Miss Figaro.
- A wake-up time?
Kristina Zimmermann
. - 7:30 a.m.
If we have to go back to the origin?
I am a German who has always loved France.
After my baccalaureate and two years of study in Berlin, I enrolled in a master's in information-communication at Assas.
I have dual nationality today, a pride.
To read alsoAnna Marsh, general manager of Studiocanal: “Producing a film or a series is instinct and Excel tables”
The red thread of your career?
My passion for cinema.
I still remember the emotional shock that the film
Diva was:
I saw it fifteen times!
From my first freelance position at RFI, I understood that, faced with the fleeting nature of information, a film leaves a mark.
In 1992, I joined Canal+.
I spent twenty-five years there, first in programming, before directing TPS Star, then the bouquet of Ciné+ channels.
In 2019, I take over the management of Orange Studio.
The pitch of your position?
Orange Studio co-produces, buys and distributes films, and we have embarked on the co-production of series.
I work very closely with the producers.
My role is to understand the potential of their projects, to discuss it with the artistic and commercial teams, and to make choices.
Cinema is an industry of prototypes.
Between your yes and the release of the film years later, tastes can change.
It is a question of constituting an eclectic whole to reach at the same time the festivals, the general public, the international… I try to act with respect and sincerity.
To refuse a film is violent.
I do it in person, and I explain myself.
Why produce one film rather than another?
You have to trust your instincts.
On video,
The Father
, the trailer
Obstacles in the way?
Perhaps not setting a career plan reduces the feeling of obstacles.
Cinema room or sofa in the living room?
The room offers a unique experience and, I believe, will remain important despite the acceleration of platforms.
It's up to us to unearth the talents that bring audiences back to the theaters.
We are therefore happy to support Florian Zeller: after the success of
The Father,
we will distribute
The Son
in 2023.
Results to give here and now?
We are celebrating our fifteenth anniversary this year, with more than 200 co-produced films and a catalog of 1,800 titles.
And we have three magnificent films presented at Cannes:
Masquerade, L'Envol
and
Le Parfum vert.
What challenges for tomorrow?
Contain the drain of talent attracted by the platforms, and better capture new opportunities.
Variety
's ranking
?
I am very proud to be there, we all need recognition.
Afterwards, I think that we women are sometimes too demanding of ourselves.
A digital addiction?
Launching a series at midnight saying to myself "I'm only watching one episode"...
* Variety
magazine ranking
as of March 2022.