Festival La Rochelle Cinéma

What Festival La Rochelle Cinéma does

Festival La Rochelle Cinéma (Fema) is a French non-profit association (Association déclarée) that has operated an annual international film festival in La Rochelle since 1973, with its 54th edition scheduled for June 26 to July 4, 2026. The festival's core product is a 9-day summer program featuring retrospectives, filmmaker tributes, world premieres, and special events across fiction, documentary, animation, and cine-concerts, attracting a general cinephile audience plus film industry professionals, young cinéphiles, and children's audiences. Supporting products include the online ticketing platform (billetterie.festival-larochelle.org) managed via Supersoniks, the Carte Illimitée and multi-entry subscription cards, the #welovefema community platform launched in 2019, the Rencontres du Fema professional events, the Rencontres Sonores podcast series, and a year-round programming schedule. The festival is co-led by Délégués généraux Sophie Mirouze and Arnaud Dumatin, operates with 14 employees, and maintains a headquarters in La Rochelle and a permanent bureau in Paris.

The business model blends ticket sales (single entry €6.50-€9, multi-entry cards €16-€84, unlimited cards €70-€105), professional accreditations, and boutique merchandise with substantial institutional subsidy from Ville de La Rochelle, Département Charente-Maritime, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Ministère de la Culture, CNC, and EU Creative Europe MEDIA. Strategic partnerships with StudioCanal, Carlotta Films, Les Films de Mon Oncle, Cinémathèque française, Le Pacte, the Institut culturel italien, and Malavida anchor the filmmaker-tribute programming, while media partners (Libération, Canal+ Classic, Le Film Français, Cahiers du Cinéma, RCF, France Culture, ICI La Rochelle, Radio Collège, Letterboxd) extend earned-media reach. Technology infrastructure is built on WordPress/PHP/JavaScript with Matomo privacy-focused analytics, Monetico payment processing, Brevo newsletter, and Infomaniak hosting — a standard, low-AI web stack with no proprietary machine-learning capabilities disclosed.

Name

Festival La Rochelle Cinéma

Legal name

Association Festival La Rochelle Cinéma

Website

https://festival-larochelle.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Festival La Rochelle Cinéma (Fema) is a French non-profit association running an annual international film festival in La Rochelle since 1973, serving general cinephiles, young audiences, and film industry professionals through screenings, filmmaker tributes, and a year-round community platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAKAD

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

Keywords

• International film festival
• Cinema programming
• Filmmaker tributes
• Ticketing services
• Professional accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

La Rochelle

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket and Subscription Sales: The festival generates revenue primarily through ticket sales (individual screenings at €6.50-€9), multi-entry cards (3 to 20 entries), and unlimited cards (€70-€105). Single entry tickets and various subscription tiers provide flexible options for festival-goers.
2. Professional Accreditations: Industry professionals (filmmakers, critics, distributors, buyers) purchase or apply for accreditations to attend professional events and screenings during the festival.
3. Festival Boutique: The festival operates a boutique selling merchandise and catalogues related to the festival and its programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Festival La Rochelle Cinéma organizes an annual international film festival in La Rochelle featuring curated screenings, retrospectives, and filmmaker tributes. It sells individual tickets, multi-entry packs, and the Carte Illimitée subscription; runs the year-round Fema des Enfants children's cinema program and Pack Atelier Enfant workshops; hosts Rencontres du Fema professional events; and operates an online community platform (#welovefema) for members.

Product overview

Festival La Rochelle Cinéma (Fema) operates as an annual international film festival held since 1973 in La Rochelle, France. The core product is the festival itself (54th edition in 2026), complemented by an online ticketing platform (Billetterie) powered by Supersoniks. Supporting products include the #welovefema community platform for attendees to track favorites and write micro-critiques, a dedicated children's program (Fema des Enfants), professional accreditations and industry events, podcast/audio content (Rencontres sonores), and a year-round programming schedule. The main revenue streams are ticket sales including single tickets, multi-entry cards, and unlimited cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #welovefema: Community platform for festival-goers to save favorite films, post micro-critiques, create personalized agendas, and access competitions

Products and services

• Festival La Rochelle Cinéma (Annual International Film Festival) Annual international film festival held in La Rochelle, France, featuring curated screenings, retrospectives, filmmaker tributes, and professional encounters for cinephile audiences and industry guests.
• Billetterie (Festival Ticketing Service) Online and on-site ticketing service offering individual screening tickets, multi-entry packs (5 and 10 entries), and reduced-rate categories (students, youth under 26, unemployed, RSA beneficiaries) for festival attendees.
• Carte Illimitée (Unlimited Subscription Pass) Annual unlimited subscription pass granting entry to festival screenings and events throughout the festival period, designed for dedicated cinephile members.
• Fema des Enfants (Year-Round Children's Cinema Program) Year-round children's cinema program offering curated screenings and educational film activities for young audiences and families.
• Pack Atelier Enfant Children's workshop pack bundling access to educational cinema workshops for young participants, launched in 2025 as part of Fema des Enfants.
• Rencontres du Fema (Professional Events) Professional events and encounters for filmmakers, distributors, critics, and industry guests, organized alongside the annual festival program.
• #welovefema (Member Community Platform) Online community platform for festival supporters and members, providing year-round engagement, newsletter content, and community features linked to the festival.
• Festival Boutique (Merchandise) Branded merchandise sales (t-shirts, tote bags, books, and program materials) supporting festival operations and providing collectibles for attendees.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ville de La RochellecoreOthersMunicipal government of La Rochelle is a key institutional partner supporting the festival's home city venue and operations.
• Département Charente-MaritimecoreOthersRegional department government providing institutional support and funding for the festival.
• Région Nouvelle-AquitainecoreOthersRegional council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine supporting the festival as part of cultural development.
• Ministère de la CulturecoreOthersFrench Ministry of Culture providing national institutional support.
• CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée)coreOthersFrench National Center for Cinema providing regulatory and financial support.
• EU Creative Europe MEDIA ProgrammecoreOthersEuropean Union funding programme supporting European film and cultural industries.
• StudioCanalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm production and distribution company partnering on filmmaker retrospectives (Tati, Moretti) and film presentations.
• Carlotta FilmsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench film distribution company participating in Jacques Tati retrospective partnership.
• Les Films de Mon OnclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company holding rights to Jacques Tati films, co-presenting the Tati retrospective with festival support from Jérôme Deschamps, Macha Makeïeff, and Louise Deschamps Makeïeff.
• Cinémathèque françaiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national film archive collaborating on retrospective programming.
• Le PacteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench film distribution company distributing Cristian Mungiu films.
• Institut culturel italien (Paris)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian Cultural Institute in Paris collaborating on Nanni Moretti homage.
• MalavidaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFilm distribution company participating in Nanni Moretti programming.
• LibérationminorOthersFrench national newspaper as media partner.
• Canal+ ClassicminorOthersFrench cable TV channel specializing in classic cinema, media partner.
• Le Film FrançaisminorOthersFrench film industry trade publication, media partner.
• Cahiers du CinémaminorOthersPrestigious French film magazine, media partner.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Direct peers

• Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica (Venice Film Festival): One of the world's oldest international film festivals (1932). Comparable in heritage, format (annual auteur-focused event with retrospectives and hommages), and target audience of cinephiles and industry professionals.
• Festival Lumière: Annual heritage/classic cinema festival held in Lyon. Directly comparable because Fema's curatorial identity — retrospectives, complete filmmaker retrospectives (Tati 2026) — overlaps with Festival Lumière's classic-cinema focus.
• Festival de Cannes: France's flagship international film festival and the global benchmark for auteur cinema. Directly comparable as a French international film festival attracting filmmakers, distributors, critics, and industry professionals, although Fema is far smaller and curates a retrospective-driven slate rather than a competitive premiere market.
• Karlovy Vary International Film Festival: Major Central European international film festival with retrospectives, industry accreditation, and youth programs. Comparable as a non-Cannes-tier European festival balancing auteur programming with industry access.
• Festival du Court Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand: Leading international short film festival in France with a strong industry market and educational outreach. Comparable as a French international film festival with professional accreditation and youth-oriented programming.
• Telluride Film Festival: Smaller-scale US auteur film festival with retrospective and tribute programming. Comparable curatorial philosophy and audience profile (loyal cinephile base), making it a close format analog to Fema.
• Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival): Major annual international film festival with retrospectives, hommages, and a strong industry/accreditation program. Comparable in scale-tier ambition and in curating programming that mixes auteur cinema with audience-facing events.
• Festival International du Film d'Animation d'Annecy: Premier French international film festival focused on animation, held annually in Annecy. Comparable as a French internationally oriented film festival with industry accreditation, retrospectives, and year-round educational programming — directly competing for animation programming that Fema includes in its slate.
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Major international film festival with industry accreditation, year-round programming, and retrospectives. Comparable in audience-facing and industry-facing programming model, although TIFF is far larger and more commercially oriented.

Broad incumbents

• Cinémathèque française: France's flagship film archive and exhibition institution. Directly relevant as Fema's retrospective programming is co-developed with the Cinémathèque (a documented partner); it operates year-round exhibition, archives, and education that overlap with Fema's extended programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/festivallarochellecinema
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@festivallarochellecinema
• Facebookfacebook.com/festivallarochellecinema
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-la-rochelle-cin-ma
• Instagraminstagram.com/festivallarochellecinema
• TikToktiktok.com/@festivallarochellecinema

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 Festival La Rochelle Cinéma