On April 16th more than 150 professionals gathered at the Palais de la Bourse in Marseille to participate in Production Summit fiction, organized by the internet magazine film français. Four round tables punctuated the day, led by “high-level speakers”, like Sened Dhab, director of digital drama at France Télévisions, and Matthieu Marot, artistic advisor for programmes on Canal Plus.
These different meetings led to reflection on the future of short formats and web series, to question the state of drama funding and to understand the challenges daily soap operas make on channels and the regions they’re filmed in. Public broadcasting reform was also the subject of a round table, and more specifically its impact on regions and local professionals.
This is the first time the normally Paris-based film français has delocalised to Marseille. Marseille producer Sabrina Roubache suggested the idea a few years ago to Réginald de Guillebon, the magazine’s owner. Despite the very dynamic film industry in southern France, this was one of the few events in the region for broadcasting professionals.
Indeed after the Île-de-France (Paris), southern France is the country’s second most popular region for filming, with its own studios and a wide variety of natural settings. In 2017 the direct economic impact of filming was €88 million. The Regional authorities are also continuing to invest in film production, since in 2018 a budget of €5.3 million was allocated to the Production Assistance Fund, and 14 feature film projects have been supported.
Jean-Luc Chauvin, president of the Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce, partner of the event, insisted on the importance of hosting the Production Summit fiction in Marseille. “The reception of this kind of event in our region makes Aix-Marseille-Provence a key player in the French film industry and strengthens our claim that this is a Film-Making Country.”
