After months of scarcity, French cinema is again out of stock. But there is a lack of those between 15 and 25 years old, who prefer blockbusters (Black Panther), horror films (Smile) and Japanese animation (red one piece). To attract this young audience, to which French cinema has never been attracted, the producers will draw two films designed for them at the beginning of 2023, the rascals (January 11) and Apache (February 22).
Directed by Jimmy Laporal-Trésor, the rascals is the story full of nuances of the confrontation of a gang of estates against skinheads in Paris in the eighties. ApacheRomain Quirot’s new film (The last trip), a woman infiltrates an ultraviolent gang that reigns terror in the Belle Epoque in Paris to avenge the death of her brother.
“We cannot leave American superhero movies for the young and not try to have fun on this playground.”warns Romain Quirot. “For me it is very important to touch young people, not to forget them by offering them daring films.” And to offer you movies outside of school comedies (despite himself superheroes, Segpas), a rare French genre acclaimed by young audiences.
For years, French cinema has neglected young people between the ages of 15 and 25, often out of fear of taking risks, leaving the field open to Hollywood.
“We leave young people in the hands of another cinema, very formatted, which looks a lot like a giant amusement park, and which is imposed by force of the media, with a hype on the networks”sums up Manuel Chiche, who produced Les Rascals with his company Jokers.
“The public of 15-25 years is very captive”
If attracting young people between the ages of 15 and 25 in front of French films is “a real difficulty”admits Nicolas Blanc, producer of rascalsthe latter seem receptive to it. “They say that French cinema does not attract young people, but it is not true”insists Vincent Courtade, director of marketing for Jokers. “It’s just that we didn’t bring enough movies for them.”
“In the last two years we see that the 15-25 year old public is very captive of the cinema”confirms Blandine Boullier, director of the Le Rex cinema in Sarlat. “From the moment we make an offer dedicated to them, they are there, unlike the older ones, who move away from the rooms. The culture pass showed us that young people come to the cinema.”
Young people between the ages of 15 and 25 have thus contributed to the triumph of wretched (2019), by north ferry (2021) and more recently from November. The establishment of label “young moviegoers” by the CNC, to develop cinephilia, but also the 15-25 label of the Association Française des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai (AFCAE) should make it possible to attract more young people to the cinema.
the rascals It will thus be the AFCAE favorite in January. “The idea is to help cinemas with a follow-up action, to identify films that may interest this audience, explains Mathieu Guilloux, coordinator of young audiences at AFCAE. The association only works with recommended auteur films and has recently advised falcon lake from Charlotte Le Bon and the Japanese animated film inu-oh by Masaaki Yuasa.
“A crazy atmosphere in the room.”
These movies are few in number. The failure of the way of financing French cinema, linked to television. “TV audiences are getting older”says Manuel Chiche. “It is difficult to finance films that are not for this audience. This is a problem that the CNC must address: encourage channels to target young people. Nowadays, even the platforms are geared towards a larger audience.”
“The young audience has not been treated in recent years, but we are trying to remedy it”says Valérie Boyer, general director of France 2 Cinéma, which participated in the financing of the Rascals.
“Now it has to go through our producer friends so that we have proposals of this type.”
the rascals it was imagined as a transgenerational film, both for ex-teenagers of the 80s and for those of today. “It was also and above all made for them.”insists Manuel Chiche. “We want to tell this little story of France, which did not make the headlines. It is important that these young people understand their country.”
The first reactions of the public prove him right. the rascals triumphed last month at the Sarlat festival, where it was presented in preview to 580 high school students in the cinema option. “There was great excitement in the room.”recalls Blandine Boullier. “They were quite misinformed about the events narrated in the film, and there was strong support for the issue. There was a crazy atmosphere in the room.”
“To write stories that move them, you also have to try to understand this generation.”says Manuel Chiche. “The subject must talk about things that currently concern him. The current political and social climate is something that worries young people a lot.”adds Jimmy Laporal-Trésor, director of rascals.
Among “New York Gangs” Y “Peaky Blinders”
The presence of newcomers is also welcome. “Having new actors on the screen creates a closeness with the young audience. We feel more concerned with a story when the characters are close to our age.”comments Jimmy Laporal-Treasure. “The young people loved it, because it is a group of friends that does not let go”adds Vincent Courtade. “They really identify with it.”
the first viewers rascals They were also surprised by “more like rock ‘n roll energy” of the movie. “When we’re young, we like to go see movies that move a bit. We like movies that are a little more rhythmic.”details Jimmy Laporal-Treasure. “The youngsters felt it”welcomes Manuel Chiche. “Jimmy uses the cinema as it exists in the United States”adds Nicholas Blanc.
Apache it is also a very rhythmic film, with an anachronistic soundtrack (rap, electro, French variety). “I wanted to make a swirling fresco in the image of the freedom and ardor of Apache life. [ndlr: ces gangs de voyous parisiens à la Belle Epoque]”says Romain Quirot. “I didn’t want to shut myself up in the little prison of the French codes. It’s a movie where the kids wear Doc Martens and beat up the burghers with golf clubs.”
“If we want to target young people overloaded with Netflix products, we have to offer them something a little different to excite them and pique their curiosity.”pleads again the director. “Whether it’s the storytelling or the aesthetics, everything fits to be appreciated by a young audience.”Antony Baptista abounds, director of marketing for Tandem, the production company behind Apache.
It is not the first time that French cinema has tried to target an adolescent audience. In 2021, the werewolf movie Teddy bear it had received significant support from the upstream press, before quickly disappearing from the bill. “Our financial partners are convinced that the spectrum must be expanded. Afterwards, the problem is still diffusion. [les exploitants de salles, NDLR]who doesn’t take many risks”regrets Nicolas Blanc.
From Tik Tok to “Avatar”
Attracting young people between the ages of 15 and 25 to cinemas remains difficult, because “they were not used to being challenged by the cinema”, continues the producer. Now it is on social networks where the battle takes place. Tandem has been powered with the help of a content creator for several months. a tiktok account behind the scenes ofApache. Some videos have been very successful, with almost a million views.
“There are many anecdotes about the shooting and making of a movie.”explains Antonio Bautista. “We noticed that young subscribers were crazy when we told them behind the scenes. We are going to relaunch it as the launch in 2023 approaches, always with the idea of convincing otherwise, and not relying on traditional media.”
the trailer of rascals will be screened before the highly anticipated Avatar – the path of water between December 21 and 28 in UGC cinemas. “It is the biggest week of the year.”enthuses Vincent Courtade. He will use testimonials from young people who discovered the film in Sarlat. “The reactions were insane. Some told us it was her favorite movie after Spider-Man: No Way Home!”
Tandem adopts a similar strategy with Apache. The trailer will be released between February 15 and 21, before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Either in its entirety during the school holidays, and a week before the release. “I do not plan to communicate before”Antonio Bautista says. “Given the number of releases, we have to be strong when the movie hits theaters.”
“we will drive a breach”
Agency specialized in the creation of trailers for blockbusters and platforms, recognized for its work on the Netflix series Tea sorcerertook care of the trailer forApachethat takes full advantage of an aesthetic close to Peaky Blinders. “We try to make it as efficient as possible and above all comply with the codes that today’s young people are used to.”Antonio Bautista says.
Within AFCAE, a working group plans “custom support work”explains Mathieu Guilloux: “Each month, we’ll select a movie and find animations that will bring it to life in theaters.” For the rascalsvideo game animations and meetings with the National Hip Hop Organization, whose history is watermarked in the film, are planned.
There remains the question of publishing on the street. “What good are Morris’s columns to this young audience? it’s absolutely useless”says Nicholas Blanc. “We will favor the subway, but all that is on the wet finger”it tempers. rascals What Apache should be distributed nationally. “The idea is to show rascals massively and deeply”announces Manuel Chiche.
The next few years should see this type of initiative multiply, thanks to a new generation of directors. “We feel that there is a fundamental movement. My instinct tells me that the future of cinema is going to be made with movies like rascalsmovies that break the usual codes”assures Manuel Chiche. “Maybe we’ll clean the plaster or open a breach.”
A way to thwart the planned obsolescence of a certain French cinema. “We see a small tremor”confirms Valérie Boyer. “We just got engaged to a Simon Buisson film, Buzz, which is aimed at a young audience. The next one from Ladj Ly, the undesirables, what’s more. But it is a little early to draw conclusions, they would be too hasty.”
Source: BFM TV
