Festivals Connexion

What Festivals Connexion does

Festivals Connexion is a French non-profit association (Association loi 1901), legally registered as "Association des festivals de cinéma en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes," headquartered in Villeurbanne, France. Its functional role is to serve as the regional umbrella body for cinema festivals operating across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a stated membership base of more than 40 festivals. The organization operates with a small core team of five employees and is governed as a membership association under French law rather than a commercial enterprise.

The association's core product surface consists of three interconnected assets: a "Label Festivals Connexion" certification that accredits member festivals against a common quality and programming standard; a regional festivals calendar and directory that aggregates member programming for audiences and industry; and a video and news platform that publishes content related to member festivals. These products collectively form a shared digital and reputational infrastructure that individual festivals would struggle to build independently, and they are operated without disclosed commercial pricing (consistent with the non-profit charter model).

Commercially, Festivals Connexion does not operate a traditional revenue model. Its operating capacity is sustained by institutional and public-sector partners, including Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Centre national du cinéma (CNC), the Direction régionale des affaires culturelles (DRAC), and Grand Lyon, alongside operational partners such as Kino Passeport. The association is therefore funded through public cultural-policy support and member governance rather than transactional revenue, with no disclosed budget, headcount growth signals, or expansion beyond the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Name

Festivals Connexion

Legal name

Association des festivals de cinéma en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Website

https://festivals-connexion.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Festivals Connexion is a French non-profit umbrella association headquartered in Villeurbanne that unites more than 40 cinema festivals across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, providing shared certification (Label), programming calendar, and video platform services to its member festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Event Association

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Cinema festival network
• Film festival association
• Festival certification program
• Cultural event coordination
• Regional film festivals

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Festivals Connexion is a non-profit association (Association des festivals de cinéma en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) that represents and coordinates a network of 40+ member cinema festivals across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. It issues the Label Festivals Connexion certification to festivals that adhere to a charter focused on resource pooling, practice exchanges, volunteer training, and industry valorization. It also operates an online festival calendar/directory and a video platform showcasing trailers and promotional content from member festivals.

Product overview

Festivals Connexion operates as an association of cinema festivals in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, rather than a traditional technology company with software products. Its core offerings include the Label Festivals Connexion certification program that certifies member festivals for quality and solidarity practices, an online festivals calendar serving as a directory for all member events organized by date and genre, and a videos platform showcasing festival trailers and content. The organization functions primarily as a networking and promotional hub for regional film festivals, providing volunteer opportunities and member access to its network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Label Festivals Connexion: A certification label that attests to the quality and collective solidarity approach of member cinema festivals, requiring adherence to a charter focused on resource sharing, practice exchanges, volunteer training, and industry valorization.

Products and services

• Label Festivals Connexion A certification program that validates the quality, collective approach, and solidarity of member film festivals that adhere to the festivals charter, promoting resource sharing, practice exchanges, volunteer training, and industry valorization.
• Festivals Calendar An online calendar and directory listing all member film festivals in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, organized by date, genre, and location, providing comprehensive information about upcoming cinema events.
• Festival Videos Platform A video section showcasing trailers and promotional content from member festivals, accessible at /bandes_annonces/index.php.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Région Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government authority providing institutional support and funding for cinema festivals across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
• CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational French film board providing institutional support and funding for cinema festivals
• DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Direction Régionale des Affairs Culturelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cultural affairs directorate providing state support and oversight for cultural activities
• Grand Lyon (Métropole de Lyon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan authority for Lyon providing local institutional support and funding
• Kino PasseportminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFestival passport system for Lyon metropolitan area cinema festivals, facilitating cross-festival attendance

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• SCAM (Société Civile des Auteurs Multimédia): French authors' rights society for documentary and audiovisual creators. Comparable in serving the cinema/audiovisual ecosystem via membership services, training, and institutional advocacy, though operating at national scale rather than regional.
• ARPLE (Association Régionale des Professions du Livre et de l'Édition): Regional professional association for the book and publishing industry in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Operates a comparable charter/membership model for cultural professionals in the same geographic region, with similar DRAC/Région institutional relationships.

Direct peers

• AFCAE (Association Française des Cinémas Art et Essai): National French association representing art-house cinemas and film-event organisers. Most direct comparable as a membership-based association coordinating film-event venues and festivals across France, with similar charter-based certification (label Art et Essai) and CNC partnerships.
• Pôle Court (formerly Carrefour des Festivals): National network dedicated to short-film festivals in France, providing visibility and coordination. Comparable in mission (inter-festival coordination, member services, audience development) though focused specifically on the short-film segment that overlaps with several Festivals Connexion members.
• Films en Bretagne: Regional film-festival and cinema-industry umbrella association in Brittany. Closely mirrors Festivals Connexion's regional coordination model, providing training, resource pooling, and institutional representation for member festivals and film professionals in a different French region.

Regional players

• Cinémas Indépendants de Lyon et Métropole: Local association of independent cinemas in the Lyon metropolitan area. Comparable in coordinating independent cinema operators in the same geography and partnering with Grand Lyon, with a more venue-operator (rather than festival-organiser) focus.

Others

• CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée): French national film board providing funding and policy framework for the cinema industry. As a core institutional partner of Festivals Connexion, it represents a critical ecosystem enabler and policy counterparty rather than a competitor.
• DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional directorate for cultural affairs — one of Festivals Connexion's core funders. Not a competitor but an institutional stakeholder whose policy and funding decisions directly shape the association's operating environment.

Emerging players

• FilmFreeway: Global online platform for film-festival submissions and discovery. Represents the digital alternative to traditional umbrella associations like Festivals Connexion, addressing the same audience (filmmakers, festival-goers) with a more scalable, modern stack.
• Festival Scope: European platform offering curated online screenings from partner film festivals. Comparable in supporting festival audience development, but operating as a digital distribution layer rather than a regional coordination body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festivals-connexion

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 Festivals Connexion