Le Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz Unveils Key Figures from 2021 Event

Le Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz has concluded its 27th edition, which saw a boost in engagement on its digital platform from the 2020 event.

“The global situation once again obliged us to hold our flagship event far from Biarritz—in digital form,” said Hervé Michel, VP of UniFrance, and Sarah Hemar, deputy managing director of UniFrance in charge of audiovisual and digital. “But the engagement we have seen from everyone—from member companies, international buyers and commissioning editors to partners and public authorities—has been stronger than ever this year. We thank everyone warmly.”

“The event’s key figures are up on 2020, proving the appeal of French TV content,” Michel and Hemer added. “We still hope to return to our good old habits on the Basque coast in 2022, though! And we intend to offer professionals the best possible working conditions there.”

All content on the Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz 2021 digital platform and in the dedicated Screening Room was accessible until September 30. There were over 4,000 visits to the dedicated platform, up 11 percent from 2020. Further, there were over 4,000 screenings of programs in the Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz 2021 Screening Room, an increase of 12 percent from last year.

The top five countries, by number of visits to the dedicated site from outside of France, were the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and China.

All told, the event featured 67 participating export companies, 13 super highlights, 16 pitches, 539 programs, 338 buyers and 63 countries.

For the first time, Le Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz included the presentation of an exclusive study, commissioned by the TV division of UniFrance and conducted in partnership with Glance, examining the biggest French success stories within France and their international potential.

Across two panels—one dedicated to documentaries, the other to animation—international commissioning editors presented their editorial strategies for slots, co-productions and acquisitions.

Presented jointly by the French National Center for Cinema (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée—CNC) and the TV division of UniFrance, the export figures for 2021 showed more than a 9 percent increase in exports of TV programs over the last year (international sales and foreign prefinancing).

The three winners of the 2021 Export Awards were Cyber Group Studios for the first season of Gigantosaurus (Animation Export Awards), ARTE Distribution for 700 Sharks (Documentary Export Awards) and Newen Connect for the first season of Candice Renoir (Fiction Export Awards).

UniFrance’s 2022 Les Rendez-Vous in Paris will take place from January 11 to 17. For the first time, it will include a special market dedicated to French TV programs, from January 11 to 13. Le Rendez-Vous Bi@rritz 2022 will take place from September 4 to 8.