Finland and France – surprisingly simpatico!

This French film distributor is a real fan of Finnish films – and their growing market potential.

Emmanuel Eckert is the deputy director scripted content for Mediawan Rights, the distribution arm of Mediawan, a leading French independent studio producing premium content. It’s a position that requires both great taste in films and series, and also a clear-eyed knowledge of what the market wants. He introduces his job this way: “My main role is to purchase television series internationally based on what will work for our markets, but of course I also have my own personal sense of what makes a good series for the market.”

"Finnish producers tend to be very open to early input and advice about international marketability."

Eckert continues, “In some ways my own role has really evolved. Increasingly, I don’t merely assess a film or series’ marketability once it is complete. Rather, perhaps because of my professional background I’m very interested in potentially successful projects – even very early in the process. So I can step in at many different stages – including very early stages. On the artistic side, I sometimes work with producers on scripts, but only – and I want to emphasize this – on the issue of international viability. I am not judging the script itself, but looking at it from the international point of view regarding how well the project could do on the international market. An important part of my job is to work closely with each person involved, because in a very real sense we are all part of the adventure. Much of my focus, and the focus of Mediawan more generally, is to find new ways to help talents, producers and broadcasters create the best shows – not only for their specific market but also the international market.”

Speaking about his role more specifically in the Finnish context, Eckert reports that Finnish producers tend to be very open to early input and advice about international marketability. In fact, some Finnish producers – and also Finnish media buyers such as YLE or Elisa – sometimes come to him during the initial stage of a project.

“They don’t always agree with me, and that’s of course ok. If I see promise, we sometimes invest development money already at a quite early stage.”

Finland faces outward

Emmanuel Eckert’s professional introduction to films and series from the Nordic region goes back to when he started working with Mediawan Finland (at that time Aito) and various other Nordic producers, and through this he came to know many talented Finnish producers, writers and directors.

Eckert explains, “It was through this experience and their contacts that I came to understand how unique and special the Finnish style and approach is, at least through their film and series productions, compared to the other Nordic countries. I don’t claim to be an expert on this, but it was clear to me that Finland seemed to more face outward toward the larger world.” He continues, “In fact, one could say that other Nordic countries in this way are a bit like my own country, France. Of course, I love French culture – I love being French, yet we tend to think that ours is the best language, best culture and that we are self-sufficient etc. I’m of course joking a bit here, but not entirely. 
So it has been very interesting for me to learn more about Finland, which has such a unique – and very rich – culture and history."

Viva la evolution

Regarding Finnish productions, Eckert has in the past five or six years sensed a real evolution in Finnish content, which in his assessment was earlier perhaps a bit overly gloomy or dark in terms of the chosen topics, the way they filmed it, and the way they wrote it. He notes, “This recent evolution has been toward things more light, more mainstream. In any case, there is a distinction still today between Finnish content and others, particularly in the Nordic region, but I would say that now it’s more about, in a way, deeper feelings. The emotions are more dramatic, which is a very good point – and more extreme than in most other countries.

"Finland tends to be more rock-and-roll, and a bit more twisted, which is of course very interesting when thinking about a TV series or feature film.”

Eckert underlines this real change he sees over the past half decade in the Finnish film sector: “Said simply, they are retaining the Finnish uniqueness in their productions, but are also increasingly adapting this Finnish approach in ways that give them greater success in the international markets. With a country of just 5 million people, Finnish filmmakers know that they must really understand the international market. They need the world – and I’m happy to be part of their journey of increasing success the international market.”