International Film Sales: The Now and the Next

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by journalist, moderator and film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

This episode explores the dynamic world of film sales as three industry experts delve into the post-pandemic landscape. Gain valuable insights into the evolving business in the theatrical and digital space, hear success stories in the realm of Arthouse cinema, and discover the pivotal role of a strong relationship to filmmakers. Guest speakers Alice Lesort, Katarzyna Siniarska and Jean-Christophe Lamontagne explore the importance of data, converse about regional nuances, and shed light on the growing interest of a new generation for Arthouse films. Tune in for a captivating discussion on current developments and the future of film sales!

Katarzyna Siniarska is a sales agent and producer, a Co-President of Europa International, European sales agents association (2021 -) and a frequent collaborator of ACE, EPI and First Cut Lab+ programmes.
Since January 2013, she has been a part of Warsaw-based boutique world sales agency New Europe Film Sales; first as a sales executive then the head of sales and a partner at the company.

Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne is passionate about promoting cinema and founded h264 in 2015. His goal: to increase the influence of works by forging close links between audiences and creators. He also directs and co-founds the Festival Plein(s) Écran(s), the first festival in the world to take place on Facebook. h264 is diversifying its activities and in 2019 launched a new aggregation service offering in a bid to improve the accessibility and distribution of works on digital platforms. 2021 marks a new stage for h264, which launches into feature film distribution following the acquisition of Fragments, with the aim of offering an innovative, integrated distribution model.

Alice Lesort started her career as a sales agent at Le Pacte. Since 2018, she is Head of the International Sales department at the production, distribution, and sales company Les Films du Losange, which supports filmmakers from all over the world through a vast catalogue of over 300 films (including the works of Eric Rohmer, Barbet Schroeder, Jacques Rivette, Jean Eustache, Michael Haneke, Mia Hansen-Løve, Alain Guiraudie, Nicolas Philibert…). On top of managing the sales team, she oversees sales in America, French and German speaking Europe, the United Kingdom and for multinational platforms. Alice Lesort is co-president of Europa International (European organization for films’ international distributors) since 2021, and is also part of the Advance on Receipts committee of the CNC.

The host Wendy Mitchell is a journalist, moderator and film festival consultant. She is a contributing editor and Nordic correspondent at Screen International, the producer of the Sundance London film festival, the UK and Nordic delegate for San Sebastian, consultant for San Sebastian’s Creative Investors’ Conference, curator at Lübeck Nordic Film Days and frequent moderator for Cannes Marché du Film and Berlinale’s European Film Market.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is produced in cooperation with Goethe-Institut and co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.