Studiocanal has announced a partnership with French production and sales company WTFilms (What The Films).
The collaboration will focus on genre films to produce and distribute French-language content and European content that has global appeal.
The partnership is another sign of Studiocanal’s desire to grow its presence in the genre space and closely follows the recent announcement of Jed Benedict returning to the company to run a new genre label.
Studiocanal’s French production team will work with Benedict on WTFilms’ partnership and development slate.
The agreement was signed at the end of February 2024 between Studiocanal and WTFilms and comes after a successful collaboration on Xavier Gens’ Farang (2023).
The action film set in France and Thailand, which was highlighted by Deadline as a global breakthrough last summer, stars actor and former kickboxer Nissim Liss playing Sam as a prisoner forced to escape when his past violently catches up with him.
The production brings together the talents of Janes and British motion designer Judd Bowyer, who first met on the set of the Sky Atlantic and AMC crime thriller series. London gangs.
Studiocanal handled international sales and French distribution, and released the film theatrically last July in France where it grossed more than $1.5 million.
The film was released by IFC Films in the United States under the international title Chaos!having premiered in North America in Fantasia.
The partnership agreement will last for a period of no less than two years.
Studiocanal will serve as co-producer and distributor on select WTFilms projects across action, thriller, sci-fi and horror.
“We are very happy with the agreement signed with WTFilms. Driven by our successful work together FarangThis is a continuation of a relationship that we value very much and one of trust and creativity that we want to perpetuate,” said Studiocanal’s French Production Director François Mergier and French Production Head Asia Barge, who negotiated the Studiocanal agreement.