By Liza Foreman
In an era where film markets and festivals are undergoing rapid transformation, UniFrance, the organization responsible for promoting French cinema and TV worldwide, is deftly balancing digital innovation with enhanced physical presence. Under the leadership of Executive Director Daniella Elstner, the organization has revamped its flagship events while expanding its digital footprint to reach new audiences.
The organization’s annual Rendez-Vous (Jan 14-21), which kicked off 2025’s international film calendar with a film and TV market and junket devoted to French content, showcased this evolution with a complete overhaul of its market structure.
This year’s go-round in Paris welcomed 500 buyers with 100 French export companies and distributors presenting catalogues and new shows. It’s the largest market in the world devoted to French audiovisual content.
“We completely changed the area for the rendezvous,” explains Elstner. “For the first time ever, we moved from having sales agents in hotel ballrooms to a specific place, a huge hall where we constructed a complete market.”
A significant innovation was the integration of film and television sellers in the same space. “It was a real challenge up to now because we had two different spaces,” Elstner notes. “To be all in the same space, organized by alphabetical order, really changed things for us. You feel a common energy because it was very busy and there was a very positive energy.”
Nine short film sales companies joined the market for the first time this year. Altogether, 1000 delegates were accredited and joined by 120 journalists from 30 countries.
This multifaceted event included the Paris Screenings which showed 85 films including 41 market previews and 8 audiovisual programs.
The French Cinema Award was presented as part of the event to filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski (Emmanuelle, Other People’s Children) at a champagne cocktail. Next Gen French talent were presented at a press lunch Sunday. New faces attending included Agathe Riedinger (Wild Diamond), an art school graduate whose debut film about reality TV opened the competition section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Published during the RDV were key stats from 2024 for the French industry. The report showed that in 2024, French productions demonstrated significant international reach across multiple platforms:
Cinemas: French films achieved approximately 38.1 million admissions internationally, generating around €250.2 million in box office revenue
France ranked first in film selections among foreign countries in most major international festivals, with 22.8% of total film selections
Streaming Platforms: France ranked 5th in foreign works releases, representing 3.8% of new releases on global SVOD platforms
Television: French content ranked 3rd in initial broadcasts of foreign works internationally, accounting for 7.3% of initial broadcasts
New ways of connecting to audiences are key to this success.
On the digital front, UniFrance’s My French Film Festival has become a crucial platform for connecting French cinema with global audiences, particularly in regions without traditional theatrical infrastructure. “This festival is definitely connecting to a wider public that we don’t reach out to every day and especially also in areas and parts of the world where there is no cinema next to the door,” Elstner explains.
The festival has created unexpected connections between filmmakers and audiences. “I have so many directors or even actors and actresses tell me, ‘oh my god, I just got these messages from Indonesia,'” Elstner shares. “Sometimes they even forget that their film is there.”
Building on this digital success, UniFrance has also developed a comprehensive social media strategy in partnership with INA (Institut National de l’Audiovisuel). The organization produces web series about French cinema icons, featuring both legendary figures like Catherine Deneuve and contemporary stars such as Léa Seydoux. They’ve also expanded their digital presence to include monthly release updates across multiple territories and streaming platforms.
The organization has successfully secured additional funding through multiple channels. Beyond increased support from CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), UniFrance has established an endowment fund with prestigious partners including the Accor luxury hotels group and BNP bank.
Looking ahead, UniFrance faces both opportunities and challenges. The disappearance of MIPTV has created particular concerns for documentary sales. “With the MIP TV not being there anymore, it’s a bit of a mess, especially for documentaries,” Elstner acknowledges. The organization is actively working to fill this gap, though timing presents its own challenges. “January is complicated because they’re still closing their final budgets. But as we said with some of the TV buyers, the documentary buyers, it’s good because we get an idea of all that is coming up.”
The organization is also preparing for potential changes to My French Film Festival as it enters its 15th year. “For sure we will have to change things,” Elstner reflects. “Maybe we are grown enough to say we could be more exclusive. There could be a way – one platform, one country – but we promote the platform, we work with the platform.”
UniFrance’s innovative approach extends to new audience development through their MyMetaStories festival, funded by Creative Europe. This initiative explores the intersection of cinema with gaming and influencer culture. “It’s very important to work with influencers,” Elstner notes. “If an influencer takes its community to watch a film, they all come. We go to a space where no cinema ever comes.”
The organization is setting its sights on the 2025 Berlinale next month, where it plans to launch an innovative new initiative called Club UniFrance. “We will have what we call Club UniFrance, which is like the UniFrance Club. It’s about seven minutes walk from Potsdamer Platz,” Elstner reveals. “We offer the space to all French films for doing press. It’s a fully equipped studio with TV, everything.”
French Films and Co-Productions at the 2025 Berlinale include a half-dozen French films and coproductions in the competition section including –
? The Safe House (Switzerland-Luxembourg-France), dir. Lionel Baier
? Reflection In A Dead Diamond (Belgium-Luxembourg-Italy-France), dir. Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani
? The Ice Tower (France-Germany), dir. Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
? Timestamp (Ukraine-Luxembourg-Netherlands-France), dir. Kateryna Gornostai
? Ari (France-Belgium), dir. Léonor Serraille
Perspectives
? The Settlement (Egypt-France-Germany-Saudi Arabia-Qatar), dir. Mohamed Rashad
? Shadowbox (India-France-USA-Spain), dir. Tanushree Das, Saumyananda Sahi
? That Summer In Paris (France), dir. Valentine Cadic
Berlinale Special
? Ancestral Visions of the Future (France-Lesotho-Germany-SaudiArabia), dir. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
? All I Had Was Nothingness (France), dir. Guillaume Ribot
? No Beast. So Fierce. (Germany-Poland-France), dir. Burhan Qurbani
? Shoah (France), dir. Claude Lanzmann
“Berlin is a great festival for French films,” Elstner concludes.