Wild Bunch International

Overview

Wild Bunch International (WBI) is a Paris-based international sales agent that handles world sales for 20 to 30 films per year. Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua launched WBI in 2019 as a standalone spin-off from the Wild Bunch Group's international sales department. Maraval owns 85% of the company; Wild Bunch AG holds a 20% stake. The company operates from Wild Bunch's Paris headquarters and manages sales for both new acquisitions and the Wild Bunch library of approximately 2,500 titles.

WBI represents films by directors including Michael Haneke, Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Dardenne brothers, Claire Denis, Arnaud Desplechin, and Ladj Ly. The company sells territory-by-territory distribution rights at Cannes, the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin, and the American Film Market (AFM). For filmmakers with festival-premiered films seeking international distribution, WBI is one of the primary sales entities in European arthouse cinema.

Acquisition Behavior and Deal Structures

WBI acquires world sales rights for completed films and pre-buys rights on projects in development. The company evaluates films based on directorial vision, festival potential, and commercial viability across international territories. Sales agent commissions in this tier of the market typically run 15 to 25% of gross sales, though WBI's specific commission rates are negotiated per project.

In January 2022, WBI formed a sales alliance with Bac Films under which Eva Diederix (WBI's head of sales) and her team handle international sales for all Bac Films acquisitions. Bac Films shifted its focus to financing, production, and acquisitions while WBI manages the sales infrastructure. This partnership expanded WBI's effective slate without increasing its overhead.

At the Cannes 2026 Marche du Film, Wild Bunch acquired German rights to Balandrau: Where the Fierce Wind Blew, a Spanish survival thriller sold by Filmax that had already drawn 200,000 admissions in Spain. The deal illustrates WBI's dual role: it both sells films internationally and acquires films for its own European distribution network.

Pan-European Distribution Network

Wild Bunch AG operates direct theatrical distribution in five European countries, giving WBI-acquired films a built-in pathway to European release:

• France: Wild Bunch Distribution, Wild Side, Wild Bunch TV
• Germany: Wild Bunch Germany, Central Film Verleih
• Italy: BIM Distribuzione
• Spain: Vertigo
• Austria: Wild Bunch Austria

For French productions and co-productions, WBI can serve as both the international sales agent and the French domestic distributor through Wild Bunch Distribution. This dual-role structure means a single deal can cover both the French theatrical release and the global sales campaign.

Notable Representations

WBI's sales catalog includes films that have won top prizes at major festivals. Titles sold by WBI and its predecessor sales department include The Artist (2011, Best Picture Oscar), The King's Speech (2010, Best Picture Oscar), Amour (2012, Palme d'Or), Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013, Palme d'Or), Shoplifters (2018, Palme d'Or), Titane (2021, Palme d'Or), Drive (2011), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Spirited Away (2001), and Les Misérables (2019, Cannes Grand Jury Prize).

At Cannes 2022, WBI closed deals on 15 titles including Stars at Noon (Claire Denis, Grand Jury Prize), Tori and Lokita (Dardenne brothers, 75th Anniversary Award), Brother and Sister (Arnaud Desplechin), and Final Cut (Michel Hazanavicius). The company sold R.M.N. by Cristian Mungiu to more than 30 territories from that same slate.

At EFM 2023, WBI launched sales on Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, Gabriel Abrantes' Amelia's Children, Qiu Yang's Some Rain Must Fall, Ladj Ly's Les Indesirables, and Farah Nabulsi's The Teacher.

What Filmmakers Should Know

WBI is highly selective. The company typically represents films with strong festival credentials, significant talent attachments, or both. Films without a major festival premiere or recognizable talent will likely find WBI's acquisition threshold too high. Producers should engage WBI through their existing producer or sales representative relationships, typically at major film markets.

For European co-productions and French-language films, WBI's connection to the Wild Bunch AG distribution network means a relationship with the company can cover both French theatrical release and international sales through a single deal structure. This is a meaningful advantage for producers who want coordinated European distribution rather than territory-by-territory deals with separate distributors.

WBI does not operate an open submission portal. Engagement happens through producers, agents, and festival screenings. The company is a regular presence at Cannes, EFM, AFM, and Toronto. Producers with films premiering at these events should have their sales agent or producer's rep initiate contact before the festival or market begins.

How International Sales Agents Work

An international sales agent represents a film's rights across all or most territories outside the country of origin. The sales agent negotiates individual distribution deals with local distributors in each market, earning a commission (typically 15 to 25% of gross sales) from closed deals. The sales agent also handles market screenings, buyer relationships, and contract negotiation across dozens of territories simultaneously.

WBI's role for most of its films is to sell territory-by-territory rights at major markets. For French productions, WBI can also coordinate the French theatrical release through Wild Bunch Distribution. This means the producer deals with one entity for both domestic French distribution and international sales, rather than negotiating separate deals.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For how international sales agents fit into the overall distribution strategy for independent films, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the revenue from territory-by-territory international sales versus a global streaming deal, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.