21 titles you shouldn't miss at Rendez-Vous

Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Le Havre runs from September 7 to 10, bringing together more than 50 French sales companies for its 32nd edition. After assessing the list of new titles coming to market, C21 has pulled out 21 highlights for buyers to screen during the event.

Country Spy (6×52′)
Producer: DMLS Films (Banijay)
Distributor: About Premium Content
They say: “Marie-Line Maupain, a spy for the French secret service for 30 years, is abruptly put on ice by her superiors and sent back to her home region.”
We say: The fish-out-of-water narrative is always popular, this time with an espionage twist as our heroine adapts to rural life by investigating criminal cases behind the back of the local police captain.

Gaza: A People’s History (2×52’)
Producers: Elda Productions, Kwassa Films
Distributor: Andana Films
They say: “This film explores the history of this 400 sq km stretch of land, wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, home to 2.23 million people, including 1.7 million refugees.”
We say: Coproduced with Arte France and Belgium’s RTBF, with participation from Al Jazeera Media Network, this two-parter draws on insights from eminent historians, political scientists and regional experts, as well as first-hand accounts from direct witnesses of various conflicts: the Gazan people.

Super-Lucha (1×26’)
Producer: Vivement Lundi
Distributor: Autour de Minuit
They say: “Ennio, 10 years-old, lives in a small Mexican town set between desert plains and sun-drenched green hills. He’s from a long line of Super-Luchadores, masked vigilantes who fight the forces of evil.”
We say: This upcoming stop-motion special is from Oscar-nominated French animation studio Vivement Lundi and has France Télévisions attached, alongside funding from the CNC, Brittany’s regional fund (Bretagne Cinéma), local Breton TV networks, Procirep, Angoa and the European Union’s Creative Europe fund.

Beasts of the Colosseum (1×52’)
Producer: AH! Production
Distributor: Balanga
They say: “Rome was once captivated by the Venationes – spectacles featuring wild beasts rather than gladiators. Lions, panthers, elephants and bears were captured on the Empire’s frontiers with the help of legionnaires. By what extraordinary means were these dangerous animals brought back to Italy?”
We say: The documentary for French broadcaster Novo19 offers a new twist on a popular but familiar subject, which is what buyers always say they are looking for.

Homo Virilus (1×52’)
Producer and distributor: Effervescence
They say: “For a century, traditional embodiments of masculinity have been challenged. Today’s men are now experiencing the effects of the march toward gender equality. They are gradually abandoning their historical patriarchal position.”
We say: A coproduction with LCP-Assemblée Nationale, directed by Maya-Anaïs Yataghène and produced by Simone Harari Baulieu and Ted Anspach, this film examines shifting models of masculinity and comes at a very opportune time.

The Nefertiti Case (4×45′)
Producers: Incognita, Tripode Productions, Helicotron
Distributor: Film & Picture
They say: “The French Museums Directorate is preparing a landmark exhibition built around the exceptional loan of Nefertiti’s bust from Berlin, when the priceless sculpture accidentally falls to the ground…”
We say: With Arte and HBO Max already attached, this miniseries stars Elodie Bouchez, Soko, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Lionel Dray and Mike Davies and promises to be worth a look in Le Havre.

Swapped (6×52’)
Producer: Lincoln TV
Distributor: France TV Distribution
They say: “Hoping to offer her baby a better future, Rose leaves her rural home to become a wet nurse for a bourgeois family. But Rose secretly exchanges her baby with that of a mother grieving the sudden loss of her infant.”
We say: Being produced for France 2, this period drama taps into the same demand that made Downton Abbey such a hit, but this time with a French twist.

The Black Ocean: The New Minefield (1×54’)
Producer: Grand Angle Productions
Distributor: GAD
They say: “As the race for clean energy accelerates, a hidden battle erupts in the depths of the ocean. Beneath the surface, a billion-dollar industry prepares to exploit one of Earth’s last untouched frontiers.”
We say: Directed by Audrey Gloaguen and heading for France Télévisions and RTS in Switzerland, the film follows three women confronting the corporations racing to mine the ocean floor for clean-energy minerals.

Baby Lemmings (78×7′)
Producer: Hari Productions/Hari Studios
Distributor: Hari
They say: “For the Baby Lemmings, the whole world is a playground, and there’s nothing better than sharing this joyful philosophy of life with their little animal neighbours in the Canadian forest.”
We say: A spin-off from the Cartoon Network and Netflix hit Grizzy & the Lemmings, this “gentle-slapstick” preschool series already has France Télévisions, Warner Bros Discovery and Super RTL onboard, so buyers arrive with the appetite already proven.

The Deal (6×60′)
Producers: Bande à Part Films, Les Films Pelléas, Gaumont
Distributor: Gaumont
They say: “2015 – Switzerland hosts last-chance nuclear talks between the US and Iran, with Europe, Russia and China. Swiss diplomat Alexandra Weiss leads the mission.”
We say: Created by Jean-Stéphane Bron and Alice Winocour, this diplomatic thriller starring Veerle Baetens and Juliet Stevenson took the top prize at Series Mania’s inaugural Buyers Choice Award before going on to air on Arte.

ICE: The Enemy Within (1×52’/1×86′)
Producer: Everprod
Distributor: Incognita Distribution
They say: “In the US, ICE operations have become a daily spectacle – filmed arrests, dawn raids, families separated – reflecting the political hardening driven by Donald Trump and his allies.”
We say: A hard-hitting, ripped-from-the-headlines investigation into US immigration enforcement, this is the kind of current affairs title likely to generate strong debate among buyers, whatever their politics.

A Night in the Channel (1×45′)
Producer and distributor: Java Films
They say: “This incredibly moving animated film reconstructs the events of November 24, 2021, when a dinghy that was near the border between French and English waters when it started to sink, tried to get help.”
We say: An animated reconstruction built from the recorded emergency calls of that night’s English Channel crossing, this tackles one of Europe’s most sensitive ongoing stories through an unusually intimate lens.

Leonardo da Vinci: The Machine Visionary (1×52′)
Producer and distributor: Kwanza
They say: “Leonardo da Vinci: a visionary genius whose inventions defied time. Artist, inventor, scientist – centuries ahead of his peers, he imagined flying machines, tanks, and intricate mechanisms.”
We say: Coming hot on the heels of Ken Burns’ acclaimed two-part PBS film on the same subject, this French take will need a fresh angle to stand out, but da Vinci’s enduring pull with audiences makes it a safe bet.

5 Days That Changed Diana (1×80’/1×52′)
Producer and distributor: Lukarn
They say: “…retraces her extraordinary journey through five pivotal moments that transformed both her life and the British monarchy.”
We say: Thirty years after her death, Princess Diana remains one of the most photographed, admired and influential women in modern history. This doc – exploring her wedding, the Panorama interview, her divorce, her landmine campaign and the Paris crash – offers plenty for her fans.

Witch Detectives (26×26′)
Producer: Method Animation
Distributor: Mediawan Kids & Family
They say: “Maya, Millie and Max are bold, inseparable BFFs and trainee witches… left in charge of the family’s once-famous W-Detective Agency.”
We say: Already picked up by TF1, the BBC, Rai and Super RTL ahead of its market debut, this whodunnit-meets-witchcraft format looks set to become one of Mediawan’s flagship IPs.

Goat Girl (26×12′)
Producers: Daily Madness, MIAM! animation, Thuristar
Distributor: MIAM! Distribution
They say: “Goat Girl is a coming-of-age comedy about a heroine who tackles every challenge with goat-like stubbornness and strength.”
We say: Commissioned by WarnerMedia EMEA and already picked up by ITV and WildBrain TV, plus KiKA, RTÉ and VRT-Ketnet, this Annecy-nominated comedy about a girl raised by goats has real buyer momentum behind it.

Marilyn Monroe: I’m so Many People (1×57′)
Producers: Wichita Films, Kali Pictures
Distributor: Prime Entertainment Group
They say: “To mark Marilyn Monroe’s 100th anniversary, this landmark documentary reveals a visionary businesswoman and courageous activist.”
We say: From the Kuperberg sisters, this timely centenary documentary was commissioned by Canal+ and has already been pre-sold to Spain’s Movistar Plus+, positioning it as one of the market’s strongest factual titles.

Jules Verne: The Man Who Shrank the World (1×52’/1×90′)
Producer: Studiofact Media Group
Distributor: StudioFact Rights
They say: “In the mid-19th century… one man took it upon himself to summarise the knowledge accumulated by science at the time in order to predict the future. His name was Jules Verne.”
We say: Directed by Fabrice Gardel and coproduced with Arte, this handsomely mounted portrait is tipped as one of the standout arts and culture titles on the international factual circuit this year.

R91 (6×52′)
Producer: Next Episode
Distributor: SND (Groupe M6)
They say: “France’s nuclear aircraft carrier R91 has just set sail on a strategic mission. When a crew member is found dead and another goes missing, military investigator Paul Fischer is rushed aboard.”
We say: A high-concept military thriller starring Elodie Yung and Alban Lenoir, R91 comes from the writing team behind Marianne and Paris Police 1900 and took the top prize at this year’s Series Mania Buyers Upfront on the strength of its claustrophobic setting alone.

My European Family (1×52′)
Producers: Tinkerland, GA&A Productions
Distributor: Tinkerland
They say: “After her mother’s death, Swedish science journalist Karin Bojs embarks on an investigation with leading experts in archaeology and genetics to trace her origins.”
We say: Based on Bojs’s award-winning book of the same name and heading for Arte and Sweden’s SVT, this genetic detective story taps into the enduring popularity of ancestry documentaries.

The Red & the Black (4×45′)
Producer: Siècle Productions
Distributor: Wild Bunch TV
They say: “A gripping tale of ambition, desire and inner conflict, The Red & the Black follows Julien Sorel, a brilliant yet deeply conflicted young man, caught between passion and power.”
We say: Stendhal’s classic gets a lavish new outing courtesy of screenwriters best known for adapting French history for the screen, with Victor Belmondo taking on Julien Sorel more than 70 years after Gérard Philipe first played the role, ahead of a France 2 broadcast this autumn.