After the departure of its long-time CEO Daniela Elstner to take up the role of Managing Director at French Cinema Agency Unifrance, Doc & Film International was acquired by Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier, Jour2Fête’s CEOs in October 2019.
Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier acquired Doc & Film International
“We’ve always greatly admired the Doc&Film catalogue and are honoured to take it over after all the great work Daniela and her team have accomplished in the past years,” said Chazelle and Ollagnier.
The separate banners of Jour2Fête and Doc & Film remained in place for some months in order to work out the operational details aiming at merging existing staff, infrastructure, slates and catalogue of both companies under the banner of The Party Film Sales launched for Berlinale 2020. Jour2Fête French Theatrical distribution business continue to operate under its existing name.
The merged team is co-managed by former Doc & film International sales executive Clémence Lavigne and Samuel Blanc, who spearheaded the creation of an international sales division at Jour2Fete in 2010. The rest of the team comprises Estelle De Araujo (Head of TV sales), Clémence Michalon (sales manager), Théo Lionel (festival manager), Melen Bouetard (TV sales executive) and Coline Bouret (Marketing and Servicing).
“It’s really a marriage and our will is to carry on with the spirit of both companies. We want to build a line-up of carefully picked fiction films and documentaries for international sales, some of which will be part of our French distribution slate” said Chazelle and Ollagnier in a joint statement.
Daniela Elstner, who has now taken up her new role at Unifrance, said she was confident that Chazelle and Ollagnier would continue the work of Doc & Film under the new banner.
“Joining forces between two entities with the same taste is the perfect answer to a challenging market. I am thrilled to see both companies evolving under a new banner and I wish them all the best for this new adventure,” she said.
A New Banner: The Party Film Sales
With this combination, The Party Film Sales intention is to uphold the spirit of both companies that have long shared a common DNA and a similar approach to sales and acquisitions, working closely with directors and producers to elaborate tailor-made strategies for each project.
Handling a large catalogue of both fictions and documentaries, we have a long and successful track-recordworking with prestigious authors who have entrusted us with their films, among which Golden Bear and Golden Lion awarded director Gianfranco Rosi and documentary maestro Frederick Wiseman, but also committed to promoting new voices in art-house cinema. They have at heart to foster bold vision and fresh ideas, accompany debut directors and widen the scope of their potential. Recent successes include the Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not by Adina Pintilie, Oscar Nominated Hale County, This Morning This Evening by RaMell Ross, Manta Ray by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng, Orizzonti Award for Best Film in Venice and Papicha by Mounia Meddour, Cesar for Best First Feature Film.
As part of its international sales activities, the company also has a dedicated TV and digital sales department. It handles TV documentaries and features, shedding light on our world, and exploring aspects of contemporary politics, arts and culture. Past best-sellers include Cinema through the Eye of Magnum by Sophie Bassaler, John Ford, the man who invented America by Jean-Christophe Klotz, the doc series Despot Housewives by Joël Soler.