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‘Cinema is Political:’ French Sales Agents Confront Global Tensions, Carbon Cutting Amid Rise in International Admissions
With global admissions on the rise, French sales agents wrestle with questions of Russia, Israel, and sustainability.
Speaking at an export panel organized as part of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, Les Films du Losange sales chief Alice Lesort outlined her firm’s “case-by-case” approach when selling titles to Russia – which remains an eager and lucrative market, as proven by last year’s admissions figures for Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry” (sold by Goodfellas) and the animated smash “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie” (from ZAG and Mediawan Kids & Family), among others. While last year’s admission figured showed a marked uptick from the pandemic-era dip, industry delegates didn’t call for a full return to all pre-COVID practices — particularly when it came to concerns about sustainability. Here too, the question offered no easy answer, as Mediawan Kids & Family president Aton Soumache linked last year’s admissions boost in part to a renewed burst of airfare, as producers and sales reps took off around the world to seal deals with the personal touch unavailable on Zoom.
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