What Velvet Films does

Velvet Films is a Brussels-headquartered, privately held film production company founded in 2016 by producer Sebastian Schelenz and co-founder Christophe Jouret, with André Sommerlatte joining as associate producer in 2017. The company develops and produces international feature films, documentaries, TV series, and short films, operating primarily as a co-producer rather than sole producer on most projects. Its slate of more than 40 titles includes festival-recognized works such as 'The Blue Caftan' (FIPRESCI Prize, Cannes 2022), 'Everybody Loves Touda' (Cannes Premičre 2024), 'Calle Málaga' (Audience Award, Venice 2025), and 'The Swedish Torpedo' (Guldbaggen Awards, TIFF 2024).

The business model is project-based B2B revenue generated through international co-production partnerships, public broadcaster commissions, theatrical sales via distributors such as Wild Bunch, Sony Pictures, and KMBO, and VOD distribution through platforms including Proximus. Financing is structured around the Belgian tax shelter (administered with BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance), regional film funds (Screen Brussels, Wallimage, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, CBA), and partner-country funds (CNC, Svenska Filminstitutet, Centre Cinématographique Marocain, Estonian Cultural Fund). Velvet serves a diversified set of co-producers, broadcasters, and directors across Europe and the MENA region, with repeat collaborations including Maryam Touzani (Morocco), Nabil Ayouch, and Frida Kempff (Sweden).

Velvet has a core team of approximately six named members and operates from a single Brussels office (107 avenue Besme). The company has no proprietary technology platform, no app, no disclosed funding rounds, and no external institutional shareholders indicated in the data. Distribution and marketing channels are anchored on tier-1 film festivals (Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Karlovy Vary, Fantasia) and industry markets rather than direct-to-consumer channels.

Name

Velvet Films

Legal name

Velvet Films

Website

https://velvetfilms.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Velvet Films is a Brussels-based film production company that develops and co-produces international feature films, documentaries, TV series, and short films with European and MENA partners. It serves broadcasters, distributors, and emerging filmmakers via tax-shelter financing and co-production partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Film Production and Coproduction: Velvet Films generates revenue through developing and producing international feature films, documentaries, TV series, and short films. Revenue comes from coproduction partnerships, film financing through Belgian tax shelter mechanisms, regional film funds, and festival/premiere recognition that drives distribution deals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Velvet Films develops and produces international feature films, documentaries, TV series, and short films via cross-border coproduction partnerships. The company operates as a film production studio, securing financing through Belgian tax shelter mechanisms, regional film funds, and broadcaster pre-sales, then delivering completed titles for theatrical, broadcasting, and digital distribution.

Product overview

Velvet Films is a Belgian film production company established in 2016, specializing in international feature films and supporting emerging Belgian filmmakers. The company's portfolio encompasses feature films, television series (TV), documentaries (docu), and short films (court). The product portfolio includes critically acclaimed titles such as The Blue Caftan (FIPRESCI Prize - Cannes 2022) and Calle Málaga (Audience Award - Venice 2025), dramatic features like Everybody Loves Touda (Cannes Première 2024) and The Lost Children (Karlovy Vary 2023), TV series including The Window, Aspergirl (Best Actor Award - Series Mania 2023), and Oktoberfest 1905 (Best Series - Munich Film Festival 2025), and award-winning documentaries such as Walter Hus - A Musical Journey and Eldorado (Magritte Award 2025). The company operates as a film production studio without a technology platform or SaaS product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Blue Caftan A drama feature film directed by Maryam Touzani about Halim and Mina running a traditional caftan shop in Salé, Morocco, whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of a young apprentice.
• Everybody Loves Touda A drama feature film directed by Nabil Ayouch about Touda, a Moroccan woman dreaming of becoming a Cheikha, a traditional singer who performs in bars, exploring themes of emancipation and resistance.
• Calle Málaga A drama feature film directed by Maryam Touzani about a 79-year-old Spanish woman living alone in Tangier who fights to keep her home when her daughter arrives from Madrid to sell the apartment.
• Oktoberfest 1905 A historical drama TV series sequel to Oktoberfest 1900, set five years later, exploring tensions between brewery owners in Munich with intrigues and conflicts culminating at the Oktoberfest.
• The Swedish Torpedo A historical drama feature film about Sally Bauer, a 30-year-old Swedish single mother in 1939 who dreams of swimming across the English Channel to make history and prove that women can choose their own destiny.
• The Lost Children A fantastical drama feature film about four siblings on holiday whose father disappears, trapping them in a forest that seems to be a never-ending loop, with themes of family trauma and survival.
• The Window A 10-episode drama thriller series exploring the dark circus of the multi-billion dollar football business, told through ten tense weeks in the life of a 17-year-old football prodigy making his debut at Merseyside Athletic FC.
• Aspergirl A comedy TV series about Louison, a 38-year-old single mother who discovers she has Asperger's autism when her son is diagnosed, exploring themes of self-acceptance and societal norms.
• Alice A drama biopic TV series about Alice Schwarzer, a journalist and feminist who joined the Women's Liberation Movement in 1970s Paris and founded the magazine EMMA.
• Walter Hus, A Musical Journey A documentary portrait of Belgian composer and pianist Walter Hus exploring his creative process and the endurance and beauty of creation during a career spanning thirty years.
• Zanka Contact A romantic and rock'n'roll road movie between film noir and musical, set in Casablanca, about a has-been rocker and a streetwise amazon whose shared trauma connects them through rock n' roll.
• Undergods A feature-length fantasy film directed by Chino Moya, featuring darkly humorous tales about ill-fated characters and their tragic misadventures set in a declining Europe.
• Employee of the Month A black comedy feature film about Inès, a model employee who decides to demand her first raise, leading to a series of comedic and dark events when her boss ends up with a broken skull.
• L'Art d'être Heureux A comedy feature film about an unknown and unhappy painter who quits his job to move to Normandy hoping to create a masterpiece, where local people unexpectedly impact his life.
• Naked A drama TV series about Marie and Luis's relationship, where Luis is addicted to sex and Marie is addicted to him, depicting how a dream of love turns into a nightmare.
• Clara Takes the Wheel A comedy short film about Clara's 17th birthday when her father takes her for driving lessons at a deserted parking lot for a surprise party diversion, with unexpected results.
• Ex Utero A documentary navigating between the history of gynecology and contemporary testimonies about gynecological abuse, featuring women who share their experiences of confronting such mistreatment.
• Eldorado A drama short film about Awa, a Cameroonian snow groomer driver in Italy, who helps Souleymane, a young man trying to cross the border, exploring themes of guilt and redemption.
• At Joanna's A drama short film about Joanna who panics when her car is taken to the pound and goes on a frenzied race against time to get it back.
• Liliane Susewind A family entertainment feature film about a girl who can talk to animals, who with her new friends tries to rescue a kidnapped baby elephant from a mean animal thief.
• Vatersland A family drama feature film about filmmaker Marie who receives family photos of her father and embarks on a journey back to her childhood when her mother died.
• Die Chaosschwestern A comedy feature film about four sisters named Livi, Tessa, Malea and Kenny who embark on an adventurous bike journey with a kidnapped dancing penguin to escape cruel magician kidnappers.
• Totenfieber A crime TV series about Ellen searching for her dead daughter whose body has disappeared, with voodoo creating a frightening atmosphere in Antwerp.
• Dreamland A film noir feature about a killer being charged during the night of the strangest wedding in cinema history to bring the finger of an ancient jazz legend turned heroin addict.
• Mack The Knife - Brecht's Threepenny Film A drama feature film about Bertolt Brecht's conflict with producers over turning his successful 'Threepenny Opera' into a film, with Brecht taking legal action over author rights.
• The Girl with Nine Wigs A biographical comedy-drama about a young woman who starts wearing different wigs to express herself after being diagnosed with cancer rather than letting it run her life.
• Immenhof 2 A family drama feature film where after a poison attack, a racehorse is hidden at Immenhof horse farm, and Lou runs away with him to protect him from further danger.
• Me and Kaminski A drama feature film about art journalist Sebastian Zöllner who seeks to write a tell-all book about legendary painter Manuel Kaminski, a pupil of Matisse and friend of Picasso.
• 6 Months, 6 Seconds A documentary drama about a man abandoned by his lover who replenishes the fire, where the director plays his own role and invents ways to survive his misery, exploring themes of rebirth between poetry and humor.
• Dysfunction A short film about Eric who must take his son Dries to the hospital for treatment, where a series of mishaps transforms a normal morning into a nightmare.

Quantifiable outcome

• Velvet Films credits include 'Calle Málaga' (Audience Award - Biennale di Venezia 2025) and 'The Blue Caftan' (FIPRESCI Prize - Un Certain Regard Cannes 2022)
• +2 more outcomes

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

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RTBFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBelgian public broadcaster RTBF is a key coproduction partner for Velvet Films, cofinancing and broadcasting numerous productions including 'The Blue Caftan', 'Eldorado', 'Ex Utero', 'The Lost Children', 'The Swedish Torpedo', and others.
• BeTV / VoocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBelgian premium TV channel BeTV (and Voo) serves as coproduction partner and broadcaster for Velvet Films productions including 'Zanka Contact', 'The Lost Children', 'Soma', and 'L'Art d'Être Heureux'.
• Shelter ProdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian production company serving as coproduction partner for 'My Heart Backwards' and 'L'Art d'Être Heureux'.
• Snowglobe (Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish production company and key coproduction partner for Velvet Films' acclaimed Moroccan-set films 'The Blue Caftan' and 'Everybody Loves Touda' directed by Maryam Touzani.
• Ali'n Production (Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoroccan production company as primary producer for 'The Blue Caftan' and 'Everybody Loves Touda', enabling local production expertise and access to Moroccan film incentives.
• Les Films du Nouveau Monde (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench production company coproducing 'The Blue Caftan' and 'Everybody Loves Touda', providing access to French financing and distribution networks.
• ARD Degeto / ARD / BR / MDR (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman public broadcaster consortium (ARD Degeto, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk) coproducing 'Alice' (TV biopic) and 'Oktoberfest 1905' series with Velvet Films.
• Vatersland Production Partners (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production partners including Herbert Schwering and Christine Kiauk for 'Vatersland' directed by Petra Seeger, with Sebastian Schelenz as coproducer.
• LEONINE Studios (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production studio coproducing 'Alice' (TV biopic about Alice Schwarzer) with Velvet Films, alongside ZDF and ARD Degeto.
• Momento Film (Sweden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish production company as primary producer for 'The Swedish Torpedo' (Sally Bauer) directed by Frida Kempff, with support from Svenska Filminstitutet and Nordic film funds.
• Amrion (Estonia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstonian production company coproducing 'The Swedish Torpedo' and 'Soma' (science fiction drama) directed by Miklos Keleti.
• Blue Eyes Fiction (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production company producing 'Die Chaosschwestern' (Les Sœurs Chaos) with Velvet Films as coproducer.
• Boogie Entertainment (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production company as producer for TV series 'The Window' (10x45 min drama thriller about football transfer market) with ZDF Enterprise and Fuji TV as coproducers.
• Inti Films (Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian production company as coproducer for documentary 'Walter Hus, A Musical Journey' directed by Astrid Mertens.
• SVT and TV4 (Sweden)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish public broadcasters as coproduction partners for 'The Swedish Torpedo' directed by Frida Kempff.
• Czar Films (Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian production company as coproduction partner for 'At Joanna's' directed by Sandrine Collard.
• La Ravageuse Saga (Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian production company as coproducer for 'Clara Takes the Wheel' directed by Sara Dufossé.
• ZEITSPRUNG Pictures (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman production company coproducing 'Mack The Knife - Brecht's Threepenny Film' with Velvet Films as coproduction partner, alongside SWR, Arte, and Wild Bunch distribution.
• Soma Production PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience fiction drama 'Soma' directed by Miklos Keleti coproduced with Volya Films (Netherlands), Amrion (Estonia), with support from Netherlands Film Fund, BeTV, and Proximus.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Z56FILM: UK-based production company and lead producer on 'Undergods' with Velvet Films as Belgian coproducer. Operates at similar boutique scale and shares Velvet's model of assembling multi-country European coproductions for arthouse festival titles.
• Boogie Entertainment: German production company serving as lead producer on 'The Window' with Velvet Films as Belgian coproducer. Comparable in size and positioning as a trans-European boutique drama producer focused on international coproductions with public broadcasters.

Broad incumbents

• Wild Bunch: Major European sales agent and producer-distributor that handles international sales for multiple Velvet Films titles. Overlaps in the arthouse festival and international coproduction space, but at substantially larger scale and with global distribution infrastructure Velvet lacks.
• LEONINE Studios: Large German production-distribution group that is a core coproduction partner with Velvet Films on 'Alice'. Operates as both producer and distributor across feature films and TV, sharing the German broadcaster ecosystem but at significantly larger scale.
• Beta Film: Germany-headquartered major distributor and coproducer of high-end European TV series and films. Velvet Films competes for the same German public-broadcaster commissions (ARD Degeto, ZDF) and overlaps in the European TV drama market with 'Oktoberfest 1905' and similar period dramas.

Direct peers

• Artémis Productions: Belgian independent production company with comparable focus on feature films, TV series and international coproductions. Both firms operate from Brussels as smaller-scale producers leveraging Belgian tax shelter financing and European coproduction networks (Artémis is the lead on 'L'Art d'être Heureux' with Velvet Films as associate producer).
• Snowglobe: Danish production company that has served as a core coproduction partner with Velvet Films on Maryam Touzani's Moroccan-set films 'The Blue Caftan' and 'Everybody Loves Touda'. Both operate as small international boutique producers aggregating tax-incentive-driven financing across jurisdictions.
• Barney Production: French independent production company run by Saïd Hamich, lead producer on 'Zanka Contact' with Velvet Films as Belgian coproducer. Comparable in scale and profile as a boutique international coproduction house with festival-track auteur focus.
• Le Bureau Films: Paris-based independent producer of arthouse features and international coproductions. Functions as a like-for-like European coproduction partner for Velvet Films, sharing access to CNC financing and French-language broadcaster commissions.
• Momento Film: Swedish production company and lead producer on 'The Swedish Torpedo' with Velvet Films as Belgian coproducer. Similar Nordic-European coproduction model with Svenska Filminstitutet and SVT/TV4 financing access.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VelvetFilmsBE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/velvetfilms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Velvet Films