Boat Rocker to Launch Original Doc Le Bal Paris

Boat Rocker has launched a premium original documentary slate with Le Bal Paris, produced by Boat Rocker’s Maven.

A feature-length documentary, Le Bal Paris offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the world’s most prestigious debutante ball. Boat Rocker will manage global distribution for the title, which marks the first of a series of projects that will see the company independently finance documentaries for the international marketplace.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland (Truman & Tennessee, Love, Cecil, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel) is attached to direct Le Bal Paris. Ophélie Renouard, Mickey Boardman (Paper Magazine), Leila Mattimore, Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh and Immordino Vreeland serve as producers on the project.

The annual invitation-only Le Bal Paris brings together international, high-profile guests in the name of haute couture, jewelry and charity. The project documents the months-long preparation process undertaken by the young attendees, as well as Ophélie Renouard, founder of le Bal Paris, and her team—from the intricacies behind invites to pairing guests with designers, matching the invitees to their Cavaliers and more. The project will follow an invited international cast that includes teen royals from Italy, Germany, India, China and the U.S., as well as Norway, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Indonesia.

After a two-year-long hiatus due to Covid-19, le Bal is set to return to its roots on November 26, 2022, at the Shangri-La Paris.

Michel Pratte, president of Boat Rocker Media, said: “Financing premium documentaries is an essential pillar for delivering on our promise to leading talent that Boat Rocker is the home for creative visionaries to remain independent, while succeeding creatively and commercially. The unprecedented demand for premium documentaries has led us to expand our investment past just development and into independently financing documentaries with undeniably unique stories that, as finished products, have extremely high value in today’s competitive marketplace.”

Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh, president of Maven, said: “Le Bal is an event and process like no other and offers a compelling storytelling opportunity anchored in the new era of Gen Z debutantes, many of whom are royals. Debutante balls are steeped in family legacy and traditions, and le Bal is without question the world’s most exclusive. We look forward to taking audiences on a behind-the-scenes journey to tell the stories of a generation of participants with new ideals and perspectives.”

Immordino Vreeland said: “Le Bal has been featured in scripted television for years, but this is the first time cameras have been granted access in a documentary format, providing a rare chance to explore the process. It is also a chance to be able to see why an event that is steeped in such history is relevant to the Gen Z generation.”

Jay Peterson, president of unscripted at Boat Rocker, said: “We’re thrilled to be producing Le Bal Paris with our talented partners and look forward to providing viewers a glimpse into a world few ever see, with a fresh, modern story. Given our experience producing documentary content targeted at younger viewers, including Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, and our upcoming documentary for HBO Sports about the recent Bishop Sycamore football scandal, we’re well-positioned to effectively tell this fascinating story.”