Parisian Debutante Ball Feature Doc In The Works At Boat Rocker As Part Of Non-Fiction Slate

A feature documentary about Le Bal des Débutantes, a Paris-set fashion event, is set to be the first project as part of a new non-fiction slate from Boat Rocker.

The company, via its Maven banner, is producing and financing Le Bal Paris, a doc that goes behind the scenes at the world’s most prestigious debutante ball.

The event, which features around 25 debutantes from around the world aged between 16 to 22 has been held since 1958 and was first launched at the Chateau de Versailles.

The project marks the first-time cameras will be granted access to the annual invitation-only event which brings together international, high-profile Gen Z guests in the name of haute couture, couture, high jewelry and charity.

It documents the months long preparation process undertaken by the young attendees, as well as Ophélie Renouard, founder of le Bal Paris, and her team, including the intricacies behind invites, pairing guests with haute couture designers, matching the invitees to their Cavaliers and more.

The project will follow an invited international cast including teen Royals from Italy, Germany, India, China, the U.S., and for the first time Norway, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Indonesia.

Renouard has granted exclusive access to document the process behind the event. After a two-year long hiatus due to the global pandemic, le Bal is set to return on November 26, 2022, at the Shangri-La Paris.

Stars such as Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker and Slyvestor Stallone have previously appeared at the event.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland will direct and will produce alongside Ophélie Renouard, Mickey Boardman, Leila Mattimore and Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh.

“Le Bal is an event and process like no other and offers a compelling storytelling opportunity anchored in the new era of Gen Z debutantes, many of whom are royals,” said Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh, President, Maven. “Debutante Balls are steeped in family legacy and traditions, and le Bal is without question the world’s most exclusive. We look forward to taking audiences on a behind-the-scenes journey to tell the stories of a generation of participants with new ideals and perspectives.”

“Financing premium documentaries is an essential pillar for delivering on our promise to leading talent that Boat Rocker is the home for creative visionaries to remain independent, while succeeding creatively and commercially,” added Michel Pratte, President, Boat Rocker Media. “The unprecedented demand for premium documentaries has led us to expand our investment past just development and into independently financing documentaries with undeniably unique stories that, as finished products, have extremely high value in today’s competitive marketplace.”