Pretty Pictures

Overview

Pretty Pictures is a Paris-based independent film distributor founded and run by James Velaise, a former New York stockbroker who moved to Paris to build a distribution company focused on international arthouse cinema. The company acquires all-rights to features in English and foreign languages (Japanese, Korean, Italian, Spanish, and others) and distributes them theatrically throughout France. Pretty Pictures also acquires documentaries with strong theatrical potential. The company's catalog spans animation, comedy, genre, drama, and cult films, with 108 titles tracked on IMDb as of 2026.

Pretty Pictures occupies a specific niche in the French distribution landscape: smaller than mid-tier companies like Pyramide or Wild Bunch, but more adventurous in its acquisition taste. Velaise has built the company around personal curatorial judgment rather than market formulas, acquiring films based on individual conviction rather than pre-sale estimates. The company is headquartered at 100 rue de la Folie Mericourt in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.

Distribution Model and Acquisition Behavior

Pretty Pictures acquires finished films at festivals and through direct relationships with international sales agents. The company buys all-rights for France, meaning it handles theatrical, home video, VOD, and television exploitation across the full distribution window chain. Theatrical releases are placed in Parisian arthouse venues and regional French cinemas, with marketing and publicity handled in-house.

The company's acquisition profile is unusually broad for its size. Velaise has acquired films from North Korea (Ha Yongs The Schoolgirl's Diary, bought at the Pyongyang International Film Festival in 2006), Saudi Arabia (Haifaa Al-Mansours Wadjda in 2012, the first Saudi Arabian feature film, acquired based on a concept scribbled on a paper napkin and later winning prizes at Venice), Argentina (Juan Jose Campanellas The Secret in Their Eyes, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010), and across European and Asian arthouse cinema.

Recent releases include Walkin' on the Ritz! (October 2024), a documentary directed by Velaise himself with Charlotte Teillard d'Eyry, and Never Have I Ever (2024). The company's catalog also includes Borg vs. McEnroe (2017, which grossed SEK 165 million in Sweden), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Arirang (2011, Kim Ki-duks self-reflective documentary), and Mugabe and the White African (2009).

What Filmmakers Should Know

Pretty Pictures is a realistic acquisition target for international filmmakers whose work has screened at major festivals and has French arthouse audience potential. The company attends Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, and other A-list festivals. Velaise is known for making acquisition decisions quickly and independently, without the committee processes of larger distributors.

For filmmakers seeking French distribution, the key factors Pretty Pictures evaluates are: theatrical viability in the French arthouse market (films too experimental for theatrical play are not a fit), critical distinction (festival selections and awards matter), and subject matter or origin that gives the film a news hook or cultural angle for French reviewers. The company's willingness to acquire from underrepresented film-producing countries is a genuine differentiator. Films from Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia that might not find a French buyer at larger companies have a better chance with Pretty Pictures than with Pathé, Gaumont, or UGC.

The company does not operate an open submission portal. Approach through a sales agent or festival selection is the standard pathway. Filmmakers with films accepted into Cannes, Berlin, Venice, or Toronto should ensure their sales agent is presenting to French distributors including Pretty Pictures.

The French Distribution Landscape

France is the most receptive theatrical market in the world for international arthouse cinema, sustained by the Centre National du Cinema et de l'Image Animee (CNC). The CNC provides automatic aid (funding based on a distributor's prior box office performance) and selective aid (grants for artistically significant projects) that allow independent distributors to take risks on challenging films. This support structure is why France has a higher density of active independent distributors than any comparable market.

For filmmakers building an international distribution strategy, France is typically one of the highest-value European territories. A French theatrical release provides critical legitimacy that supports downstream sales in other territories, and the CNC's support mechanisms mean that even modestly performing films can generate meaningful revenue through the aid system. Pretty Pictures, like all French independent distributors, benefits from this structure, which allows a company of its size to maintain a theatrical distribution operation that would be economically unsustainable in most other markets.

Notable Releases

Pretty Pictures' catalog reflects Velaise's curatorial range. Key titles include The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Argentina, Academy Award winner), Wadjda (2012, Saudi Arabia, Venice prize winner), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014, Iran/US), Borg vs. McEnroe (2017, Sweden), Kills on Wheels (2016, Hungary), Wolf and Sheep (2016, Afghanistan), The Look of Love (2013, UK), La Jaula de Oro (2013, Mexico), American Hardcore (2006, US documentary), and Arirang (2011, South Korea). The catalog also includes the 2024 documentary Walkin' on the Ritz!, co-directed by Velaise.

See Also

For how French film financing and the CNC's support system works, see Film Grants and Funding. To model the revenue from French theatrical distribution as part of a European territory sales strategy, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For a comparison with another French independent distributor, see the Pyramide Films entry in this directory. For deal structures and MG ranges across independent distributors, see Distribution Deals Explained.