Memento Films

Overview

Memento Films is a Paris-based independent film distribution and production company founded in 2003 by Alexandre Mallet-Guy and Emilie Georges. The two founders went their separate ways in 2022: Georges took the company's international sales arm and rebranded it as Paradise City Sales, while Mallet-Guy retained Memento's French distribution and production operations. The company is headquartered at 50 rue de Chabrol in Paris's 10th arrondissement and employs a team of 14.

Memento releases approximately 10 films per year in France and invests in one or two production projects annually. The company is one of the few French independent distributors thriving in a difficult theatrical climate. In 2025, Memento's releases included Jafar Panahi's It Was Just An Accident (700,000 admissions) and Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (440,000 admissions, the international feature Oscar winner). Mallet-Guy describes the slate as auteur-driven titles with commercial potential, "often with political undertones."

The company has no plans to grow beyond its current size. Mallet-Guy and his team emphasize maintaining an "artisanal touch" rather than scaling up, which means the 10-film annual release slate is a deliberate ceiling, not a temporary constraint.

Distribution Model

Memento distributes theatrically in France through partnerships with arthouse cinemas in Paris and major regional cities. The company handles its own French marketing and publicity campaigns, engaging the French film press and cultural media to build awareness for its releases. Following the theatrical window, Memento manages home entertainment and digital releases through partnerships with French VOD platforms including Canal+.

France's regulated cinema windows mandate specific minimum gaps between theatrical release and digital release. The current standard window is 4 months for most films under French law, though shorter windows can be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. This regulatory framework shapes Memento's release planning for all its titles.

Memento's 2026 release slate includes Pillion (April 1, Harry Lighton's Cannes prize-winning gay BDSM rom-com starring Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling, an A24 film that Memento acquired for France), Les Filles du ciel (March 4, Berangere McNeese), Sauvage (March 18, Camille Ponsin, starring Celine Salette and Bertrand Belin), A voix basse (April 22, Leyla Bouzid, starring Marion Barbeau and Hiam Abbass), C'est quoi l'amour (May 6, Fabien Gorgeart), Ni vue ni connue (September 23, Marc Fitoussi, starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain), and Demain je tombe amoureux (November 25, Martin Provost, starring Fabrice Luchini, Carole Bouquet, and Emmanuelle Devos).

Production and Co-Production Activity

Memento has been increasingly involved in production alongside its distribution business. The company co-produces films that it also releases in France, giving it a financial stake in the projects it distributes. Recent and upcoming co-productions include:

• Asghar Farhadi's *Parallel Tales*: The next film from the two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director, shooting in Paris with a cast including Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, and Adam Bessa.
• Nuri Bilge Ceylan's *Weary Sun*: The Turkish auteur's new film, co-produced by Memento for French release.
• Diao Yinan's *Red Snow: The Chinese filmmaker (Golden Bear winner for Black Coal, Thin Ice*) directs, with Memento co-producing and releasing in France.
• Monia Chokri's *Ni Le Jour Ni La Nuit*: The Canadian actress/filmmaker's first film shot in France, an existential comedy about relationships produced by Les Films de Pierre and Meta Films.
• Asghar Farhadi's *Parallel Tales and a new project with Black Dog* director Guan Hu are also in development.

Memento's Cannes 2025 competition lineup included Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier), It Was Just An Accident (Jafar Panahi), Eagles of the Republic (Tarik Saleh), and Adam's Sake (Laura Wandel, which opened Critics Week). Upcoming distribution titles include Ira Sachs's The Man I Love, Ruben Ostlund's The Entertainment System Is Down, and Colm Bairead's Mary Rose.

The Paradise City Sales Split

When Mallet-Guy and Georges separated in 2022, Georges took the international sales division and rebranded it as Paradise City Sales, with offices in Paris and London. The sales company, co-run with London-based Naima Abed, plans to acquire approximately 10 films per year from independent producers worldwide, focusing on arthouse projects that are director-driven and market-friendly, with emphasis on English-language projects, genre, and animation.

Paradise City Sales is more involved in projects at an earlier stage than the old Memento International was, seeking to build a closer bond between production and sales. The team includes Alexandre Moreau (head of sales), Sata Cissokho (head of acquisitions), Jeanne Loriotti, Vincent Comoy, and Anais Gargliardi (sales, marketing, and festivals). Current slate titles include My Notes on Mars (starring Greta Lee and Andrew Scott), The Ugly Stepsister (Sundance Midnight opener), Unidentified (Haifaa Al-Mansour), and Atropia (2025 Sundance hit starring Alia Shawkat and Channing Tatum).

For filmmakers seeking international sales representation through the former Memento International network, Paradise City Sales is the successor entity. Memento Films itself no longer handles international sales; it is purely a French distribution and production company.

Acquisition Behavior and Deal Structures

Memento acquires films at Cannes (Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, Directors' Fortnight, Critics Week), Berlin, Venice, and TIFF. The company also acquires from smaller festivals and through direct relationships with sales agents and producers. MG ranges for Memento acquisitions are not publicly disclosed, but based on the company's market position as a mid-tier French independent and the budget tiers of its catalog, MGs for French theatrical rights typically fall between 20,000 and 150,000 euros per title, depending on festival pedigree, director track record, and French commercial profile.

For higher-profile acquisitions with Cannes Competition pedigree and named casts (such as Pillion, which stars Alexander Skarsgard), MGs can exceed 150,000 euros. The company's focus on auteur-driven cinema means it often acquires at lower MG ranges than mainstream French distributors, betting on critical reception and arthouse audience engagement rather than broad commercial appeal.

Memento's production investments are typically minority co-production stakes, providing French co-production status and contributing to the financing structure while leaving primary production to partner companies. This model allows Memento to participate in the upside of films it also distributes, creating alignment between the company's distribution and production activities.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Memento is an accessible mid-tier acquisition target in the French distribution market. Films targeting the French arthouse audience - European prestige drama, quality international fiction with critical festival credentials, documentary with cultural resonance for French audiences - are the most likely Memento acquisition targets. The company's 10-film annual slate means competition for slots is real, but Mallet-Guy and his team are known for rapid decisions when a project fits their editorial line.

For international filmmakers premiering at Cannes, Memento's consistent festival presence and French arthouse identity make it a natural French distribution conversation partner. The company's relationships with French arthouse cinema programmers and film press provide meaningful distribution infrastructure for qualifying releases. Memento's 2025 performance (700,000 admissions for a Panahi film and 440,000 for a Trier film) demonstrates that auteur-driven international cinema can still find substantial French theatrical audiences through the right distributor.

For filmmakers seeking international sales (not French distribution), Paradise City Sales is the relevant contact, not Memento Films. Memento handles only French domestic distribution and production; all international sales from the former Memento International go through Paradise City Sales.

The company can be contacted through its website or at 50 rue de Chabrol, 75010 Paris. Alexandre Mallet-Guy is the primary decision-maker for acquisitions and production investments.

See Also

For the international sales successor to Memento's former sales arm, see Paradise City Sales (formerly Memento Films International). For how French theatrical distribution combines with international sales representation in a single company structure, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model French theatrical and international sales revenue as part of a co-production financing plan, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For comparable French independent distributors, see MK2 Films and Jour2Fete in this directory.