The (new) New Wave: French drama forges ahead
Boosted by a fresh approach from the country’s broadcasters, French drama is gearing up to cross borders – this time in English. Winds of change are blowing across France’s TV drama sector, carrying with them a new generation of producers armed with an emphatically international vision. Having watched its Northern European neighbours grab many of the drama headlines over the past few years, France – as one of Western Europe’s ‘big five’ TV markets – has some catching up to do. Fortunately, however, the groundwork has already been laid, reflected in a notable shift in broadcaster strategy, production slates, sources of funding and now a range of projects to show for it. “France is going through a new period where there are more good producers open to the international market,” says Emmanuelle Guilbart, co-CEO of the recently launched financing and distribution company About Premium Content. Guilbart, whose background in French broadcasting includes stints at France Télévisions and Canal+, launched the company last year together with former Zodiak Media CFO Laurent Boissel to provide alternative means of gap and deficit-financing and distribution to indie producers in France and across Europe. The force for change has been building for some time: France has the highest number of primetime slots for US series in Europe. The habit began in 1992 and has resulted in a big shift in viewing tastes: 52’ episodes, multimillion-dollar production values and different storytelling approaches. But with top drama budgets of around €900,000 per primetime hour, external partners and/or … Continue reading The (new) New Wave: French drama forges ahead
