Cinema Defacto

What Cinema Defacto does

Cinéma Defacto is a Paris-based, privately-held auteur film production company founded in 2007 by producer Tom Dercourt (with Sophie Erbs as co-producer). Over approximately seventeen years the company has built a track-record of roughly forty completed feature films, twenty of which have appeared in official selections at Cannes and Berlin, including recent main-competition placements such as Miguel Gomes's Grand Tour at Cannes 2024 and Berlinale Silver Bears wins for Rabiye Kurnaz v. George W. Bush in 2022. The company's value proposition is author-driven feature production and co-production for the international festival-and-distribution circuit, with no consumer-facing product of its own.

The business operates as a B2B project-based production house. Each title is financed through a combination of pre-sales to international sales agents (MK2, New Europe Film Sales, The Match Factory, Pyramide International, Films Boutique), French theatrical distributors (ARP Sélection, Shellac, Nour Films), broadcaster pre-purchases (Arte France Cinéma, Canal+, Ciné+), and European public film funds (CNC's Aide aux Cinémas du Monde and advance-on-receipts, MEDIA / Creative Europe, regional funds). The company both leads and co-produces, assembling multi-country financing structures with recurring partners in Switzerland (Point Prod, Bord Cadre Films), Germany (Pandora, Iskremas), Poland (Lava Films), Sweden (Zentropa), Portugal (Terratreme), Lebanon (Abbout Production), and France (Gaïjin). Distribution occurs through sales agents globally, French distributors domestically, and the Universciné VOD platform for digital streaming.

The team is small (1–10 employees) and the company is founder-operated with no disclosed parent, investor base, or external funding. Operations span 30+ countries across Europe, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Asia, and the company is actively diversifying beyond features into series (Green Underground with Point Prod). No revenue, funding, or ownership figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Cinema Defacto

Legal name

Cinéma Defacto

Website

https://cinemadefacto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cinéma Defacto is a Paris-based, privately-held auteur film production company founded in 2007, producing and co-producing roughly 40 international feature films (20 selected at Cannes and Berlin) for the festival, theatrical, and VOD distribution circuit, financed through pre-sales, public subsidies, and multi-country co-productions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Scripted Feature Film Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scripted TV Series Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAB), Theatrical Distribution (Domestic) (MPADAJAA), Theatrical Distribution (International) (MPADAJAB)

Keywords

• Independent film production
• International co-production
• Feature film production
• Auteur film financing
• Film festival distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Feature Film Production: Production of author-driven feature films as lead producer or co-producer, with international distribution and festival premieres generating revenue through pre-sales, international sales agreements, and theatrical distribution.

Distribution channels3 records

Core offering

Cinéma Defacto produces and co-produces international author-driven feature films, acting as both lead producer and co-producer across European and international projects. The company delivers films from development through post-production, secures financing via pre-sales, public funds, and broadcaster commitments, and licenses finished titles through international sales agents and VOD platforms. Its catalogue comprises approximately 40 completed features, with 20 selected for official competitions at Cannes and Berlin.

Product overview

Cinéma Defacto is an author-driven film production company founded in 2007 and based in Paris. As a single unified offering, the company specializes in producing and co-producing international independent feature films with a track-record of approximately 40 completed features. Their core product is feature film production and co-production, supplemented by a comprehensive film catalogue available for digital distribution through Universciné. The company focuses on international productions, serving as both lead producer and co-producer, with films premiered in prestigious festivals including Cannes and Berlin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Feature Film Production

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Point ProdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss production company frequently co-producing with Cinéma Defacto on international projects such as Olga and Green Underground (series)
• MK2coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent handling distribution for films like Costa Brava, Lebanon
• New Europe Film SalescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent for films including Sweat, The Load, The Here After, and Apprentice
• The Match FactorycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent for Grand Tour, Rabiye Kurnaz v. George W. Bush, As We Were Dreaming, and La Vaca Que Canto Una Cancion Hacia El Futuro
• Pyramide InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent and French distributor handling films including The Harvesters, After the War, and Transamazonia
• ARP SélectioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench theatrical distributor for films including Olga and Sweat
• ShellaccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench distribution partner for films including As Happy As Possible, Adrienn Pál, Eat For This Is My Body, and Grand Tour
• Nour FilmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench distributor for Los Perros, The Load, The Here After, and La Vaca Que Canto Una Cancion Hacia El Futuro
• Terratreme FilmescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese production company co-producing films including As Happy As Possible, Ordinary Time, and Los Perros
• GaïjincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench production company co-producing Transamazonia, Familiar, and La Vaca Que Canto Una Cancion Hacia El Futuro
• Bord Cadre FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss production company involved in multiple coproductions including The Harvesters, After the War, and Los Perros
• Lava FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish production company co-producing Sweat, The Here After, and The Harvesters
• ZentropacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish film company co-producing Sweat and The Here After
• Pandora FilmproduktioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production company co-producing Rabiye Kurnaz v. George W. Bush and Transamazonia
• Mimesis FilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCzech production company co-producing Confession of the Vanished, Skokan, and We Are Never Alone
• Abbout ProductioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLebanese production company leading Costa Brava, Lebanon with Cinéma Defacto as coproducer
• UniverscinécoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVOD platform where multiple Cinéma Defacto films are available for streaming
• Iskremas FilmproduktioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production company co-producing As We Were Dreaming and Rabiye Kurnaz v. George W. Bush
• Snowglobe FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish production company coproducing Costa Brava, Lebanon
• BarentsfilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian production company coproducing Costa Brava, Lebanon
• Fox In The SnowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish production company coproducing Costa Brava, Lebanon
• Lastor MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish production company coproducing Costa Brava, Lebanon
• Isabella FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch production company producing Truly Naked in coproduction with Cinéma Defacto
• Ici et Là ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench production company coproducing Truly Naked
• CNCcoreOthersFrench National Center for Cinema provides funding support through various aid programs including Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, advance on receipts, and coproduction funds
• MEDIA Programme / Creative EuropecoreOthersEuropean Union funding programme supporting film development and coproduction through MEDIA sub-programme
• Arte France CinémacoreOthersFrench-German broadcaster providing production financing and pre-purchasing rights for European films

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lava Films: Polish production company that has co-produced multiple Cinema Defacto films (Sweat, The Here After, The Harvesters). A similarly sized European auteur producer collaborating on the same international co-productions, comparable in scale and festival strategy.
• Final Cut for Real: Danish production company specializing in European auteur cinema with strong festival positioning (Cannes, Berlin, Venice), comparable in size and international co-production approach.
• Coproduction Office: Independent European production and sales company focused on auteur films, frequently present at Cannes, Berlin, Venice. Comparable model of international co-production with festival-first positioning.
• Haut et Court: French production company with a comparable auteur-led slate, frequent Cannes/Berlin selections, and deep integration with French distributors and sales agents. Closely mirrors Cinéma Defacto's positioning in the French arthouse ecosystem.
• MK2 Productions: Production arm of the MK2 group (international sales agent for Cinéma Defacto films) — a French producer-distributor that operates in both production and worldwide sales for auteur cinema, comparable in auteur focus but with broader vertical integration.
• Memento Films Production: Paris-based independent film production company specializing in auteur cinema with strong festival pedigree (Cannes, Berlin, Venice), analogous in scale and strategy to Cinéma Defacto — producing/co-producing European and international features targeting arthouse distribution.
• Les Films du Losange: Long-established French auteur production company behind Eric Rohmer and many contemporary directors; comparable in its focus on author-driven cinema, festival positioning, and partnership with French distributors/sales agents.
• Pyramide Films: French production and distribution company with both a sales arm (Pyramide International, which handles some Cinéma Defacto titles) and theatrical distribution; directly comparable auteur profile and Cannes/Berlin activity.

Broad incumbents

• Wild Bunch: Major French international sales and production group. Comparable in handling auteur cinema with strong festival presence, but operates at a much larger scale with a broader commercial catalogue and international sales infrastructure.

Emerging players

• MUBI (Producer/Acquirer): Global arthouse streaming platform and selective producer/acquirer; while not a direct production peer, it is a recurring downstream acquirer and occasional producer of auteur cinema, shaping the same festival circuit and providing distribution economics relevant to Cinéma Defacto.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cinemadefacto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cinema Defacto