Wide Management

Overview

Wide Management is a Paris-based international sales company founded in 1997 by Loïc Magneron, who continues to serve as President and general manager. The company represents more than 20 new fiction feature films per year and maintains a library of 500+ fiction titles, ranging from internationally acclaimed directors to genre/horror and edgy dramas. Wide Management employs 9 people and is headquartered at 9 rue Bleue, 75009 Paris. The company is privately owned and active.

Wide's catalog spans three distinct categories: contemporary arthouse and genre fiction, restored classics, and documentary (the latter formerly handled by the Wide House division, which transitioned to Reservoir Docs in 2020). The company's genre-crossover programming, films that combine arthouse sensibility with accessible genre elements, reflects a pragmatic reading of the international market. Films that offer both critical distinction and narrative accessibility are easier to sell across a broader range of territories than films positioned exclusively for the arthouse niche.

For filmmakers seeking a mid-tier Paris-based sales agent with genre crossover expertise and a substantial back catalog, Wide Management is an accessible and active acquisition target. The company's 219-title filmography on IMDb and consistent presence at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, AFM, and EFM demonstrate sustained market activity across more than two decades.

Catalog Structure and Restored Classics

Wide Management's catalog includes restored classics by major directors: Max Ophuls' Lola Montes, Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre Sa Vie, and films by Jean Renoir, Edgar Ulmer, and others. The library also features stars including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Philippe Noiret, Jeanne Moreau, Jean Gabin, Fernandel, Raimu, and Jean Marais. This classics library gives Wide a revenue stream independent of new acquisitions, as restored titles continue to license to territorial distributors, repertory cinemas, and streaming platforms.

The contemporary catalog includes Erick Zonca's The Dream Life of Angels (which won the Best Actress award at Cannes for Elodie Bouchez), Virginie Wagon's The Secret, Sylvie Testud's The Dark Room, and Martin Provost's Le Ventre de Juliette. The company also handles a range of documentaries and film reportage.

Wide's genre and horror titles are a deliberate catalog segment. The company's willingness to represent edgy dramas and genre films alongside arthouse titles gives it flexibility at markets where pure arthouse sales agents may struggle to place genre-oriented titles with appropriate distributors.

Recent Acquisitions and Festival Presence

Wide Management's recent sales slate includes:

• When Fucking Spring is in the Air (2024) - currently in production, worldwide sales
• Medium (2023) - worldwide sales
• Hotel Pula (2023) - worldwide sales
• The Land of Women (2023) - Marisa Vallone's first feature set in 1950s Sardinia, following two generations of women fighting against tradition
• Sira (2023) - Apolline Traore's Burkina Faso/France/Germany/Senegal co-production, world premiere in Berlin Panorama, winner of the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film. Selected as Burkina Faso's Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film, the country's first submission since 1989
• Amar Colony (2023) - Tallinn Black Nights jury award winner
• Siren Lullabies (2023) - Kristina Atovska's Ukraine war documentary, market premiere at EFM

The company sells territorial rights at Cannes, Berlin (EFM), Toronto, AFM, and Venice. Wide's buyer relationships span European arthouse distributors, North American specialty distributors, Asian theatrical buyers, and streaming platforms. At EFM 2023, Wide also market premiered Siren Lullabies and hosted first online market screenings for Low Tech (Adrien Bellay) and Amar Colony (Siddharth Chauhan).

French Distribution Arm and Co-Production

In 2015, Wide launched a French distribution department, releasing Bonte Divine (Vinko Bresan), which was a box-office success in Croatia and distributed internationally in more than 32 countries. The distribution arm released three films in France within its first year, including YouTube star Ina Mihalache's first feature Solange et les Vivants (March 2016).

Wide Management's co-production activity facilitates European co-productions, particularly connecting French production investment with projects from other European territories and from international filmmakers seeking French co-production involvement. French co-production investment, accessible through the CNC (Centre national du cinema et de l'image animee) and French tax credit programs, is one of the most significant sources of European film financing. A sales agent that can facilitate access to French co-production funding provides added value beyond sales representation alone.

For international filmmakers seeking French co-production funding, Wide Management's ability to connect projects with French co-producers and navigate the French funding landscape is a practical service that distinguishes it from purely commercial sales agents. The company has co-production credits on its filmography and executive producer credits on selected titles.

Eye on Films Label

Wide Management developed the Eye on Films label, dedicated to first films, with 70 partners including 40 festivals and 70 distributors. The label was supported by the European Union's Media Mundus program. Eye on Films gives Wide a structured approach to discovering and representing debut filmmakers, providing a pipeline of emerging talent that larger sales agents may not actively cultivate.

For first-time filmmakers, the Eye on Films label means Wide has a dedicated acquisition channel for debut features, with established festival and distributor relationships specifically built around first-film promotion. This is a distinct advantage over sales agents who only acquire established directors.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For arthouse and genre-crossover filmmakers: Wide Management is an accessible mid-tier representation target for completed or near-completed films in the arthouse and genre-crossover categories. The company's combination of sales representation and co-production facilitation makes it particularly valuable for projects still in financing assembly that have international festival ambitions and need French co-production involvement.

Acquisition patterns: Wide acquires at major festivals and markets, with a Cannes presence central to its annual sales cycle. Films with Cannes, Berlin, or Toronto premieres, or with talent and subjects with strong European market appeal, are the most likely acquisition targets. The company also acquires genre and horror titles that may not have festival premieres but have commercial potential in territorial markets.

MG expectations: As a mid-tier sales agent, Wide's MG offers are typically in the low to mid five figures for arthouse titles, varying based on the film's commercial profile, festival reception, and territory pre-sale potential. The company's co-production model may also involve equity investment rather than a straight MG, particularly for projects where Wide participates as a co-producer.

Genre positioning: Wide's willingness to handle genre/horror alongside arthouse is a differentiator. Filmmakers with films that sit between arthouse and genre, such as elevated horror or art-thrillers, should consider Wide as a sales agent that understands both markets and can place the film with appropriate territorial distributors in each.

Restored classics: If you control rights to a classic film that needs restoration and re-release, Wide has an active restored classics business and the relationships to place restored titles with territorial distributors, repertory cinemas, and streaming platforms. This is a niche service that few sales agents offer.

See Also

For Wide's former documentary division, now operating as Reservoir Docs, see Wide House in this directory. For how French co-production financing works alongside international sales, see Distribution Deals Explained. For how genre-crossover positioning affects international distribution deals, see Film Festival Strategy for Distributors. To model the revenue from international territorial sales across multiple territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For information on French film financing through the CNC and tax credit programs, see the CNC website.