INDUSTRY – The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles

A SHOWCASE FOR THE INDUSTRY

With 74% of its audience coming from the film industry, our festival is a unique showcase for French films in North America. Screenings offer exceptional exposure for French films and can generate a buzz among the industry and in the U.S. The event offers various reasons for all categories of professionals to attend: directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, agents, distributors, exhibitors, festival programmers and publicists.

THE FRANCO-AMERICAN CULTURAL FUND

The festival is presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Editors of Music (SACEM) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW). In 2016, the fund celebrated its 20th anniversary.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) represents 14,000 directors and members of the directorial team both in the United States and abroad. DGA members’ creative work is represented in feature film, filmed/taped/and live television, commercials, documentaries, and news. DGA seeks to both protect and advance directors’ economic and artistic rights and preserve their creative freedom.

The Motion Picture Association (MPA)

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) the International arm of the Motion Picture Association of America and serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries around the world. Its members include: The Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal City Studios LLLP, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW)

The WGAW is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio and internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national and international levels.

The French Society for Authors, Composers and Music Publishers (SACEM)

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers (SACEM) is dedicated to representing and defending the interests of its members in order to promote musical creation in all its forms, (from contemporary music to jazz, rap, hip-hop, French music, film music, video music, etc.), as well as other repertoires (such as humour, poetry, dubbing-subtitling, etc.)
SACEM’s main mission is to collect and distribute royalties to authors, composers and publishers whose works have been broadcast or reproduced. As a private organization, SACEM is a not-for-profit corporation run by the creators and music publishers that make up its Board of Directors.It has 161,170 members, including 19,650 foreign creators of 166 nationalities (4,206 new members in 2016) and represents more than 118 million works in the worldwide repertoire.In 2016, SACEM distributed fees to 298,000 authors, composers and publishers worldwide, for 2.2 million works.

DISTRIBUTORS

The festival offers an exclusive program of films for industry professionals in charge of acquisitions. At least 30% of the films have been released after January in France and some of them have not been shown at the European Film Market in Berlin. The festival gives them an opportunity to see the films with an American audience.

U.S. Distributors can greatly benefit from an official premiere at the festival. It is now the most efficient platform to promote a French film in the U.S. and create a buzz a few months before a release. A film presented at the festival is shown to local exhibitors, press, HFPA members voting for the next Golden Globe Awards, Academy Members and festival programmers. It also competes for the festival Awards.

Click here to download a detailed presentation of the festival for distributors

OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS

L’ARP (France’s Society of Authors, Directors and Producers)

Founded in 1987 by Claude Berri, l’ARP (auteurs, réalisateurs, producteurs) is a registered member company representing writers, directors and producers. ARP’s main objective is to defend its 200 members’ moral and economic rights. ARP is involved with various institutions in Europe; it organizes cultural events in France and abroad and provides information for the public through its theater in Paris, Le Cinéma des Cinéastes.

CNC (the National Center of Cinematography and the moving image)

Le Centre National du Cinema et de l’Image Animee or CNC is a French agency of the Ministry of Culture responsible for the production and promotion of cinematic and audiovisual arts in France. It also protects and advances France’s cultural heritage in cinematography.

Film & TV Office of the French Embassy in Los Angeles (French Consulate)

The Los Angeles Film & TV Office of the French Embassy is the local representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Film Department. Its purpose is to promote and support the French film and television industries on the West coast.

TV France International (TVFI)

TV France International, the association of French television program exporters, promotes the sale of French television programs worldwide and facilitates international coproduction. Its online screening platform, Screenopsis (Screenopsis.com) is the largest database of French programs with 20,000+ titles, including 9,000 programs available for B2B VOD

UniFrance

Headquartered in Paris, UniFrance is 600 French film professionals promoting French cinema around the globe. UniFrance sends films and top French talent to every Continent as roving ambassadors of French cinema. UniFrance also offers support to film distributors and festivals worldwide, developing new markets for French movies everywhere.

PRODUCERS AND AGENTS

Many producers and agents attend the festival to discover new talent and remake opportunities. Each year, the selection offers an eclectic program that includes stories with a strong potential for remakes. Both programs of features and short films offer a chance to discover emerging filmmakers, actors or actresses from France.

FRENCH INTERNATIONAL SALES COMPANIES

In recent years, the festival has become one of the main windows for French film abroad. The festival gives French sales companies another opportunity to promote some of their films within the industry, before they attend the Cannes Film market a few weeks later for cinema, or just after the MIP TV for TV programs.

U.S. Distributors who recently premiered a film at previous editions of the festival

French sales companies who recently premiered a film at the festival:

OTHER SUPPORTERS

Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA)

LAFCA is a professional organization of Los Angeles-based film critics working in the Los Angeles print and electronic media. Each year since its creation in 1975, LAFCA members honor outstanding cinematic achievements during their annual Achievement Awards ceremony in January. LAFCA also sponsors film events and donates funds to various Los Angeles film organizations. LAFCA is a partner of the festival for the Critics Award

Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)

Created 65 years ago by a handful of foreign correspondents, the HFPA has been hosting the Golden Globe Awards ceremony since 1945. Today, the 93 members of HFPA represent 55 countries, and their publications include leading newspapers and magazines in Europe, Asia, Australasia and Latin America. HFPA also gives grants to entertainment-related charities and scholarships to major educational institutions.

The festival works closely with the Motion Picture Association and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in order to register eligible films on the HFPA calendar of screenings. All HFPA members are invited to the festival and more specifically to the films eligible for submission to the foreign language film category of the Golden Globes the following year.

Variety

Published since 1905, Variety is the premier trade publication for entertainment news in Hollywood and worldwide. Key leaders and decision makers read its Los Angeles-based Daily Variety and Daily Variety Gotham on the East Coast, while its weekly newspaper reaches more than 145,000 industry professionals worldwide. Variety is partner of the Happy Hour Talks at the festival

Women in Film International Committee

The WIF International Committee, based in L.A., fosters an interactive, cultural bond with other countries by discovering, promoting and supporting the ideas and efforts of entertainment professionals, especially women, throughout the world. Goals include developing programs and events such as industry panels on coproduction, screenings in association with consulates and film boards, and participation in international film festivals. Networking doesn’t stop at our borders, so WIF International is dedicated to serving as a resource for our international filmmaker guests and dignitaries.

The WIF International Committee promotes films written or directed by women shown at the festival.

The Cannes Film Market

The Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA)

American Cinematheque