic Media, who produced hit French adaptations of series such as “Rita” and “This is Us,” took a couple of years to materialize and will further bolster Banijay France’s portfolio of scripted labels. These include the in-house outfits Banijay Studio France and Shine Fiction; as well as Fiction’Air (“Les Disparus de la Forêt Noire”); Terence Films (“Rivière-Perdue”); Montmartre; Screen Line (“Trash”); and Marathon, which has three series in development.

Founded in 2011 by Aline Panel, Authentic Media’s production output spans drama, film, and documentary. With 15 projects in development, the company has developed seven seasons of “Sam,” based on the Nordic series hit “Rita” which was created by Christian Torpe for...

Patrick Wachsberger’s Picture Perfect Entertainment is launching international sales on Jan Kounen’s “The Incredible Shrinking Man” starring Jean Dujardin, the Oscar-winning actor of “The Artist.”

The ambitious film is a modern adaption of Richard Matheson’s science fiction novel, which was previously brought to the big screen by Universal Pictures in 1957 with Jack Arnold’s “The Shrinking Man.”

The French movie is being produced by Alain Goldman at Pitchipoi Productions and Picture Perfect, the vehicle launched by Wachsberger, the former co-chairman of Lionsgate who won a best picture Oscar for “Coda” in 2021.

Slated to start shooting in May 2024, the movie tells the story of a man who gradually shrinks to less than an inch tall after an exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide. With medical science powerless to help him, brushes with cats, mouse traps and spiders become a matter of life and death, and he...

Sixty-six years ago, Creature from the Black Lagoon director Jack Arnold teamed up with author Richard Matheson to bring Matheson’s sci-fi novel The Shrinking Man to the screen as The Incredible Shrinking Man (watch it Here). Now Deadline reports that Picture Perfect Federation Chairman Patrick Wachsberger, who was formerly the Co-Chairman of Lionsgate, is working with La Vie En Rose producer Alain Goldman on a French remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man that is set to star Jean Dujardin, who won an Oscar for his performance in the lead role of the 2012 silent film The Artist – which also happened to be the Best Picture winner that year.

The Wachsberger-produced Coda just won Best Picture last year and La Vie En Rose earned an Oscar for star Marion Cotillard, so this remake has multiple prestigious names attached to it.

Universal Pictures released The Incredible Shrinking Man in ’57 and still holds the rights to the property,...

Exclusive: Picture Perfect Federation Chairman Patrick Wachsberger, former Co-Chairman of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, stopped by our Zurich Summit studio this past weekend to discuss the progress of his Jv with Federation Entertainment, some of the exciting projects he is working on, and the recent challenge of choosing between The Taste Of Things and Anatomy Of A Fall on France’s Oscar selection committee.

Since launching in 2019, Picture Perfect Federation has added outposts in Italy, UK, Germany and Israel.

Wachsberger, who won a Best Picture Oscar for Coda two years ago, tells us he “considered retirement for about 15 minutes” after leaving Lionsgate but explains why Picture Perfect has given him a new lease on life. You can watch the video of our chat above.

Among high-profile projects coming up for the company are Coda director Sian Heder’s next film, The Impossible Us, and The Department, the English-language TV...

French actor-director Nicolas Bedos, who is facing trial in February 2024 for an alleged sexual assault under the influence of alcohol dating from June 1, is now being investigated on rape and sexual assault charges after three complaints were filed with the Paris prosecutor.

News of the preliminary investigation was first reported in a bombshell investigative report published by French outlet Mediapart. The investigation cites four women, two of whom addressed a letter to the public prosecutor. The prosecutor’s spokesperson confirmed to Variety that a preliminary investigation was opened on July 5 on charges of alleged sexual assault and rape “after receiving three distinct complaints against Nicolas Bedos.”

Bedos’ attorney Julia Minkowski declined to comment.

One of the three complaints was filed by a female actor and screenwriter who also spoke to Mediapart on the basis of anonymity and is accusing Bedos of having sexually assaulted and raped her in 1999. At the time,...

A preliminary investigation into accusations of rape and sexual assault against popular French actor and director Nicolas Bedos has been opened by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.

News of the investigation broke in an in-depth report on the Mediapart news website on Tuesday afternoon and was then confirmed by multiple French outlets overnight.

It follows the actor’s 24-hour detention in police custody in early June after a 25-year-old woman accused him of touching her inappropriately in a nightclub in Paris.

Bedos faces a court hearing in February 2024 related to the accusation on charges of “sexual assault while under the influence of alcohol”.

The new preliminary investigation is for three fresh allegations, one for rape and sexual assault, and two others for sexual assault.

The Mediapart report said that news of the nightclub incident in June had encouraged other women to come forward with allegations against the actor.

Two of...

French actor-writer-director was released from custody yesterday after an incident in a Parisian nightclub.

French actor-writer-director Nicolas Bedos is to stand trial for alleged sexual assault after being released from police custody on Thursday (June 22) evening following an incident in a Parisian nightclub.

Bedos entered police custody on Wednesday (June 21) after a woman filed a complaint claiming that Bedos drunkenly touched her inappropriately during a night out in early June.

According to his lawyer Julia Minkowski, Bedos has no memory of the incident. She said in a statement to press that “such a gesture, which he has no recollection of,...

Popular French actor and director Nicolas Bedos is reported have spent 24 hours in police custody in Paris from Wednesday to Thursday following a complaint against him for sexual assault and faces a court hearing in 2024.

According to French news agency, which said it had spoken to sources close to the case, the allegations are related to events in a French night club on the night of June 1 to 2.

The agency reported that a complaint had been lodged by a 25-year-old woman who said the actor approached her while she was having a drink in the club and “held his hand… at the level of her panties”.

The woman said she had repelled his advances and that a security guard had escorted the actor from the club.

The 44-year-old actor is reported to have told investigators that if the gesture happened it was “accidental”.

His lawyer Julia Minkowski has not commented to the press.

Updated: French actor-director Nicolas Bedos will face trial in early 2024 for alleged sexual assault, Variety has confirmed.

Bedos was held in police custody in Paris for over 24 hours and was released on Thursday evening, following a complaint filed by a woman for an alleged sexual assault for an alleged incident which occurred during the night of June 1 in a Parisian club. Bedos allegedly put his hand on the crotch of the woman who was wearing jeans, according to news agency Afp, which reported that it had access to the police complaint.

Bedos will be trialed for alleged sexual assault under the influence of drunkenness and faces five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

In a statement sent to Variety, Bedos’ attorney Julia Minkowski said the “custody was lifted. Nicolas Bedos was able to explain himself to the investigators. He does not...

After teaming with the French filmmaker with The Mad Women’s Ball (Le bal des folles) a TIFF selection in 2021, Amazon Prime Video France will back Sulak – Melanie Laurent‘s next feature film. Produced by Pitchipoï Productions’ Alain Goldman, production begins this summer in Paris and southern France this summer. Screen Daily reports that Lucas Bravo takes the lead role. Laurent is coming off the crime caper Voleuses – which starred herself, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Isabelle Adjani. That filmed is slated for a November release via Netflix – which means that too could land at TIFF just prior.

Co-written by Laurent with regular writing partner Christophe Deslandes, this tells the story of Bruno Sulak, a notorious real-life French criminal known for his non-violent heists on multiple jewelry stores in the 1980s.…...

‘Sulak’ is the first production from Alain Goldman’s Pitchipoï Productions.

Amazon Prime Video France is reteaming with director Melanie Laurent for the feature Sulak and has greenlit five new French feature films and three original series. Laurent directed Amazon’s first French-language original The Mad Women’s Ball in 2021.

Sulak will star newcomer Lucas Bravo as Bruno Sulak, a notorious real-life French criminal known for his non-violent heists on multiple jewelry stores in the 1980s. Sulak managed to escape from prison several times in order to reunite with his lover and accomplice, becoming public enemy number one in the process.

The accusations span the production of projects including Netflix series Marseille, period biopics L’Autre Dumas and La Vie En Rose and French comedy Disco.

French actor Gerard Depardieu has been accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women in an extensive report from Paris-based investigative news website Mediapart.

Depardieu has denied any wrongdoing through his legal team and has not been formally charged following the accusations.

Mediapart reported the accusations of actresses, make-up artists and production staff, many of whom preferred to remain anonymous. Their accusations detail inappropriate behaviour that allegedly occurred during the shooting of 11 films released between 2004 and 2022.

The...

French actor Gerard Depardieu, who is already indicted on rape and sexual assault charges in connection to a 2018 case, is now being accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women in an investigative report published by Mediapart.

The accusations were made by female actors, make-up artists and production staff, some of whom spoke on the basis of anonymity, and allegedly occurred during the filming of 11 films released between 2004 and 2022. Mediapart said “one actress has just given her account to the French justice system.”

None of these 13 women have taken legal action against Depardieu, according to a statement provided to Variety by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

“The prosecutor has not received any new lawsuit. A formal investigation, launched in 2020 following the lawsuit filed by Charlotte Arnaud, is still ongoing,” continued the statement.

Depardieu’s legal representation Cabinet Temime has denied all the accusations and released a lengthy statement saying that the actor...

France-based production giant’s parent company listed on Amsterdam stock exchange last year.

Revenues at France-based production giant Banijay jumped 16.5% to €3.2bn in 2022, according to end-of-year financial results of parent company Fl Entertainment Group.

Banijay became the world’s largest independent TV producer in 2020 after its headline-making $2.2bn takeover of Endemol Shine Group. It listed on the Amsterdam stock market last May via parent company Fl Entertainment alongside online sports betting platform Betclic.

Fl Entertainment had total 2022 revenues of €4bn for Betclic and Banijay, up 15.7% from the year before, with Banijay accounting for the lion’s share (80%) of the group’s revenue.

Banijay, Stéphane Courbit’s TV production and distribution powerhouse behind “Survivor” and “Peaky Blinders,” has made a vibrant debut in the Amsterdam stock market.

The Paris-headquartered company, which took over Endemol Shine Group in 2020 in a splashy $2.2 billion deal, saw its revenue climb by 16.5% – or 13.3% at constant currency — to €3.21 billion ($3.4 billion) in 2022. While its profit margin fell by 1% to 14.7%, Banijay’s earnings before interest, tax and amortization (Ebitda) grew by 9% to €472 million ($501 million) in 2022. A bullish performance compared with its rival Fremantle whose Ebitda reached €162 million after rising by 15% during the same period.

Banijay was listed last year through a newly-created special purpose acquisition company named Fl Entertainment. The banner comprises both Banijay and Courbit’s online gambling group Betclic. As a whole, Fl Entertainment’s yearly revenue rose by 13.2% at constant currency to €4 billion ($4.2 billion).

Banijay’s strong financial results were bolstered by its content production and distribution activities.

VFX powerhouse MacGuff is using its proprietary tools Face Engine and the new Face Creative Engine, in conjunction with traditional CGI, on a slew of French and international projects for streamers and French broadcasters.

France is one of the world’s biggest VFX hubs, leveraged by its Trip scheme, that enables foreign shoots to tap into a 40 cash rebate on all eligible expenses – including expenses for live action that are not VFX related – for international projects whose VFX expenses surpass €2 million (2.16 million) spent in France.

Philippe Sonrier, MacGuff’s co-founder and joint director, says that the studio is seeing rising demand from streamers. The studio has 70 staff, but plans to grow to around 120 in 2023, due to rising demand.

For Netflix, MacGuff is providing VFX work on three series, including Season 3 of “Lupin,” having worked on Seasons 1 and 2. “Wonderman” is about the life of French empresario Bernard Tapie, in which the studio uses de-ageing tools.

French and European producers based in France can apply for state aid for international streamer projects.

French state film organisation the Cnc is to extend its financing to support local producers working with international streamers.

Starting on January 1, French and European producers based in France can apply for state aid to produce projects pre-financed by a foreign platform, subject to local investment obligations.

In return for the funding, the Cnc will put a limit on streamers’ complete buyouts of projects by capping the duration of the rights they can acquire for films and TV series.

Series or films financed with...

Salto is up for sale and Canal+ is eyeing Orange.

Au revoir Salto and Orange and bonjour to Universal+ and Paramount+?

After shaking up France’s seemingly iron-clad media chronology system, the US-owned platforms are expanding their footprints in the country as the fight to woo subscribers escalates and local platforms are busy restructuring and scrambling to untangle existing deals.

Joining the already active Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Prime Video, Universal+ arrived on French telecom Sfr on November 17, available only to Sfr subscribers for now. The streamer is sending more than 20,000 hours of content from 13e Rue, Syfy, E!

Salto is up for sale and Canal+ is eyeing Orange.

Au revoir Salto and Orange and bonjour to Universal+ and Paramount+?

After shaking up France’s seemingly iron-clad media chronology system, the US-owned platforms are expanding their footprints in the country as the fight to woo subscribers escalates and local platforms are busy restructuring and scrambling to untangle existing deals.

Joining the already active Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Prime Video, Universal+ arrived on French telecom Sfr on November 17, available only to Sfr subscribers for now. The streamer is sending ore than 20,000 hours of content from 13e Rue, Syfy, E!

The US streamer unveils local-language originals and French acquisitions.

Amazon Prime Video has signalled its ambition to work closely with the French film industry by signing a four-year agreement with France’s film industry unions to support independent projects and promote gender and ethnic diversity, and unveiling a slate of original projects and acquisitions.

The signatories to the ground-breaking deal included audio-visual producers union the Uspa, independent producers union, the Spi and author’s rights group the Sacd. Under the terms of the agreement, Prime Video agreed to invest 85 of its financing into local French production and support a “diversity...

Amazon Prime Video has come a long way since launching in France in 2016. The streamer, whose first French film original, “The Mad Women’s Ball,” recently picked up an International Emmy Award, unveiled a landmark deal with French guilds during a posh dinner with industry players and talent in Paris on Wednesday evening (Nov. 30).

On the guest list at the chic Lutetia Hotel was a laundry list of talent that’s in business with Prime Video, including Philippe Lacheau (“Lol”), Franck Gastambide (“Medellin”), Eloise Lang (“La Graine”), Melha Bedia (“Miskina”), Ziad Doueiri (“Coeurs Noirs”), as well as producers Alain Goldman, Pathé Films’ Ardavan Safaee, Mandarin’s Eric Altmayer, CG Cinema’s Charles Gillibert, Metropolitan FilmExport’s Victor Hadida, Newen’s Romain Bessi, and Asasha Group’s Gaspard de Chavagnac, among many others.

Announced by Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Prime Video’s country manager in France, the four-year deal was signed with the guilds AnimFrance,...

Banijay (“Marie Antoinette”) has boarded “Les disparus de la Forêt Noire,” a gritty French thriller starring Hélène de Fougerolles (“Balthazar”), Gregory Fitoussi (“St Tropez,” “Spiral”) and Tcheky Karyo (“The Missing,” “Baptiste”).

Commissioned by TF1, “Les Disparus de la Forêt Noire,” is co-produced by Banijay Studios France, Fiction’Air, Belga Productions and Rtbf. The premium drama will be distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.

“Les disparus de la Forêt Noire” is set in the heart of the Black Forest, at a binational military base near the French-German border, where twelve bodies, all men, are found in a mass grave. The victims are both French and German, with the murders committed over three decades. Judge Camille Hartmamnn, played by Hélène de Fougerolles, has a connection to the case, her memory has been impaired after a car accident. Yet, this macabre discovery revives memories Hartmann believed to be buried. Meanwhile, veteran French officer Franz Agerland...

Newen Studios, a division of France’s TF1 Group-owned media banner Newen, has acquired Vanessa Djian’s French production banner Daï Daï Films.

The acquisition of Daï Daï Films underscores the company’s strategy to ramp up its presence in the feature film landscape and aggregate talents, following the footsteps of French indie powerhouses such as Mediawan.

Djian, who will remain in post at Daï Daï Films, began her career in the movie industry working on shoots for films directed by Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Luc Besson and Dany Boon, among others. She also worked a number of years with Alain Goldman (“La Vie en Rose”) at Legende Films before launching her own production vehicle, Daï-Daï Films in 2017. Dijan’s company has so far produced movies such as Alexis Michalik’s “Edmond” (pictured) and “Adieu Monsieur Haffman,” an adaptation of the play that received six nominations at the Molières awards.

TF1’s production division adds Paris-based firm to its group of labels.

French production powerhouse Newen Studios has acquired Vanessa Djian’s Paris-based Daï-Daï Films, the latest addition to its growing group of European production labels.

Since its launch in 2017, Daï-Daï Films has co-produced several ambitious French and international projects including Fred Cavaye’s Farewell, Mr. Haffmann alongside Vendôme Pictures and Pathé, and Alexis Michalik’s Cyrano My Love.

Newen Studios is the production subsidiary of French media giant TF1 group and houses more than 40 labels.

Djian was an associate producer on Laure De Clermont-Tonnerre’s English-language Sundance title The Mustang,...

Antonin Baudry, who made his feature debut with Netflix’s submarine thriller “The Wolf’s Call,” is set to adapt Homer’s epic war tales of “The Iliad and The Odyssey” into a science fiction series titled “Ulysse.”

Pathé has recently boarded the series project, which is being co-developed by Axelle Boucai (The Mad’s Women Ball”) and Alain Goldman at Paris-based Ness Films.

“Antonin Baudry is writing the adaptation and had the idea of transposing these mythological tales in space and in the future,” said Boucai, who cited “Dune” as inspiration.

The producer said the series will follow the fantasy-filled adventures of Ulysse through the 10-year Trojan Wars and beyond. “Ulysse” will also involve mythological characters from “The Iliad and the Odyssey,” such as Achilles, Helen, Hector and Penelope. Homer is known as one of the greatest of the ancient Greek epic poets in the Western classical tradition.

Pathé last...

Exclusive: French network M6 has ordered a drama about a man who manipulates women and turns deception into an art form.

The commission marks a debut series for Banijay France label Shine Fiction, which is co-producing Serial Lover with Amaury Fournial from Sibaro Films. Banijay Rights takes international sales.

Written by Alice Den Broek and directed by Fred Berthe, Serial Lover‘s synopsis bills the show as “the story of a shrewd man who lives many different lives – a pilot, a surgeon, a broker, a journalist; developing a new personality for every identity and deceiving experts in each field. Handsome, charming, and attentive, exhilarated by his power, the deception becomes an art form as he manipulates all those around him, especially women who he targets and steals from. How many women have fallen in this trap?”

“For the victims, the consequences are heavy, they become isolated from their families, humiliated,...

Dujardin stars in comedy-drama Alphonse, written and directed by Nicolas Bedos.

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled a slate of seven new French original productions including projects from Jean Dujardin, Maïmouna Doucouré and Franck Gastambide.

Dujardin stars in comedy-drama Alphonse, written and directed by Nicolas Bedos and produced by Alain Goldman for Montmartre Films. Described as a “sharp-and-witty comedy”, it is based on an original idea by Dujardin and Bedos

Gastambide (creator of TV series Validé) has written and directed action comedy Medellín, about a young YouTuber fascinated by Pablo Escobar who gets kidnapped.

Maïmouna Doucouré follows up Sundance entry Cuties with coming-of-age film Hawa,...

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled seven new shows from the likes of Jean Dujardin, Nicolas Bedos, Franck Gastambide and Maïmouna Doucouré, while recommissioning Celebrity Hunted and Lol: Qui Rit, Sort!. in the region.

The new shows include Academy Award-winning The Artist star Dujardin’s Alphonse, based on an original idea by Dujardin and Bedos and produced by Alain Goldman, who recently signed a deal with Banijay.

The show was positioned by Amazon as a “surprising and funny take on comedy.”

Gastambide’s feature Medellín follows Pablito, a young YouTuber fascinated by Pablo Escobar, who makes his dream come true by flying to the Colombian city to walk in the notorious drug lord’s footsteps. A few days later, a video is posted on social media, showing that Pablito has been kidnapped by a group of dangerous Narcos.

Meanwhile, Federation Entertainment and Yvette Production’s comedy Clasico will be out later...

Alain Goldman, the well-respected French producer of “La Vie en rose” who’s just joined forces with Banijay, has teamed up with Amazon Prime Video on “Alphonse,” a humor-laced series by Nicolas Bedos (“La Belle Epoque”)

The high-concept Prime original series is based on an original idea by Jean Dujardin, the Oscar-winning actor of “The Artist,” and Bedos. It marks the TV debut of Bedos, the Cesar-winning filmmaker of “Monsieur & Madame Adelman” and “La Belle Epoque,” which played out of competition at Cannes in 2019 and sold worldwide

Dujardin will star alongside Pierre Arditi (“La Belle Epoque”), Charlotte Gainsbourg and Nicole Garcia (“Lupin”).

As the series’ teaser poster (pictured above) suggests it, the entire series will unfold in Paris and will showcase some beautiful areas of the French capital.

Although the plot remains under wraps, Goldman revealed that Dujardin will play Alphonse, a chameleon-like man whose main mission is...

As competition for the best European talent ramps up, bosses at some of the continent’s biggest production houses are finding U.S. agents tricky to deal with.

According to Christian Vesper, The Hand of God producer Fremantle’s President of Global Drama, agents are chasing too high a price for their clients which fails to “support that nation’s production model,” while Marina Williams, the Co-Founding Partner of Asacha Media Group, said “the price isn’t always acceptable” on these deals and they tend to be more complex than those traditionally struck in Europe.

“We are running into this a lot and you have to argue constantly,” added Vesper.

Local European agents are also grappling with the challenge of landing the biggest streamer shows for their clients and keeping these clients away from the big Hollywood agents as competition grows, according to Federation Entertainment Co-Founder Lionel Uzan.

“If they want to survive,...

Grøenlandia has made films including ‘Rose Island’ and Sky series ‘Romulus’.

The Paris-based Banijay Group has acquired Italian production company Grøenlandia Group, whose credits include feature Rose Island for Netflix and series Romulus for Sky.

Grøenlandia, run by filmmakers Matteo Rovere and Sydney Siblia, will become part of Banijay’s local business Banijay Italy.

Ascent Film, the film-focused arm of Grøenlandia, will continue operating as part of the company.

Banijay Italy is responsible for shows for Italian broadcaster Rai, Mediaset (Light Of My Eyes) and Amazon.

Founded in 2014, Grøenlandia is behind numerous productions spanning film, documentary and TV, including Romulus And Remus: The First King,...

Banijay has acquired control of Italy’s expanding Groenlandia Group, which is a producer on ITV’s “Romulus” skein and made recent Netflix Italian original film “The Incredible Story of Rose Island,” among other titles.

The Rome-based company, headed by directors and producers Matteo Rovere and Sydney Sibilia, has been steadily growing since its founding in 2014. Besides “Romulus” — both the film and the TV series which Rovere directed, and “Rose Island,” helmed by Sibilia, Groenlandia’s recent output also includes Leonardo D’Agostini’s widely exported soccer comedy drama “The Champion,” starring Stefano Accorsi, and Ludovico De Martino’s actioner “The Beast,” co-produced with Warner Bros. and now streaming globally on Netflix.

Groenlandia also comprises Ascent Films, founded and managed by Andrea Paris, who will keep operating in the shingle, in which it has had a majority stake since 2014. Ascent is an incubator shingle focused on identifying and establishing new talent.

Banijay has partnered with Alain Goldman, the French producer of “La Vie en rose” to produce premium scripted series and feature films through his two production entities, Pitchipoï Productions and Montmartre Films.

Goldman, whose production company was previously named Legende Films, will work alongside Banijay France.

The French producer had been working with nearly every French film studios, notably Gaumont, and has also been collaborating with streamers such as Netflix with “The Spy,” starring Sacha Baron Cohen, and Amazon Prime with Caroline Vigneaux’s “Flashback” and Mélanie Laurent’s “The Mad Women’s Ball.” Besides “La Vie en Rose,” which earned Marion Cotillard an Oscar, Goldman has also produced “An Officer and a Spy” (2019), “The Connection” (2014) and “The Crimson Rivers” (2000).

“Banijay shares our vision for the company going forward, and their immediate understanding and belief in our ethos makes them the perfect partner for our future,” said Goldman. “Joining a forward-thinking...