We pitched three films to Hollywood heavyweights. What they didn’t know is that these films were existing French cinema masterpieces. They rejected the pitches as they thought these ideas didn’t match their criteria of what can make a successful film.

We created a series of humorous videos that captured the cautious and negative reactions of these Hollywood professionals. These videos were shared across social channels leading viewers to the Alliance Française website

where they could buy tickets for the French film screenings. The Films were also screened in movie theatres. Next, we sent the scripts of other iconic French films to renowned Hollywood script consultancies. Even they didn’t see any potential in them. Their reports were turned into print ads, PR content and social posts.

By demonstrating that you can make great films without following Hollywood formulas, this campaign helped change the perception of people who think Hollywood films are the ultimate form of cinema and showed them how French films offer a completely different cinematic experience. The campaign created lots of buzz in the social media and made the headline in the new channels like Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, The Independent and The Times. Starting with the journalists, soon people across the world including Hollywood celebrities and other film professionals started discussing about the necessity for cultural diversity. In the end, the campaign actually attracted 43% more non-French people to book tickets for the French Cinema screenings.

We needed to position French cinema as a very distinct cinema experience compared to Hollywood cinema. To do so, we decided to demonstrate that you can make great films without having to follow the Hollywood usual formulas and that’s all what French Cinema is about.

French Films are great. They are nuanced, character-driven and soaked in atmosphere. But, how do you promote them to a non-French audience who tend to prefer Hollywood blockbusters? This is the task Alliance Française, the global network promoting French culture gave us.