Charades

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.

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

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

• International film sales
• Film distribution rights
• Animation sales
• Festival film sales
• Co-production representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• GKIDScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Partnership 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.
• MikrofilmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Co-production partnership with Mikrofilm and GKIDS for animated film 'Pesta'. Mikrofilm bringing Norwegian production expertise to the project.
• Anonymous ContentmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharades co-represented filmmakers alongside Anonymous Content in Netflix deal for 'In Waves', negotiated with CAA Media Finance in competitive bidding war.
• CAA Media FinancemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharades 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/charadesfilms
• Facebookfacebook.com/charadesfilms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charades

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Charades