art et essai
art et essai is a Montreal-based independent production company creating fiction films, documentaries, series, and immersive VR works, serving Canadian public broadcasters, distributors, and international festivals through project-based production financed largely by Canadian public arts funding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMontreal, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What art et essai does
art et essai inc. is a Montreal-based independent film production company that produces fiction films (shorts and features), documentaries, television series, and immersive virtual reality works. Founded in 2012 and led since 2019 by producer Jeanne-Marie Poulain, the company operates with a small team (one to ten employees) consisting of an all-female and non-binary group of producers. Its catalogue spans more than a dozen short films and several feature-length productions, including Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023), which won the Grand Prix at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and screened at Venice and TIFF, alongside immersive projects such as the stereoscopic 3D underwater VR work Bodies of Water (Venice Immersive 2024) and the interactive VR piece 369.
The company's business model is project-based and multi-channel. Production is financed primarily through Canadian public arts funding bodies (SODEC, Telefilm Canada, CALQ, Canada Council for the Arts, Bell Funds, FMC, and sector-specific programs), supplemented by broadcaster licensing deals with Radio-Canada, Tou.TV, CBC/Radio-Canada, Super Écran, and Apple TV. Theatrical and VOD distribution in Quebec is handled by specialized partners including h264 Distribution and Welcome Aboard, while short films are monetized directly through dedicated Vimeo On Demand rental portals. Visibility and downstream commercial value are driven primarily by premieres at top-tier international festivals (Berlin, Sundance, Locarno, TIFF, Venice, Clermont-Ferrand, Fantasia), where art et essai's films have screened at 50–100+ festivals each.
The company has progressively diversified beyond its original fiction short-film base since 2019, building out a series pipeline with Radio-Canada/Tou.TV (Torrid, Grimelle, Le dernier phoque), a documentary slate (Perseids, Landfill, Let Kids Play!), and a distinctive VR/immersive practice developed through international co-productions with studios such as TEN2TEN Films and Tamanoir Immersive Studio. There is no evidence of external institutional investment, venture backing, or a parent company; ownership appears concentrated among the operating producers, and the business remains a small-scale, grant-dependent production house anchored in the Quebec cinema ecosystem.
art et essai firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- art et essai
- Legal name
- art et essai inc.
- Website
- https://www.artessai.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- art et essai is a Montreal-based independent production company creating fiction films, documentaries, series, and immersive VR works, serving Canadian public broadcasters, distributors, and international festivals through project-based production financed largely by Canadian public arts funding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
art et essai industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film and Video Production
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN)
Keywords
Where art et essai is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montreal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
art et essai business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Film and Series Production Contracts: Art et essai produces films and series commissioned or licensed by broadcasters and platforms including Radio-Canada/Tou.TV (series like Grimelle, Le dernier phoque, Torrid), CBC/Radio-Canada, and Super Écran. Revenue comes from development, production, and licensing fees.
- Theatrical and VOD Distribution: Feature films are released theatrically in Quebec and distributed via VOD platforms. Short films are available via dedicated Vimeo rental portals (e.g., lapeausauvage.artessai.ca). Revenue from rental/sales income.
- Public and Crown Agency Funding: Projects receive development and production funding from public agencies: SODEC (Quebec), Telefilm Canada (Talents en vue), CALQ, CAC (Canada Council for the Arts), and sector-specific funds (FMC, Bell Funds, TPF-FPT). This is grant-based, not equity, supporting project costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Short film rentals via Vimeo On Demand |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
art et essai product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Art et essai inc. is a Montreal-based film and television production company that develops and produces fiction films (shorts and features), documentaries, television and digital series, and immersive virtual reality experiences. The company carries projects from development through production to festival premiere and licensing to broadcasters, distributors, and platforms. It is led by an all-female and non-binary producing team and operates as a single integrated production house across fiction and documentary formats.
Product overview
art et essai is a Montreal-based film production company operating as a single integrated production house that produces audacious projects across multiple formats. The company's core portfolio consists of four main product lines: Fiction Films (shorts and feature-length productions), Documentaries (feature and short documentaries), Immersive/VR Experiences (virtual reality and XR installations), and Series Development. The company is led by an all-female and non-binary producing team and has been expanding since 2019 to include documentaries, series, and virtual reality projects alongside its established fiction film work.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fiction Films (Shorts and Features) Production of fiction short films and feature-length films by art et essai, including work from emerging and established Quebec filmmakers such as Ariane Louis-Seize, Alexandre Dostie, and others.
- Documentaries Production of feature and short documentary films exploring diverse subjects and human stories, including titles such as A Skin So Soft, Let Kids Play!, Perseids, and Landfill.
- Immersive / VR Experiences Production of virtual reality, immersive video installations, and XR experiences combining contemporary dance with media arts, including stereoscopic 3D underwater video dance and immersive audio-visual collective performance installations.
- Television and Digital Series Development Development and production of television and digital series, including fiction series, documentary series, and variety shows at various stages of development, with broadcast partners such as Radio-Canada and Tou.TV.
Quantifiable outcome
- Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person: Grand Prix – National Competition at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma; Best French-Canadian Film at Cinéfest Sudbury; Public Award and RBC Emerging Talent Award at Calgary; screened at Venice, TIFF, Vancouver, and 20+ other festivals.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use art et essai
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
art et essai technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
art et essai partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TEN2TEN FilmscoreCo-producer of 369, an animated immersive and interactive VR work exploring female desire. Supported by SODEC and CNC. Selected for major XR markets (CineMart, IFFR Pro, Venice).
- Tamanoir Immersive StudiocoreCo-producer of Les Naufragé.e.s, a collective immersive performance. Production led by Rémi Large of Tamanoir Studio. Supported by Sodec and CNC.
- Close Up filmsminorCo-production partner for A Skin So Soft documentary, alongside Dounia Sichov of The Addiction. Production: art et essai with co-producers Joëlle Bertossa (Close Up) and Dounia Sichov (The Addiction).
- The AddictionminorCo-production partner for A Skin So Soft documentary.
- TAK FilmsminorCo-production partner for Perseids documentary, alongside art et essai. Production led by Line Sander Egede of TAK Films.
- Landfill Films Inc.minorCollaboration partner for Landfill short film. Production: art et essai in collaboration with Landfill Films Inc.
- h264 DistributioncoreDistribution partner handling theatrical and VOD release of Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.
- Welcome AboardcoreDistribution partner for Let Kids Play! and Landfill short documentaries, distributing to festival and educational markets.
- Cinquième MaisonminorCo-production partner for Querelle de Roberval feature film project, in development with support from SODEC.
- Tou.TV (Radio-Canada)coreBroadcast platform for series: Grimelle (short format) and Le dernier phoque (young adult romantic comedy), both supported by Tou.TV and CMF.
- Radio-CanadacoreBroadcast partner for series Torrid (sexu comedy) and Grimelle, with support from CMF-CMF and FMC-CMF respectively.
- Quartier des SpectaclesminorPartner for Bodies of Water immersive installation, a video installation series in urban space. Supported by Quartier des Spectacles partnership.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
art et essai competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Phi Films: Montreal-based arts organization producing and presenting immersive, VR, and experimental media works, including through PHI Centre. Comparable on the VR/immersive axis, but operates with venue infrastructure and a wider curation mandate than a pure production house.
Direct peers
- Nemesis Films International: Montreal-based independent production company working across narrative features and series, with a comparable boutique scale and Quebec/Canadian festival presence. Direct peer for project commissioning, broadcaster access, and co-production structures.
- Couzin Films: Montreal-based indie production company developing Quebec French-language fiction features and shorts. Comparable in size, language of production, and broadcaster/festival go-to-market, though with less VR/immersive activity.
- Lyla Films: Montreal-based independent production company with a focus on author-driven shorts and features in the Quebec French-language ecosystem. Direct comparable on company size, project type, and broadcaster relationships.
- micro_scope: Montreal-based independent production company producing narrative features, documentaries, and VR/immersive works with a strong international festival profile. Closely comparable to art et essai in size, city, format mix (fiction/VR), and festival-led go-to-market.
- Peripheria Productions: Quebec-based production company producing features, documentaries, and series with a similar festival-and-broadcaster strategy. Direct peer in scale, region, and mix of formats including immersive-adjacent projects.
- QUATRE Films: Quebec-based independent production company producing fiction shorts, features, and series with public-funding-supported models. Direct comparable on company size, format mix, and broadcaster/festival-led commercialization.
- Metafilms: Montreal-based independent production company focused on auteur-driven Quebec feature films with international festival reach. Comparable in size, regional positioning, and festival-led GTM.
Broad incumbents
- National Film Board of Canada (NFB): Canada's federal public film producer with deep involvement in VR/immersive storytelling (NFB Interactive), shorts, and documentaries. Much larger than art et essai but shares the public-funding dependency and the same Montreal creative ecosystem, including partnerships with Quebec creators.
Emerging players
- Tamanoir Immersive Studio: Montreal-based studio focused on immersive and XR experiences, including live immersive performances. Direct co-production partner on Les Naufragé.e.s and a comparable emerging player in the Quebec immersive ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
art et essai social profiles
Digital presenceart et essai compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
art et essai financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
art et essai leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
art et essai funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
art et essai 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 art et essai
What does art et essai do?
Art et essai inc. is a Montreal-based film and television production company that develops and produces fiction films (shorts and features), documentaries, television and digital series, and immersive virtual reality experiences. The company carries projects from development through production to festival premiere and licensing to broadcasters, distributors, and platforms. It is led by an all-female and non-binary producing team and operates as a single integrated production house across fiction and documentary formats.
Is art et essai a public or private company?
art et essai is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was art et essai founded?
art et essai was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is art et essai based?
art et essai is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does art et essai make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Film and Series Production Contracts are the primary driver. The others are theatrical and VOD Distribution and public and Crown Agency Funding.
Who are art et essai's main competitors?
Phi Films is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Nemesis Films International, Couzin Films, Lyla Films, micro_scope, Peripheria Productions, QUATRE Films and Metafilms. National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is listed as a broad incumbent. Tamanoir Immersive Studio is listed as an emerging player.
Does art et essai have an API?
No public API is recorded for art et essai.
What industry is art et essai in?
art et essai's product category is Film and Video Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHACAN, Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time). Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 7812.