Le Figaro Nice
It is not only the two palm trees at the entrance to the Victorine studios, in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), that make the place nicknamed “little French Hollywood”. It is above all because a century of filming and its share of sacred cinema monsters have passed through there:
My uncle
by Jacques Tati (1958),
Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez
with Louis de Funès (1964),
Ne nous fâchons
not
with Lino Ventura (1966),
American Night
by François Truffaut (1973) or
Happy Easter
with Jean-Paul Belmondo (1984). Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen also visited these Nice installations - originally a horticultural estate - located in the west of the Riviera capital, near the airport and with a window onto the Bay of Angels.
However, time and new technologies have taken away part of the attractiveness of the Victorine studios.
Brice de Nice
, with Jean Dujardin, was certainly filmed there in 2005. Just like a few series since then (
Tout pour Agnès
,
La Peste
on France 2). But the gap with competing studios, more modern and better equipped, has widened, even if the latter do not enjoy such a framework and such a history.
In 2018, Mayor Christian Estrosi (Horizons) opted to take over the former Riviera studios. First dusting. Six years later, the site has just been entrusted to a new operator for a period of 35 years. The Color company, a subsidiary of Digital District Entertainment, and the Nice Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are taking over the concession. The municipal council, on March 27, voted for a deliberation to this effect. At least 37 million euros will be put on the table to restore splendor to the Victorine studios and bring them into a new era of production. A significant investment that the Nice municipality could not assume.
“Credible project of renewal”
“The city had very strong requirements, the objective was to see the emergence of a large-scale project
,” says the city, which assumes handover to a private group to
“create a center of excellence integrating cutting-edge technologies »
. In this sense,
“Color’s expertise is incontestable
,” she still swears. La Victorine is also one of the eleven winning studios of the “La Grande Fabrique de l’Image” call for projects, a plan for cinema carried out as part of “France 2030”. Great grants are at stake.
If the Parisian company Color seems to have proven its know-how by having contributed to important productions (
Les Promesses de l'Aube
,
The Artist
or the latest
Astérix et Obélix
), it will have to appropriate the heritage of the Riviera studios and rehabilitate them. She intends in particular to bring her technical expertise to special effects. For elected official Martine Ouaknine, in charge of Legal Affairs, it is indeed
“a credible project of renewal”
with
“a credible operator capable of reassuring the market”
even if she admitted in the assembly
“a period of transition »
.
In opposition, Valérie Delpech (Reconquête!) was concerned about
“a shaky financial arrangement”
and “
very insufficient”
compared to other Ile-de-France studios or even that of Montpellier.
“The Victorine studios cannot only follow what is done elsewhere but must become a recognized specialist in the world of images
,” warned the opponent.
New 2000 square meter platform
The area, protected by the local urban plan so as not to become anything other than a filming location, should see its means of production expand in the years to come. A new 2000 m2 platform must be designed. Others will disappear or be reborn. The first major works are expected within a year. The CCI will work to bring together the players of the big screen in a dedicated center. A training center is also planned to recreate an entire audiovisual production industry in this area of Nice.
“This project is not just a simple renovation of the studios
,” assures David Danesi, CEO of Digital District Entertainment.
This is a real renaissance, an ambitious transformation
,” he promises, with the ambition of creating a site that
is “one of a kind”
and
“a driving force for the film industry
. ”
In the contract signed with the city, one year and six months, renewable three times, are left for them to prove themselves first because Christian Estrosi wants to see
“a new chapter”
open .
“The cradle of cinema is Nice!”
, he insisted during the municipal council. In 2023, the site hosted 160 days of filming and the equivalent of 600 days for the actual setting of “Nissa la bella”.