Unifrance Rendez-Vous Event to Host Record Number of Market Premieres

A record 54 market premieres will be hosted at the Rendez-Vous showcase held by the French film promotion org Unifrance in Paris which will kick off Jan. 16 with the world premiere of Pascal Bonitzer’s “Auction.”

The biggest film market dedicated exclusively to French movies, the Rendez-Vous in Paris will welcome 420 buyers from 50 countries and 47 sales companies. As many as 1,000 professionals have registered for the week-long event. Since Unifrance has now merged with TV France International, the event will also gather 100 TV buyers from 27 countries.

“After returning last year with a post-pandemic edition, we’re back to normal with over 400 buyers — and we even have new buyers from Quebec and Africa, along with about 15 Latin American distributors,” said Gilles Renouard, Unifrance’s co-managing director.

More than 80 completed movies will screen at the Rendez-Vous, 54 of which have never been shown at an international festival or market. Renouard says the large roster of films “underscores France’s rising production levels.” It also shows that the Rendez-Vous has become a crucial launchpad for French films outside of the major film market such as Cannes and Berlinale’s European Film Market.

Renouard argues French sales agents also found last year’s Venice and Toronto film festival to be underwhelming in terms of dealmaking. The timing of the Rendez-Vous has always been favorable to sales agents because it’s…