Latest in Unifrance

French cinema organization UniFrance, which is backed by the French government and represents hundreds of local producers, sales agents, directors and talent agents, has sent out a memo to industry expressing its support for filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré and her film Cuties after the social media frenzy sparked by a…

EXCLUSIVE: UniFrance and Film at Lincoln Center have set the lineup for the 25th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (March 5–15), the annual New York mini-festival dedicated to French filmmaking. The event will open with Hirokazu Kore-eda's drama The Truth, starring Juliette Binoche, Catherine Deneuve and Ethan…

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (January 16-20), the annual Paris showcase of upcoming French movies, looks set to go ahead without major disruption despite the continued wave of transport strikes across France, according to organizer Unifrance. A spokesperson for the French cinema promotion org said that because all…

European sales veteran Daniela Elstner, head of Paris-based sales company Doc & Film international, has been appointed as the new managing director of French cinema promotion organization UniFrance. Elstner replaces Isabelle Giordano who is leaving at the end of July after six years. Her selection was approved…

Without a marquee English-language title to boost overall performance, French films in 2018 saw a precipitous drop in overseas admissions, totaling 40M versus 2017’s 82.5M. That 52% tumble is matched by a 51% slide in receipts to 237M euros, export body Unifrance reported today in Paris. In its findings, Unifrance…

Anchored heavily by Luc Besson's Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, French film exports in 2017 saw a dramatic increase versus 2016's precipitous dive. Unifrance, the body that promotes French film abroad, said tonight in Paris that 80.5M tickets were sold to homegrown movies outside France in 2017 which was…

Jia Yueting, the founder of China's cash-strapped LeEco, has stepped down as Chairman of the internet and technology giant's main listed unit, Leshi Internet Information. The move comes amid mounting pressure on debt-laden LeEco. Assets connected to the company and valued at $182M were recently frozen by a Shanghai…

Best Actress Golden Globe winner and presumed Oscar Best Actress nominee Isabelle Huppert was honored in Paris this evening by Unifrance, the organization that promotes French cinema worldwide. At the Ministry of Culture, Huppert accepted the French Film Award in recognition of all of her work, and particularly Elle…

In 2016, French film admissions at home hit their second-highest number in 50 years — including an increase of 3% for local pics versus 2015. Abroad, it's a different story. Unifrance, the organization that promotes French film overseas, reports today that ticket sales in foreign markets dipped to 34M, down 69% on…

French film export body Unifrance launched the 6th edition of its My French Film Festival this evening in Paris, unveiling the titles that comprise the lineup for the online-only competition. Jury president Nicolas Winding Refn was in attendance on the first level of the Eiffel Tower where he said he loved the concept…

The Mark Osborne-helmed Le Petit Prince has become France's top animated export in two decades. After debuting in Cannes in May, the film went on to make $67.5M around the world — and that’s without the U.S., where Paramount releases the film on March 18. Typically action movies have been the biggest draw: The U.S…

French Charlie Hebdo documentary It’s Hard Being Loved By Jerks (C’est Dûr D’Etre Aimé Par Des Cons) originally was  released locally in 2008 by Pyramide. Following last month’s deadly attacks at the satirical magazine’s Paris headquarters, Pyramide re-released it on January 22 in 110 theaters. The recent events have…