PARTNERSHIP WITH WTFILMS ON GENRE FILMS

STUDIOCANAL today announces a partnership with French production company WTFilms (What The Films). The collaboration will focus on genre films with the development, production and distribution of French language and European content with global appeal.

The partnership signed between STUDIOCANAL and WTFilms underlines STUDIOCANAL's ambition to increase its presence in the genre space and closely follows the recent announcement of Jed Benedict returning to STUDIOCANAL to run a new genre label[1].

STUDIOCANAL's French production team will work together with Jed Benedict on the WTFilms partnership and development slate.

The agreement was signed at the end of February 2024 between STUDIOCANAL and WTFilms and follows a successful collaboration on the Xavier Gens’ FARANG (2023) released by IFC Films in the US with the international title of MAYHEM!, premiering at Fantasia and at festivals worldwide. The theatrical success of FARANG inspired the agreement which will see STUDIOCANAL and WTFilms collaborate for a minimum period of two years. STUDIOCANAL will be involved as co-producer and distributor on those WTFilms projects selected across action, thriller, science fiction and horror.

François Mergier, director of French production, and Assia Barge, head of French production, who negotiated the agreement for STUDIOCANAL, said: “We are very happy with the agreement signed with WTFilms. Driven by our successful work together on FARANG, this continues a relationship we greatly value and is one of trust and creativity that we wish to perpetuate. The WTFilms teams are experts in their field and enthusiasts of genre films, who will bring a lot to STUDIOCANAL. This partnership is so promising, and we hope to bring incredible genre projects to audiences worldwide in years to come!”

Dimitri Stephanides and Gregory Chambet, co-founders of WTFilms, declare: “We are delighted with this agreement with STUDIOCANAL. The success of FARANG reinforced our choice to focus our production projects on genre, ranging from action to thriller and horror. Since its beginning, the DNA of WTFilms has been closely linked to our personal taste for this cinema. Today, we are very enthusiastic about the idea of plowing this furrow with STUDIOCANAL, whose ambitions in this area align with ours and those of many talented directors, to produce films with strong commercial potential both in France and abroad.”

[1] Announced on March 6, 2024

ABOUT STUDIOCANAL (a CANAL+ Company)

STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and series, operating in all nine major European markets - France, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Benelux - as well as in Australia, in New Zealand and in the United States. It finances, produces and distributes 80 films per year. It owns the largest library in Europe and one of the most prestigious libraries in the world, boasting more than 9 000 titles from 60 countries, spanning 100 years of film history. Close to 25 million euros has been invested into the 4K restoration of nearly 1 000 classic feature films over the past 5 years. In addition, STUDIOCANAL also produces almost 20 series each year and operates at an international level by globally distributing its scripted productions and CANAL+ Originals (2,000 hours of current and library content in distribution). All productions take place directly through STUDIOCANAL entities or with its award-winning network of 14 production companies in Europe and in the United States: 2E BUREAU (FR), STUDIOCANAL ORIGINAL (FR), BIRDIE PICTURES (UK), RED PRODUCTION COMPANY (UK), URBAN MYTH FILMS (UK), STRONG FILM & TELEVISION (UK), SUNNY MARCH TV (UK), BAMBU PRODUCCIONES (SP), KINO SWIAT LAILAPS FILMS (GER), STUDIOCANAL SERIES (GER), OPUS TV (POL), SAM PRODUCTIONS (DEN), DINGIE (NETH), THE PICTURE COMPANY (US).

ABOUT WTFILMS

The international production and sales company WTFilms was founded in 2012 by Dimitri Stephanides and Gregory Chambet, becoming the first French international sales company specializing in genre films. Over the years, the scope of its activities has expanded to include French, American, European, and Asian films, allowing it to work with prestigious directors such as Quentin Dupieux, Takashi Miike, Fabrice du Welz, Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo, Sébastien Marnier, Mélanie Laurent, Ludovic & Zoran Boukherma among others. More recently, the company also produced two first feature films, FARANG (MAYHEM!), by Xavier Gens with Nassim Lyes, as well as PERPETRATOR, by Jennifer Reeder with Alicia Silverstone, selected at the Berlin, Tribeca and Gerardmer festivals. In terms of sales, WTFilms has more than 130 titles to its credit, including the recent success VERMINES by Sebastien Vanicek.

**DIRECTION DE LA COMMUNICATION **

Elvire Charbonnel : elvire.charbonnel@canal-plus.com