Paris-based The Party Film Sales is specialised in repping both fiction and documentary films worldwide. “We’re proud to present almost all our main documentaries of the year, among which some are still in the race for Academy Awards,” the firm’s co-head of International Sales Estelle De Araujo told Business Doc Europe at IDFA 2023
The French banner’s Oscars hopefuls are Paul B. Preciado’s Orlando, My Political Biography (which bowed at Berlinale and is playing in the IDFA’s Best of Fests strand); and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Cannes pick Four Daughters (running for the Oscars in both Best International Feature and Best Documentary categories, and close to hitting the $1 million mark at the French box office).
When it comes to selling and repping docs, The Party Film Sales handles “both feature-length documentaries and more conventional TV-formatted productions.”
“Our editorial approach consistently begins with a narrative that resonates with us, offering a unique perspective on the world to enhance its understanding. We prioritize distinctive approaches, valuing collaborations with established directors while also nurturing emerging voices,” De Araujo says.
“For feature documentaries, a cinematic approach is a fundamental key. These are films that we champion to global distributors, with the potential for theatrical releases, emphasizing a compelling cinematic experience. This approach is crucial in attracting both partners and audiences alike.”
Zooming in on TV documentaries, she adds: “We have curated a robust line-up of programmes focused on Arts, History as well as Current & Society documentaries. Our goal is to sustain and expand this collection by collaborating with both our longstanding producer partners and forging new relationships with potential collaborators.”
Alongside the two Oscars bids, the French company brings to Amsterdam three films in the new Signed strand of the gathering.
The first is Frederick Wiseman’s Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros (which premiered at Venice and Toronto), billed as “a delicate odyssey in the middle of French Terroir, with private access to some of the best kitchens of the world.”
Coming up next is Jean-Gabriel Périot’s Facing Darkness (which premiered at Karlovy Vary), described as “a retrospective on the siege of Sarajevo through the eyes of those who, with the carefree spirit of youth, used the camera as both a weapon and a means of survival.”
The last title is Rosine Mbakam’s Mambar Pierrette (which premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight), labelled as “a poignant portrait of a Cameroonian woman and her daily life.”
On the TV docs side of business, this autumn The Party Film Sales launched The Matrix: Generation, directed by Benjamin Clavel and produced by Bellota. The picture focuses “on the pop-culture phenomenon and its prophetic aspects ahead of 21st century, [keeping] a great balance between society and cinema.”
“In 2024, we will present an exclusive documentary about the history of abortion in Poland, shedding light on similar situations in other countries where the right to abortion is under threat. Additionally, we will have a documentary ready for the 2024 European elections focusing on interpreters at the European Union, with some other new films to be announced over the course of the year,” De Araujo reveals.
Asked about the impact of the company in financing films or help them to get funded, De Aurajo explains: “We can play a pivotal role in securing funding and facilitating the production of a project. More and more, we are solicited at earlier stages, adding a layer of complexity to our responsibilities and risks. Our approach to investment or support is contingent upon the unique needs of a production, the stage at which we join the process, and, naturally, [embrace] the international potential of the project. At the core, we have to build up tailor-made strategies to answer the need of our partners while meeting the market aspirations and trends.”
For The Party Film Sales, 2023 has been “a surprising year for documentary sales and production,” with De Araujo defining non-fiction as “the most creative hub in the industry, always looking for new ways of story-telling and mise-en-scène.”
“If you take Four Daughters and Orlando, My Political Biography, we have two directors playing with the boundaries of fiction and documentary, revitalizing and challenging the documentary-making itself. And at a time when the place of documentaries in cinemas is nuanced in different regions, it seems the market is ready for this and demands new fresh ideas, new ways to tell stories boasting a strong cinematographic approach able to challenge the audience. We feel our buyers are looking for this freshness, and we are proud they follow us on our choices. That being said, it’s still a challenging market and a very competitive one,” she continues.
Finally, touching on the partners and the activities planned for the festival, De Araujo sums up: “IDFA always provides an ideal opportunity to connect with our buyers and festival programmers, and to prepare 2024 in the best possible ways. We took part in different networking activities and attended the Forum to look for new projects. It’s also the best place to create collaborations and talk about the main trends and changes of our industry. We’re so happy to be back.”
