Pentacle Productions

What Pentacle Productions does

Pentacle Productions is a privately held French film production and distribution company headquartered in Paris, founded in 2020 by Gaëtan Trigot and Baptiste Salvan. The company operates through two coordinated divisions: a production arm that develops short and feature films across animation and live-action, documentary and fiction formats, and a distribution label, Pentacle Distribution, which manages a catalogue of more than 40 short films, primarily animation, and licenses them to festivals, broadcasters, international distributors, educational institutions, and cultural organizations worldwide. Films produced or distributed by Pentacle have been selected at over 1,000 international festivals and have won approximately 100 awards, including a Cristal for Best Short Film at Annecy 2025 and selections in both the Official Selection and Critics' Week at Cannes 2026.

The company's underlying technology is conventional film production across multiple animation techniques (pinscreen, 2D, stop-motion) and live-action, with no proprietary software, patents, or AI tooling disclosed. The business model combines project-based production revenue (financed through co-producers and pre-sales to distributors, typically as one-time licensing) with recurring distribution revenue from catalogue licensing fees and royalties. Pricing is negotiated case-by-case depending on territory, duration, and usage rights, with no public rate card. Pentacle's go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by physical presence at prestigious international festivals and supported by organic social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo) and digital press kits.

The founders previously held roles at established French industry players including Mk2, Celluloïd Dreams, Prima Linea, and Page 114, and the company's value proposition centers on supporting young filmmakers from diverse backgrounds without genre or format distinction. Co-production partnerships span at least 13 countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East, indicating an intentional international sourcing strategy. The company has no disclosed external funding, parent entity, or public listing.

Name

Pentacle Productions

Legal name

Pentacle Productions

Website

https://pentacle-prod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pentacle Productions is a privately held French film production and distribution company founded in 2020, producing and licensing short and feature films across animation and live-action to international festivals, distributors, broadcasters, and educational and cultural institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Production Revenue: Pentacle Productions generates revenue by producing films and documentaries, with financing from co-producers and pre-sales to distributors. The company produces both feature-length and short films across animation and live-action.
2. Distribution Licensing: Pentacle Distribution licenses short films from their catalogue of 40+ titles to festivals, educational institutions, broadcasters, and international distributors. Revenue comes from licensing fees and royalties.
3. Festival Recognition: Films produced or distributed by Pentacle have won approximately 100 awards at prestigious international festivals, which enhances the company's reputation and commercial value of its catalogue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

No factual core offering description is supported by the source data in this input.

Product overview

Pentacle Productions is a Paris-based film production and distribution company launched in 2020. It operates two main divisions: Pentacle Productions (Production) and Pentacle Distribution. The Production arm creates short and feature films across animation and live-action, documentary and fiction formats, while the Distribution arm manages a catalog of over 40 animated short film titles with over 1,000 festival selections and 100 awards. Notable productions include the feature documentary Les Survivants du Che (Cannes 2026 Selection) and award-winning shorts like Les Bottes de la Nuit (Cristal at Annecy 2025) and Sulaimani (Best Short at Aspen 2026). The distribution catalog is organized by category (New, Catalog, Programs) and year, featuring curated programs such as Body in (Dis)Harmony.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Films produced/distributed have achieved over 1,000 festival selections and approximately 100 awards

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Mk2minorOthersFormer employer of co-founder Gaëtan Trigot; represents industry experience and background rather than an active partnership.
• Celluloïd DreamsminorOthersFormer employer of co-founder Gaëtan Trigot; represents industry experience and background rather than an active partnership.
• Prima LineaminorOthersFormer employer of co-founder Baptiste Salvan; represents industry experience and background rather than an active partnership.
• Page 114minorOthersFormer employer of co-founder Baptiste Salvan; represents industry experience and background rather than an active partnership.
• Am Stram GramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company co-producing 'Les Bottes de la nuit' (The Night Boots) by Pierre-Luc Granjon with Pentacle Productions
• Rebel FrameminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company co-producing 'Penguin' by Kaspar Jancis with Pentacle Productions
• Girelle Production, Les AstronautesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction companies co-producing 'Sulaimani' by Vinnie Ann Bose with Pentacle Productions
• Rezo FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of 'The Girl Looking for the Cabin' by Phane Montet alongside Pentacle Productions
• Le Lokal ProductionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'Visite en terre irradiée' by Anne-Sophie Girault
• Beppie Films, Girelle ProductionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production companies for 'Les Filles c'est fait pour faire l'amour' by Jeanne Drouet, Jeanne Paturle, Cécile Rousset
• Girelle Productions, Les AstronautesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production companies for 'Colocation Sauvage' (Wild Housemates) by Armelle Mercat-Junot
• Les AstronautesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'Le Chagrin des Tournesols' (Sunflowers in Sorrow) by Léa Krawczyk
• XBO FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'La Question' by Alberto Segre
• MINAMISAWA FILMS, WAG PRODUCTIONS, AMOPIX, BRUNO H CASTRO FILMES, COALA FILMES, SPLIT STUDIOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple co-production companies for 'Kabuki' by Tiago Minamisawa
• CLEMATICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'El Jardin' (The Garden) by Carolina Charadán & Miguel Machado
• Alter Ego Production, Girelle productionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production companies for 'Et je deviendrais belle' (And I Would Be Beautiful) by Mathilde George
• Avec ou sans vousminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'Longue Distance' (Long Distance) by Iulia Voitova
• ECHIVISIVI PRODUZIONEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'Ziki' by Roberta Palmieri & Olga Sargenti
• Cub AnimationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'NUBE' by Diego Alonso Sánchez & Christian Arrendondo Narvaez
• The Hive StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'PISCES' by Lee Dror
• Incendie FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company for 'Nuisible' (Pest) by Maxime Baudin

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shorts International: Specialised short film distributor and short-form TV channel operator. Comparable in its narrow focus on monetising short film rights across broadcasters, VOD, and theatrical programming worldwide.
• Autour de Minuit: Paris-based independent animation studio producing short films with strong international festival credentials. Comparable niche, auteur-driven animation focus, and festival-led commercial model.
• Miyu Distribution: French short film distribution label focused on animation, with an international festival-driven model. Closest direct peer to Pentacle Distribution given similar format specialism, target festival circuit, and short film catalogue.
• Nadasdy Film: Swiss independent animation studio producing and internationally distributing auteur short films. Comparable in auteur animation focus, festival-led GTM, and small-team international sales footprint.
• XBO Films: Short film distribution company with international sales to festivals, broadcasters, and VOD. Direct comparability in distribution model, title specialism in shorts, and active co-production relationship with Pentacle.
• Girelle Production: French animation production company. Comparable as an active co-production partner of Pentacle on multiple titles and as a similarly sized independent animation producer working with emerging filmmakers.
• Sacrebleu Productions: French animation production and distribution company. Comparable because it both produces auteur animation and handles international sales of short animated films through festivals and broadcasters.

Broad incumbents

• mk2 Films: Major French arthouse film distributor, exhibitor, and sales agent. Comparable as a French film distribution player (and prior employer of Pentacle's co-founder), but operates at significantly larger scale across features, exhibition, and curated programmes.
• Celluloïd Dreams: Paris-based international film sales company representing auteur and festival titles. Comparable in international sales expertise and auteur-led programming, but with a broader catalogue and deeper global buyer relationships.
• Le Pacte: Established French independent film distributor with theatrical and international sales operations. Comparable in distribution craft and European festival orientation, though operating at materially larger scale and across feature-length films.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pentacleprod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pentacleproductions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Pentacle Productions