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The French Institute in India (IFI) hosted the first dedicated French IP Market in Mumbai over the weekend, bringing together leading French content creators and audiovisual professionals from India and Southeast Asia for two days of curated pitches, industry discussions and business meetings.
Critically acclaimed film director and screenwriter Sriram Raghavan attended the discussion at the event, "exploring how copyright and intellectual property shape adaptation, remakes, and storytelling within India's and South-East Asia's fast-evolving entertainment landscape." Raghavan, famed for films like 'Andhadhun', which bagged him a National Award said that the French IP market in India will help the Indian producers to find ideas for their stories and get "ready-made" content for the projects, which usually would take six months to a year to write. "This French IP market in India will help producers who are looking for stories. They have found another avenue, and the French producers have come to pitch their stories, books, series and films. Actually, my two films are based on French stories. One is based on a book and the other is based on a short film. That's why I was invited here," said Raghavan. Mathieu Bejot, Regional Audiovisual Attache of the French Institute in India, shared his excitement of French IP Market event that was held in Mumbai on March 14-15. "Several French companies have brought a wide range of intellectual properties (IP) to the market. These include books, films, and film series, covering genres such as romantic comedy and thriller. There is a great variety of stories on offer. On the very first day of the market, there was strong interest from participants," Bejot told ANI. Organised alongside the Red Lorry Film Festival, the initiative aims to connect French rights holders with producers, broadcasters, streaming platforms, distributors and literary agents interested in adapting French stories for Asian audiences. The French IP Market responds to a growing demand in the region for established intellectual properties that can be reimagined for local markets, spanning film, television, animation and publishing. A delegation of French companies and IP holders presented their catalogues to a curated group of industry professionals, creating opportunities for adaptations, remakes and long-term co-production partnerships. Participating companies include Goodfellas Films, Le Pacte, Banijay Kids, MK2, France Films TV, Mediatoon, Matriochkas, Lukarn, PitStop Studio, Fayard, Robert Laffont, Habebo Studios, Maremako and Astier-Pecher. The programme also featured pitch sessions, curated B2B meetings and networking events, designed to facilitate direct conversations between French IP sellers and Asian decision-makers in the audiovisual industry. The initiative is supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Institut francais as part of France's broader strategy to promote the international circulation of its Cultural and Creative Industries and strengthen creative partnerships across Asia. By creating a dedicated platform for exchange between French and Asian industry players, the French IP Market aims to encourage new collaborations and open pathways for French stories to reach global audiences through local adaptations, as per the press note by the French Institute of India. (ANI)
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