Charades
Charades is a Paris-based international film sales company that acquires worldwide distribution rights for feature films and animated titles, selling them to distributors, streaming platforms, and theatrical buyers across Asia, Europe, and North America. It serves independent filmmakers and production companies with festival-honored and animation-focused content.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Charades does
Charades is a Paris-based international film sales company founded in 2017 that operates as an intermediary between filmmakers/production companies and global distributors. The company acquires international distribution rights to feature films — with a particular specialization in animated features, literary adaptations, and festival-honored titles — and sells those rights to territorial distributors, streaming platforms, and theatrical buyers across Asia, Europe, and North America. Charades maintains an active presence at major film festivals including Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, Critics' Week), Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and the European Film Market in Berlin, where it conducts world premieres and negotiates competitive bidding processes.
The company's portfolio includes the animated features 'In Waves' (sold to Netflix in a mid-seven figure deal co-represented with Anonymous Content and CAA Media Finance), 'We Are Aliens' (a Japanese-French co-production), 'Tangles', 'Pesta' (a co-production with GKIDS and Mikrofilm), and live-action titles such as Clio Barnard's 'I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning' and Cannes selections 'La Frappe' and 'Club Kid'. Charades' distribution network spans South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, France, Spain, and global streaming platforms. The company employs between 11 and 50 people and is led by four co-founders: Carole Baraton, Constantin Briest, Pierre Mazars, and Yohann Comte.
Charades generates revenue through international sales commissions on individual film deals, with pricing structured per transaction rather than via standardized models. The business operates on a project-by-project basis, with revenue concentration tied to deal cycles and title delivery. In 2026, Charades has signaled a strategic evolution beyond pure sales agency by entering co-production (most notably on 'Pesta' with GKIDS and Mikrofilm), which extends the company into upstream production economics rather than solely commission-based representation.
Charades firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Charades
- Legal name
- Charades
- Website
- https://charades.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Charades is a Paris-based international film sales company that acquires worldwide distribution rights for feature films and animated titles, selling them to distributors, streaming platforms, and theatrical buyers across Asia, Europe, and North America. It serves independent filmmakers and production companies with festival-honored and animation-focused content.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Charades industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Distribution Services
- NAICS
- Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Rights Agencies & Brokers (Acquisition/Packaging) (MPABAJAH)
Keywords
Where Charades is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Charades business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- International Sales Commission: Charades acts as a sales agent for film producers, negotiating and selling international distribution rights. Revenue is generated through commission on completed deals, including theatrical, streaming, and regional distribution agreements. Deals mentioned include mid-seven figure arrangements with major streaming platforms.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels1 record
Charades product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Charades is a Paris-based international film sales company that acquires and sells worldwide distribution rights for feature films and animated titles on behalf of filmmakers and producers. The company represents films at major international festivals such as Cannes, Annecy, and EFM Berlin, negotiating deals with global streaming platforms (Netflix), theatrical distributors, and regional buyers across Asia and Europe.
Product overview
Charades is a Paris-based international film sales company that specializes in acquiring and selling worldwide distribution rights for feature films and animated titles. The company's portfolio includes dramatic features, animated features, and genre films (horror-comedy). Charades operates as a sales agent representing filmmakers and producers, handling international distribution deals across territories including Asia, Europe, and North America. Key represented titles span Cannes premieres, animated features, and literary adaptations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- We Are Aliens
Companies that use Charades
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Charades technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Charades partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- GKIDScorePartnership with GKIDS and Mikrofilm on animated romantic horror film 'Pesta', set during Norway's Black Death in 1349. Film positioned at intersection of arthouse animation and prestige genre, expected 2029 release.
- MikrofilmcoreCo-production partnership with Mikrofilm and GKIDS for animated film 'Pesta'. Mikrofilm bringing Norwegian production expertise to the project.
- Anonymous ContentmajorCharades co-represented filmmakers alongside Anonymous Content in Netflix deal for 'In Waves', negotiated with CAA Media Finance in competitive bidding war.
- CAA Media FinancemajorCharades worked with CAA Media Finance to negotiate the Netflix acquisition of 'In Waves' in highly competitive multi-party bidding process.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Charades competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- mk2 Films: Paris-based international sales agent and arthouse distributor, also handling festival-driven titles and animation-adjacent projects. Operates in the same ecosystem as Charades with overlapping filmmaker relationships.
- Playtime: Paris-headquartered international sales, distribution, and co-production company focused on auteur and arthouse cinema. Competes for similar festival-premiering titles and co-production opportunities.
- Wild Bunch: Paris-based international film sales and distribution company with a comparable focus on arthouse, festival, and auteur titles across Europe and Asia. Wild Bunch is the closest large-scale functional analogue to Charades within the same city.
- Films Boutique: Berlin-based international sales agent specializing in arthouse and festival titles. Operates with similar boutique-scale economics and competes for the same Cannes and Berlinale-premiering projects.
- The Match Factory: Cologne-based international sales and distribution company with a strong festival-circuit roster and arthouse focus. Directly comparable in business model and target filmmaker profile.
- New Europe Film Sales: Warsaw-based international sales agent representing festival and arthouse titles globally. Comparable boutique sales-agent model with overlapping buyer networks in Europe and Asia.
- Memento Films: Paris-based international sales and distribution company with a comparable portfolio of arthouse, festival-selected films. Competes head-to-head for European and Asian territorial rights on similar titles.
Broad incumbents
- CAA Media Finance: US-based media finance arm of Creative Artists Agency that negotiates film and TV rights with global streamers and studios. Has appeared as co-counterparty to Charades in the Netflix In Waves deal, illustrating the same buyer set.
- Studiocanal: Paris-headquartered film and series studio with international sales, distribution, and production operations. Larger incumbent that acquires and distributes similar arthouse and animation titles and competes for premium co-production slots.
- UTA Independent Film Group: US-based talent and entertainment company with an independent film sales division. Has co-represented international sales with Charades on Cannes-selected titles, serving the same buyer universe.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Charades social profiles
Digital presenceCharades financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Charades leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Charades funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Charades M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Charades
What does Charades do?
Charades is a Paris-based international film sales company that acquires and sells worldwide distribution rights for feature films and animated titles on behalf of filmmakers and producers. The company represents films at major international festivals such as Cannes, Annecy, and EFM Berlin, negotiating deals with global streaming platforms (Netflix), theatrical distributors, and regional buyers across Asia and Europe.
Is Charades a public or private company?
Charades is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Charades founded?
Charades was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Charades based?
Charades is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Charades make money?
One revenue line is on record: international Sales Commission.
Who are Charades's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are mk2 Films, Playtime, Wild Bunch, Films Boutique, The Match Factory, New Europe Film Sales and Memento Films. Broad incumbents are CAA Media Finance, Studiocanal and UTA Independent Film Group.
Does Charades have an API?
No public API is recorded for Charades.
What industry is Charades in?
Charades's product category is Film Distribution Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAJAH, Sports Rights Agencies & Brokers (Acquisition/Packaging). Its NAICS code is 512131 and its SIC code is 7822.