A Portrait of Sales Company Films Boutique

“We always try to work with a mix of new voices and more established directors,” says Jean-Christophe Simon, CEO and founder of the Berlin and Lyon-based sales outfit Films Boutique. Simon, who first entered the film industry working for the French production company AGAT Film, spent several years at the Paris-based sales company Films Distribution before being attracted to Berlin to become involved in its dynamic music scene and then decided to return to the world of sales by setting up his own company in 2008.

Since then Films Boutique has handled an eclectic line-up of world cinema ranging from such Oscar-nominated films as EMBRACE THE SERPENT, BORDER, LUNANA A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM and THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG as well as festival-winners ranging from Alexander Sokurov’s FAUST (Golden Lion, 2011) through Ildikó Enyedi’s ON BODY AND SOUL (Golden Bear, 2017), Houda Benyamina’s DIVINES (Camera d’or, 2016), Lav Diaz’s THE WOMAN WHO LEFT (Golden Lion, 2016) to Mohammad Rasoulof’s THERE IS NO EVIL (Golden Bear, 2020). “At a time when people are more focused on issues and the films are increasingly driven by content, we at Films Boutique are more focused on the filmmakers themselves,” Simon explains. “This is how we operated from the very beginning and it has become more so as time has progressed. We want to hear their voices and get into the films through the filmmakers’ vision.” Moreover, a cursory glance at Films Boutique’s catalogue line-up shows that there isn’t any conscious focus on specific countries or regions when looking for new titles to take on for international sales. “We are just excited about films,” Simon says, pointing out that the company only handles a limited number of new titles each year - between 10 and 13 at most. “We are open to working with filmmakers from all over the globe and there have been many cases where it has then been the first time that a country’s film is reaching the Oscars or being invited to major international film festivals.”

The line-up’s international character is also re­flected in the cosmopolitan makeup of Films Boutique’s team: for example, Simon and Head of Sales Julien Razafindranaly both hail from France, head of acquisitions / COO Gabor Greiner is from Hungary and Films Boutique’s VP Valeska Neu is German-born. “For 70% of our films we come onboard at script stage because we like to be part of the conversation with the filmmakers and producers while of course respecting their particular vision,” Simon explains. “At the same time, we like to keep some slots open for discoveries and films we see as rough cuts, but that’s a limited part of the line-up. Films Boutique attends various industry events throughout the year scouting for interesting new projects with international sales potential and forging contacts with promising new producers. They include workshops organised by such initiatives as EAVE and ACE as well as the Berlinale Co-Production Market, L’Atelier in Cannes, the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra and Venice’s Gap Financing Market. “But most of the projects we get involved in come through the contacts we have built up over the years with filmmakers and producers,” Simon says.

While the company has built up relationships with German filmmakers such as “discoveries” Eva Trobisch and Annika Pinske as well as established names like Valeska Grisebach or Julia von Heinz, Simon and his team are also working closely with German production companies who serve as the co-producers of films by international auteurs.

This year, for example, will see Films Boutique handling sales on X Filme Creative Pool’s co-production of Agnieszka Holland new feature FRANZ as well as Pandora Film’s first collaboration with Ildikó Enyedi on SILENT FRIEND, while One Two Films is co-producer on three recent additions to the line-up: Ira Sachs’ PETER HUJAR’S DAY, Maryam Touzani’s Spanish-language feature CALLE MALAGA and Maltese director Alex Camilleri’s ZEJTUNE. “One of our recent greatest successes was another co-production THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG. The fact the German Oscar committee then selected it was an important political statement, particularly given the current global situation,” Simon says, adding that the support from German Films for the Golden Globes and Oscar campaigns was “really valuable and helped the film reach another level.”

Martin Blaney