The Coproduction Office

Overview

The Coproduction Office is a Paris-based international sales and production company founded by Philippe Bober in 1987. The company produces and sells feature films by directors with a strong personal vision, maintaining long-term relationships with filmmakers whose work consistently appears in the main competitions of Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno. Philippe Bober has produced 32 films to date.

The company consists of a sales company and three production divisions: Essential Films (Berlin, established as the production arm), Parisienne de Production (Paris, established 2000), and Coproduction Office (Copenhagen, established 2007). A London office was added in 2020. Nadine Rothschild serves as Head of Sales. The company's address is 24 rue Lamartine, 75009 Paris.

Coproduction Office's catalog includes films by Lars von Trier, Roy Andersson, Ulrich Seidl, Jessica Hausner, Ruben Ostlund, Kornel Mundruczo, Cristi Puiu, Michelangelo Frammartino, Carlos Reygadas, Lou Ye, Alain Guiraudie, Bertrand Mandico, Takashi Miike, Shirin Neshat, Julian Rosefeldt, Roberto Rossellini (restored classics), and others. The company has produced films that have won more than 30 prizes at the three major festivals, including the Venice Golden Lion in 2014 for Roy Andersson's A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence and the Palme d'Or in 2017 for Ruben Ostlund's The Square.

For established arthouse directors seeking international sales representation, Coproduction Office is one of the most specialized and selective options in the market. The company works with a small number of directors, often from the beginning of their careers, and maintains those relationships across multiple films.

History

Philippe Bober founded Coproduction Office in 1987. The company was named after its efforts to raise funds for Lars von Trier's Europa (1991), a four-country coproduction supported by Eurimages during its first session in 1989. Bober acted as associate producer for Germany and France. Europa won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1991.

For von Trier's following project, The Kingdom, Coproduction Office was involved both as German co-producer and international sales agent, closing deals in territories where the four-hour television series was distributed theatrically, including October Films in the US, ICA Projects in the UK, Haut et Cour in France, Shochiku in Japan, Key Films in Italy, and Essential Films in Germany (the then newly created Berlin-based production arm).

Coproduction Office then produced Breaking the Waves (1996) for the joint production venture Liberator Productions with Zentropa, and established ongoing relationships with Scandinavian directors including Roy Andersson, Dagur Kari (producing Noi Albinoi with Iceland's Zik Zak Filmworks), and Ruben Ostlund.

The company expanded its production activities with Parisienne de Production in Paris (2000), a Copenhagen office (2007), and a London office (2020). Coproduction Office has cooperated with the Sarajevo Film Festival since 1995, with Bober serving as artistic director and subsequently programmer of the New Currents section. Through this role, Bober discovered early works by Roy Andersson (Something Happened, 1987; World of Glory, 1991), Jessica Hausner (Inter-View, 1999), Ulrich Seidl (Models, 1999), and Ruben Ostlund (Autobiographical Scene Number 6882, 2005), subsequently establishing long working relationships.

Bober has stated that he spends three months per year viewing films, going to festivals, and researching directors, and that "focusing on a few films is a deliberate choice and the result of this work."

Notable Productions

Coproduction Office has produced and/or sold films by the following directors, many from early in their careers:

Roy Andersson (Sweden): Songs from the Second Floor (2000, mid-budget, Cannes Special Jury Prize), You, the Living (2007, mid-budget, Cannes Un Certain Regard), A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014, mid-budget, Venice Golden Lion), About Endlessness (2019, mid-budget, Venice).

Ruben Ostlund (Sweden): The Square (2017, mid-budget, $2.2 million worldwide, Palme d'Or), Triangle of Sadness (2022, mid-budget, $26.6 million worldwide, Palme d'Or), The Entertainment System Is Down (upcoming). Plattform Produktion, founded by Ostlund and Erik Hemmendorff, produces the films.

Jessica Hausner (Austria): Lourdes (2009, low-budget, Venice), Amour Fou (2014, low-budget, Cannes Un Certain Regard), Little Joe (2019, mid-budget, Cannes competition), Club Zero (2023, mid-budget, Cannes competition).

Ulrich Seidl (Austria): Dog Days (2001, low-budget, Venice), Import Export (2007, low-budget), the Paradise trilogy (2012/13, low-to-mid-budget, Cannes competition and Venice).

Lars von Trier (Denmark): Europa (1991, mid-budget, Cannes Jury Prize), Breaking the Waves (1996, mid-budget, $7.4 million worldwide, Cannes Grand Jury Prize), The Kingdom (1994).

Other directors: Kornel Mundruczo (White God, 2014, mid-budget, Cannes Un Certain Regard), Cristi Puiu (Sieranevada, 2016, low-budget, Cannes competition), Michelangelo Frammartino (Le Quattro Volte, 2010, low-budget), Carlos Reygadas (Post Tenebras Lux, 2012, mid-budget, Cannes competition), Lou Ye, Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake, 2013, low-budget, Cannes Un Certain Regard), Bertrand Mandico, Takashi Miike, Shirin Neshat, John Skoog (Redoubt, upcoming, starring Denis Lavant), Julian Rosefeldt (Euphoria, featuring the voice of Cate Blanchett and starring Giancarlo Esposito).

The catalog also includes restored classics by Roberto Rossellini and the Konrad Wolf Collection, as well as the Marta Meszaros Collection.

House Style / Genre Focus

Coproduction Office builds its catalog around formally demanding auteur cinema with distinctive visual language. The company favors directors who develop a recognizable style across multiple films. Andersson's meticulously composed tableaux, Ostlund's social satire through precise framing, and Hausner's controlled observational tone all fit this pattern.

The company does not handle genre films, mainstream commercial cinema, or standard narrative features. Bober has stated that he spends three months per year viewing films and researching directors, and that "focusing on a few films is a deliberate choice." This selectivity defines the catalog more than any single genre.

Films in the catalog typically run 90 to 150 minutes, premiere at major festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno), and target arthouse distributors rather than mass-market platforms. The company will represent commercially challenging work that broader sales companies would not accept.

How They Typically Find Talent / Take Submissions

Coproduction Office does not accept open submissions. The company discovers talent through Philippe Bober's direct festival attendance and research. Bober has served as artistic director and programmer of the Sarajevo Film Festival's New Currents section since 1995, where he discovered early works by Andersson, Hausner, Seidl, and Ostlund.

The company builds long-term relationships with directors, often from their first or second feature, and maintains those relationships across decades. Bober views films at festivals year-round and contacts directors whose work aligns with the catalog's aesthetic.

For filmmakers seeking representation, the practical path runs through festival selection at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, or Locarno. Coproduction Office acquires completed films and also boards projects at the development stage with established directors. The company does not work through agents or managers for acquisition decisions.

Recent Output / Slate Year

Coproduction Office remained active at all major festivals through 2025 and 2026. The company had films at Cannes 2024, Cannes 2025, and Locarno 2025. Recent and upcoming titles include:

• Julian Rosefeldt's *Euphoria: A feature version of a 24-channel film installation about capitalist greed, featuring the voice of Cate Blanchett and starring Giancarlo Esposito. Sales launched at EFM (European Film Market). Blanchett reteams with Rosefeldt after Manifesto* (Sundance 2017).
• John Skoog's *Redoubt*: Debut feature starring Denis Lavant, produced by Plattform Produktion (Ruben Ostlund and Erik Hemmendorff's company). Co-producers include Film i Skane, Film i Vast, Sveriges Television, BCD Film, Paloma Productions, Lemming Film, Madants, and BUFO. Sales launched at Cannes.
• Ruben Ostlund's *The Entertainment System Is Down*: Upcoming ensemble satire from the two-time Palme d'Or winner, handled by Coproduction Office.

The company's films page lists the full catalog organized by director, country, festival selection, and collection.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Coproduction Office is highly selective, working primarily with directors who have established international festival profiles and whose work aligns with the company's auteur-focused identity. Bober has produced 32 films over nearly 40 years, averaging less than one film per year. This deliberate selectivity means the company is not a volume sales agent.

For established arthouse directors, Coproduction Office offers:

• Long-term producer relationships spanning multiple films and decades
• Production infrastructure across Berlin, Paris, and Copenhagen
• International sales to distributors in Europe, Asia, North America, and beyond
• Willingness to represent formally demanding and commercially challenging work that broader sales companies would not accept
• A curated catalog that provides context and prestige for each new title

For emerging filmmakers, the company's focus on established names means it typically does not serve as the appropriate first sales agent. However, studying the Coproduction Office catalog provides a clear picture of what sustained international arthouse careers look like, and the directors Bober has championed from early in their careers (Ostlund, Hausner, Andersson) demonstrate the company's model of long-term filmmaker development.

The company sells to distributors at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno, and EFM. Distributors value the catalog for overall artistic strength, with films that have individual and distinctive cinematic language.

For inquiries, contact Coproduction Office at sales@coproductionoffice.eu or +33 (0)1 56 02 60 00. The company is based at 24 rue Lamartine, 75009 Paris, France.

Key Data

Watch: Trailers & Behind the Scenes

See Also

For understanding how international sales work for auteur cinema, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across international territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For calculating break-even on international co-productions, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.