What 1000 Visages does

1000 Visages is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2006 by César and Caméra d'Or winning director Houda Benyamina in Viry-Châtillon, Essonne, now headquartered in Paris. Its mission is to democratize access to cinema and series professions for youth aged 11-28 who are excluded from the industry due to social, economic, or geographic barriers, particularly those from working-class neighborhoods and rural areas.

The organization operates two main free training programs — Parcours Acteur.ice (acting) and Parcours Scénariste-Réalisateur.rice (screenwriting and directing) — plus a paid Classe Prépa Théâtre preparing students for drama school entrance exams. Each cohort admits approximately 20 students. The pedagogical model emphasizes hands-on practice, artistic creation, and direct transmission from active film professionals, modeled on Renaissance bottegas. Beyond training, the association runs talent detection programs for ages 11-18 in partnership with local community structures such as MJC de Grigny, produces student films (two were screened at the Cinémathèque Française in 2024), and issues an annual Appel à projets (call for projects) supporting emerging screenwriters and directors nationwide.

The revenue model relies primarily on donations, supplemented by modest subscription fees for the Classe Prépa Théâtre (€230/month standard, €150/month reduced). Distribution is direct: workshops delivered in-house with no resale channels or third-party delivery. Geographic reach is currently France-only, with a stated mission expansion toward combining rural and suburban populations, formalized in October 2025 when 1000 Visages launched as "L'école de la France des oubliés." There is no proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, app, or API layer; the offering is fundamentally human-capital-intensive arts education and cultural production.

Name

1000 Visages

Legal name

Association 1000 Visages

Website

https://1000visages.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

1000 Visages is a French non-profit founded in 2006 by Houda Benyamina that delivers free cinema and series training programs (acting, screenwriting, directing) plus a paid prep class to youth aged 11-28 from disadvantaged neighborhoods and rural areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and financial support: The association relies on financial donations from supporters to fund projects and workshops. They encourage donations as a way to contribute to cultural democratization and promotion of emerging talents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

1000 Visages operates as a non-profit film school offering free or low-cost training programs in acting, screenwriting, and directing for young people from working-class neighborhoods and rural areas in France. The association produces films with its students, runs youth talent detection programs in partnership with community centers, and issues open calls for projects (Appel à projets) to support emerging screenwriters and directors from across France.

Product overview

1000 Visages is a non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2006 by filmmaker Houda Benyamina. The organization operates as a film school outside traditional walls, offering two main training programs: Parcours Acteur.ice (actor training) and Parcours Scénariste-Réalisateur.rice (screenwriter-director training), plus a Classe Prépa Théâtre (theater prep class). The organization also produces films through its members, runs talent detection programs for youth, and issues calls for projects. Operating like Renaissance bottegas, the school prioritizes hands-on learning, artistic creation, collaboration, and experimentation, with the mission of democratizing access to cinema and series professions for young people from diverse backgrounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Classe Acteur.ice: Acting class training program for 20 students aged 18-25, focusing on fundamental acting techniques, body language, creativity, and artistic autonomy.
• Classe Scénariste-Réalisateur.rice
• Classe Prépa Théâtre

Products and services

• Parcours Acteur.ice (Classe Acteur.ice) A two-year intensive acting training program for 20 students aged 18-25, covering body techniques, improvisation, on-set writing, interpretation, and professional projects. Taught by Elan Ben Ali and Karim Ben Haddou.
• Parcours Scénariste-Réalisateur.rice (Classe Scénariste-Réalisateur) A screenwriting and directing training program for 20 students aged 18-28, teaching fundamentals of scriptwriting, narration, and mise-en-scène through regular film exercises. Three selected projects are produced. Taught by Houda Benyamina, Elina Kastler, Jean Costa, and Camille Delaunay.
• Classe Prépa Théâtre An intensive preparation course for drama school entrance exams, targeting 20 students aged 18-25. Runs from October 2025 to June 2026, with sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Taught by Soulaymane Rkiiba and Elan Ben Ali. Priced at €230 per month (standard) or €150 per month (scholarship holders, RSA beneficiaries, or families in Q1-Q3 income brackets).
• Film Production (Agir) The association produces films with and through its members. Productions include docu-fiction 'Acting' and short film 'Les Endormeurs' by Boris Biaou, both screened at the Cinémathèque Française in 2024.
• Appel à projets (Call for Projects) A project call targeting authors from across France to create films and series. Projects are selected for development support, focusing on comedy, thriller, and drama genres.
• Détection Program Talent detection program for young people aged 11-18 in popular neighborhoods, conducted in partnership with local community centers. Includes introduction to cinema professions and shooting phases during school vacations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 films produced and screened at Cinémathèque Française in 2024

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MJC de GrignycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose partnership with MJC de Grigny director to conduct youth talent detection program. Activities include acting workshops, on-set writing exercises, and discovery of film professions (sound, camera, script). First phase involves professional-guided sessions across multiple half-days, followed by shooting phase during April school vacations.
• Cinémathèque FrançaisecoreOthersPrestigious venue that screened two 1000 Visages productions in 2024: docu-fiction 'Acting' and short film 'Les Endormeurs'. Screening at this renowned institution provides significant visibility and legitimacy for student works.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cours Florent: Major private performing-arts school offering actor training programs comparable to the Parcours Acteur.ice. While broader in scope (theatre, cinema, musical comedy), it overlaps directly on the acting-training-for-young-adults offering.
• ESRA (École supérieure de réalisation audiovisuelle): Private French audiovisual school offering screenwriting, directing, and acting programs. Comparable private-sector film-training alternative serving similar young-adult students across France.
• Kourtrajmé: French free film school founded by Kim Chapiron/Romain Gavras for underprivileged youth in Seine-Saint-Denis. Most direct peer — same demographic mission, free training, and film-production pipeline serving suburban French talent.

Emerging players

• Envoludia / Pôle Cinéma & Audiovisuel en Région: Smaller French non-profits and regional cinema-training bodies pursuing similar inclusion-in-cinema missions at sub-national scale. Comparable on mission; thinner on visibility and Cinémathèque-level outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD): France's elite public conservatoire for dramatic art, the destination for the Classe Prépa Théâtre graduates. Comparable acting-training pathway, though operating at the opposite (selective/state-funded) end of the spectrum.
• La Fémis: France's premier national film school (École nationale supérieure des métiers de l'image et du son). Comparable in that it trains screenwriters and directors, but operates as a highly selective state-funded institution rather than serving under-represented communities.
• Le Fresnoy — Studio national des arts contemporains: National studio for contemporary arts combining production and training for young artists. Overlaps with 1000 Visages on the film/audiovisual production and emerging-artist training dimensions.
• ENS Louis-Lumière: National school for cinema, sound, and photography professions. Comparable on the technical/cinema curriculum dimension, though serves a different (selective, state-funded) population than 1000 Visages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1000visages

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 1000 Visages