Sister Productions

What Sister Productions does

Sister Productions is a privately held, independent French film production company founded by producer Julie Paratian in Bordeaux around 2012 (the company name is an anagram of RESIST). Operating with a small core team of roughly 4–7 full-time staff supplemented by occasional producers, the company produces approximately 30 documentary and fiction feature films over its 12-year history, with a pronounced editorial identity around feminist, politically engaged, and internationally co-produced storytelling. Films are developed from script through post-production internally, with Sister Productions acting as lead producer and assembling multi-country co-production structures (e.g., France–Jordan–Ireland on My Sweet Land; France–Slovenia–Italy–Netherlands on Little Trouble Girls; France–Germany–Hungary on Mambo Maternica; France–Greece–Serbia on Her Job).

The company's revenue mechanics are project-based and multi-stream: public film funding from the CNC and Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, broadcaster pre-sales and co-production funding from ARTE France and other European public broadcasters, international sales through specialist agents (Luxbox, Indie Sales, Upside Distribution), French theatrical distribution via art-house distributors (Jour2fête, Shellac, Nour Films, Les Alchimistes), and VOD/streaming via Vimeo On Demand, arte.tv, Universcine, and OCS. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per project.

The go-to-market motion relies on festival-circuit visibility (Cannes ACID, Berlinale, IDFA, TIFF, Cinéma du Réel, Locarno, HotDocs) as the primary discovery and credibility channel, with awards (Magritte for Best Documentary 2017, Cannes Official Selection 2020, Berlinale Panorama 2023, FIPADOC Lighdox 2024, Cinema du Réel Intangible Cultural Heritage Prize 2024) serving as reputation multipliers that feed back into deal flow with directors, co-producers, and funders. Customer segments are predominantly institutional — public broadcasters, national and regional film funds, sales agents, and theatrical distributors — rather than direct consumers, with a small direct-to-consumer VOD layer added through the company's own catalog portal.

Name

Sister Productions

Legal name

Sister Productions

Website

https://sisterprod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sister Productions is a privately held, independent French film production company founded by Julie Paratian in Bordeaux, producing politically engaged documentary and fiction features through multi-country co-productions and distributing via festivals, broadcasters (ARTE), sales agents, and VOD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Studio Campus / Production Facility Operators (MPADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Politics & Current Affairs Documentaries (MPADADAJ), Short-Form Documentaries (MPADADAC)

Keywords

• Independent film production
• Documentary filmmaking
• International co-productions
• Fiction feature films
• Film distribution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berson

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Film Production Services: Sister Productions produces documentary and fiction films for cinema and television. Revenue comes from production fees, co-production arrangements, and sales of distribution rights.
2. Co-production Revenue: International co-productions with partners from Greece, Sri Lanka, Belgium, Tunisia, Jordan, USA, and Argentina generate revenue through pre-sales, grants, and distribution deals.
3. VOD and Broadcast Rights: Films are available on VOD platforms (Vimeo, arte.tv) and broadcast on ARTE and other television networks, generating licensing revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sister Productions is an independent film production company that develops, finances, and produces documentary and fiction feature films for theatrical release and television broadcast. The company operates as the French production partner in international co-productions with countries including Greece, Sri Lanka, Belgium, Tunisia, Jordan, Armenia, Argentina, and the USA. It also distributes its film library through an in-house VOD catalog on Vimeo On Demand and arte.tv, and through partnerships with French distributors and international sales agents.

Product overview

Sister Productions is an independent French film production company founded by Julie Paratian 12 years ago, specializing in politically and artistically engaged documentary and fiction films. The company's portfolio includes feature-length documentaries such as My Sweet Land, Uprising, El Castillo, and Caiti Blues, as well as fiction features including Little Trouble Girls, Mambo Maternica, Si le vent tombe, and Her Job. Sister Productions operates a VOD catalog for streaming their film library, with films available on platforms including Vimeo on Demand and ARTE. The company focuses on international co-productions and has produced approximately 30 films for cinema and television.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• My Sweet Land (Un garçon, une terre, la guerre) Documentary feature film by Sareen Hairabedian following 11-year-old Vrej in Artsakh as war resumes, exploring whether he can carry a nation's hopes. Co-produced with Hai Creative (Jordan) and Soilsiú Films (Ireland), supported by ARTE France, CNC, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and multiple international film funds.
• Mambo Maternica (L'Origine du monde) Feature fiction film by Borbála Nagy following three women in Berlin, Paris, and Budapest making difficult decisions about abortion, insemination, and adoption. Co-produced with Voices (Germany) and LUPA Pictures (Hungary).
• De Brisa y De Sol Documentary portrait by Chloé Lecci López of Carmen, 80, who has cleaned homes from Murcia to Paris and now Galicia, using singing as her strength and remedy for exile.
• Little Trouble Girls Feature fiction film by Urška Djukić about 16-year-old Lucia joining her Catholic school's all-girls choir and navigating her budding sexuality. Co-produced with SPOK and Nosorogi (Slovenia), Staragara I.T. (Italy), and Kepler Films (Netherlands).
• Uprising (Soulèvements) Documentary by Thomas Lacoste drawing an intimate portrait of the Earth Uprisings movement and youth forging new links with the living. Co-produced with La Bande Passante.
• Si le vent tombe / Should the Wind Drop First feature fiction by Nora Martirosyan about an international auditor assessing an airport in a self-proclaimed Caucasus republic. Co-produced with Kwassa Films (Belgium) and Aneva Production (Armenia); international sales by Indie Sales Company.
• Caiti Blues Documentary by Justine Harbonnier following 30-year-old Caiti struggling to build a life worthy of her Broadway childhood dreams.
• El Castillo / The Castle Documentary by Martín Benchimol about Justina inheriting a mansion in Argentina from her former employer with the condition she never sells it. Co-produced with Gema Films (Argentina); international sales by Luxbox.
• Demons in Paradise Documentary by Jude Ratnam depicting the Sri Lankan civil war from the perspective of a Tamil filmmaker who fled massacre in 1983. Co-produced with Kriti a Work of Art (Sri Lanka); international distribution by Upside Distribution.
• Into Battle (En bataille) Documentary portrait by Eve Duchemin of Marie L, a 35-year-old prison director, winning the Magritte for Best Documentary 2017.
• Her Job First feature by Nikos Labôt about Panayiota, a 37-year-old illiterate housewife in Greece finding work as a mall cleaner during the recession. Co-produced with Homemade Films (Greece) and Sense Production (Serbia); French distribution by Jour2fête.
• Le Challat de Tunis / Challat of Tunis Documentary comedy by Kaouther Ben Hania investigating the mystery of a man who slashed women's buttocks in pre-revolutionary Tunis. Co-produced with Cinetelefilms (Tunisia) and Six Island Production (Canada).
• VOD Catalog On-demand streaming platform offering access to Sister Productions' documentary and fiction catalog including titles such as C'est beau les vacances!, En bataille, Dayana mini market, and Je n'ai plus peur de la nuit, available via Vimeo On Demand and arte.tv.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hai CreativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJordan-based production company co-producing My sweet land with Sister Productions
• Soilsiú FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrish co-production partner for My sweet land documentary
• Voices (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman co-production partner for Mambo Maternica
• LUPA PicturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHungarian co-production partner for Mambo Maternica
• SPOKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlovenian co-production partner for Little Trouble Girls
• NosorogicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlovenian co-production partner for Little Trouble Girls
• Staragara I.T.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian co-production partner for Little Trouble Girls
• Kepler FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch co-production partner for Little Trouble Girls
• La Bande PassantecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench co-production partner for Soulèvements documentary
• ARTE FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor French-German broadcaster providing funding, broadcast rights and promotional support for documentaries including My sweet land
• Kwassa Films (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian co-production partner for Si le vent tombe
• Aneva Production (Armenia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArmenian co-production partner for Si le vent tombe
• Indie Sales CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent handling worldwide distribution for Si le vent tombe
• Gema Films (Argentina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgentine co-production partner for El Castillo
• LuxboxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational world sales agent for El Castillo
• Homemade Films (Greece)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek co-production partner for Her Job
• Sense Production (Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerbian co-production partner for Her Job
• Jour2fêtecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench theatrical distribution partner for Her Job
• Kriti a Work of Art (Sri Lanka)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSri Lankan co-production partner for Demons in Paradise
• Upside DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution partner for Demons in Paradise
• Cinetelefilms (Tunisia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTunisian co-production partner for Le Challat de Tunis
• Six Island Production (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian co-production partner for Le Challat de Tunis
• Les Films du Présent (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench co-production partner for Sud Eau Nord Déplacer
• The French Connection (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench co-production partner for Mobile Etoile
• EMA Films (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian co-production partner for Mobile Etoile
• Andana FilmsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for The moon inside you
• SurvivanceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Demons in Paradise

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Indie Sales: Major international sales agent handling world sales for Sister on 'Si le vent tombe' and many other French independents — adjacent as the downstream commercial counterparty, sharing the same customer base of European auteur filmmakers and festival programmers.
• Luxbox: Paris-based international sales company focused on arthouse and auteur cinema, representing Sister's 'El Castillo' — operates in the same French/international festival ecosystem with comparable producer clients.

Regional players

• Jour2fête: French theatrical distribution partner for Sister on multiple titles; while primarily a distributor rather than producer, it is a direct counterpart in the French art-house ecosystem with overlapping customer (filmmaker/sales agent) relationships.

Direct peers

• Les Films du Worso: Paris-based independent production company with a comparable focus on auteur-driven, internationally co-produced feature films and documentaries — overlapping in editorial ambition, public funding reliance, and festival strategy.
• Haut et Court: Established French independent producer and distributor known for auteur and documentary films with significant ARTE and CNC exposure — directly comparable in genre mix (fiction + documentary) and European festival pipeline.
• Agat Films & Cie: Paris-based independent production house producing fiction, documentary, and animation, with a strong tradition of politically and socially engaged work and a long-standing presence at Cannes and other major festivals — closely parallel to Sister's editorial positioning.
• Memento Films Production: French independent production company with a strong track record in auteur fiction and documentary, international co-productions, and arthouse festival circulation — operates at a similar scale and business model.
• Cinema Defacto: France-based international co-production company focused on bold first features and documentaries from emerging territories — directly comparable as a French-rooted, internationally co-producing boutique focused on auteur discovery.
• Andana Films: French independent production and distribution company working in art-house documentary and fiction with a festival-driven strategy — closely comparable in scale, genre focus, and reliance on public funding partners.

Emerging players

• Vetta Films: Small French production outfit run by Deborah Chiarella, who is listed as an occasional producer on Sister projects — a peer-scale, founder-led indie production company operating in the same funding and festival landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sister_prod

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sister Productions