New perspectives at the Festival de Cannes' Marché du Film

© CR / FDC 2022

In 2020, Guillaume Esmiol joined the Marché du Film as Deputy Director in charge of development with the prospect of taking over new functions linked to the succession of Jérôme Paillard.

After confirming his wish to retire at the end of May 2022, following the 75th Festival de Cannes, Paillard advised Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, to name by his side, Guillaume Esmiol as co-Executive Director of the Marché du Film. This allows them to work in tandem before seeing Esmiol replace permanently Paillard in 2023. 

Guillaume Esmiol was formerly Innovation Director for TF1 Group and Marketing Director for the startup studio Wefound. An experience that allowed him to bring his expertise in Digital, Media, and Innovation.

The managing team of the Marché remains the same and is comprised of Maud Amson (Operations and Sales Director), Michèle Waterhouse (Administrative Director), Alice Kharoubi (Cinema programming Director), Camille Rousselet (Head of Cinando), and Aleksandra Zakharchenko (Head of Programming).

Jérôme Paillard will conclusively step down of his functions in December 2022 during Ventana Sur, the co-production market that the Festival co-organizes with the INCAA, each year in Buenos Aires.

The time chosen for this transmission is special. The Marché du Film 2022 will be, hopefully, the true post-pandemic market after the difficulties that the industry faced in 2020 and 2021. However, the Marché must look ahead, reinvent itself and reflect on the questions that are now asked.

The Board of Directors, Pierre Lescure and Thierry Frémaux wish to already express to Jérôme Paillard the high regards they have for the work accomplished by the Marché du Film under his leadership and to thank him for his unfailing commitment, his talent deployed and his constant creativity. Jérôme brought the Marché du Film to a very high rank. A top spot that it is necessary to keep in the future, in a proven mutating context.

PR©FDC 2022