French Animated Films Break 10-Year Record at Local B.O. in 2020

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMK2, the venerable family-owned film group which operates a leading arthouse multiplex chain in France and Spain, is emerging from the pandemic stronger, cooler and more ambitious than ever.Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz, who succeeded their father Marin at the helm of the company in 2005, have galvanized the MK2 brand with activities ranging from films, art, publishing, technology and lifestyle.

Rockstar owners Take-Two Interactive has acquired Dynamixyz, a facial animation studio based in France.Founded in 2010, Dynamixyz is made up of 15 employees with more than 40 years of combined experience in the field.

Ben Croll Dotted by hilltop views and an historic city center, France’s southwestern city of Angoulême had certainly played host to a handful of live-action shoots in recent years.But for the most part, the commune, just under 50,000 strong, had made its name as the country’s cartoonist capital, the place where Gallic scribblers go to burnish their reputation at the Intl.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentStreaming services, including Netflix, Amazon and Disney Plus, will soon have to invest between 20%-25% of their French revenues in French content under a new decree that was just unveiled by the French government following an 18-month process.The French decree is a stepping stone in the implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS), a legislation put forth by the European Commission to place streaming giants on an even playing field

Death in Paradise.MORE: Josephine Jobert lives 4,000 miles from Death in Paradise set – see homeBut in between filming, the 36-year-old managed to find time to enjoy the Guadalupian sunshine, and she flaunted her toned legs.WATCH: Josephine Jobert admits crying about Tobi Bakare left the showRelaxing poolside at a beautiful villa, the French actress shared a small clip of her views as well as her legs and feet that were catching the rays."Early wrap," the star wrote alongside a lips emoji,

Charades Films has boarded Carlota Pereda’s rural thriller “Piggy” (“Cerdita”), one of the most awaited feature debuts of the year from Spain.Written and directed by Pereda, “Piggy” is produced by Morena Films and France’s Backup Media, the outfit behind “Still Alice,” “Submergence” and Ari Folman’s Cannes entry “Where Is Anne Frank.” Charades will handle world sales rights on “Piggy,” while Filmax, a frequent backer of first time directors, will distribute the film in Spain.Starring Laura

A feature documentary is in the works that will chronicle the storied history of the Cannes Film Festival. The pic promises to delve behind the scenes of the famously glitzy event and will release in time for the fest’s 75-year anniversary in 2022.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentWarner TV, the French pay-TV channel and on-demand service launched by WarnerMedia, is teaming with Mediawan Group’s MakingProd for its first French original TV series, “Visitors,” a fantasy comedy by Simon Astier (“Zero Corp,” “Mortel”).The eight-part half-hour series was created, written and is being directed by Astier, whose fanboy profile and graphic universe seem to be the perfect match for Warner TV’s identity.

Dawn French is an incredibly proud mum to daughter Billie and delighted fans on Instagram this week when she shared a very rare snapshot of her only child.The actress shares Billie with her ex-husband Lenny Henry – the former couple were married from 1984 until 2010 – and prefers to keep her daughter out of the spotlight.MORE: Dawn French stuns fans with major change to trademark bob haircut WATCH: Dawn French reveals how her husband proposedBut on Monday, Dawn reposted an image previously sent

In terms of international cinema, in particular, you don’t find actors as popular and experienced as Julie Delpy. The French actress has appeared in films of all sizes all over the world, maybe most famously in the “Before” trilogy from filmmaker Richard Linklater.

Dawn French has released an extremely touching tribute to her late father Denys, who passed away 44 years ago. The 63-year-old star took to Instagram on Father's Day to share a throwback photograph of her younger self alongside her dad and told her followers just how much she misses him."44 years without you but miss you a lot.

Emiliano Granada Following on its acquisition in May of “The Island of Thirty Coffins,” Munich-based Beta Film is doubling down on French production, acquiring international rights to the six-hour France 3 crime thriller “Presumed Guilty.”Written by Franck Ollivier (“Zodiaque”), the limited series follows Lola, played by Garance Thenault (“La Mante”), who travels to a town on the Brittany coast for a job interview.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentUgo Bienvenu (aka Ugo), the popular French illustrator and comics author of “Préférence système,” is partnering up with veteran producer Valerie Schermann (“The Red Turtle,” “Paris, 13th District”) on his animated feature debut “Arco.”An ambitious science-fiction film, “Arco” is being co-developed and co-produced by Remembers, the outfit launched by Bienvenu and Félix de Givry, and Schermann at Akaba.

Ben Croll Speaking at a Monday morning panel dedicated to emerging female talent in the French animation sphere, filmmakers Marine Blin (“What Resonates in Silence”), Mélanie Robert-Tourneur (“Hold Me Tight,” pictured above), and Kajika Aki Ferrazzini (“MOM”) spoke candidly about pet obsessions and shared approaches while breaking news of future projects.The Belgium-based Robert-Tourneur (who uses they/them pronouns) will build on their previous film’s visually symbolic and narratively oblique

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentUniversal Music France and Mediawan’s Method Animation (“The Little Prince,” “Miraculous”) are joining forces on “Jam,” a animated music anthology which will showcase the greatest talents in both music and animation.Co-developed with Universal Music France’s original contents department, the 15-part series will be directed by Michael Gracey, the revered helmer of “The Greatest Showman,” and is being created by Method Animation’s roster of talent,

Wild Bunch is getting deeper into animation with the launch of a new sales company it is setting up with French animation specialist Gebeka.

Every passing day is another day closer to the Cannes premiere of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” and you can expect plenty of updates regarding the auteur director’s buzzy, star-studded period dramedy in the coming weeks. Today, we were afforded a tantalizing glimpse at the original soundtrack for “The French Dispatch,” which looks to be yet another top-shelf addition to Anderson’s roster of indelible cinematic playlists.

EXCLUSIVE: In a highly competitive acquisition situation ahead of the documentary’s Tribeca Festival premiere, MSNBC Films has picked up Paper & Glue from Imagine Documentaries, Impact Partners, TIME Studios, and Shark Island.