Our missions

Les Ménines supports cinematic creation in all its forms by placing creation at the heart of the production process.

We wish to support singular, demanding and audacious works that explore new relationships between narrative, image and sensory experience.

We seek to foster the emergence of new voices and perspectives from diverse cultures and territories; to encourage powerful initiatives ranging from “classical” narrative forms to hybrid and exploratory forms between fiction, documentary and experimentation; to offer a tailor-made production framework adapted to the artistic needs of each project; and to encourage the international circulation of films and dialogue between creators and their audiences.

Through this approach, Les Ménines affirms a form of production attentive to the aesthetic, political and sensory stakes of today’s cinema.

Our vision

Exercise of the gaze…
Les Ménines believes in a free, bold and plural cinema. We are open to all genres, without hierarchy, defending poetic, sensitive films close to reality as much as the most inventive fictions and formal experiments. We firmly affirm our commitment to genre cinema, a fertile ground where narrative reinvents itself and where the imaginary meets the political.

Experience of the gaze ...
Our vision rests on the conviction that production is not merely an economic mechanism, but a creative act: a space of dialogue between artists, producers, technicians and spectators, where each project finds the framework it needs in order to exist in its singularity.

Intimate school of the gaze ...
Through this approach, we seek to build the necessary bridges for the free emergence of new voices and to propose works that question our world as much as they transfigure it. We believe in a cinema that surprises, sometimes disturbs, but above all awakens the senses and thought, constantly exploring the potential of cinematic language.

Storytelling & Content

Bringing a film into existence, from idea to screen.
Shaping a memorable identity, writing content that circulates.

Above all, we listen to filmmakers in order to clarify the identity of the project. We set an editorial line and design meaningful audiovisual materials: pitch, teaser, EPK, capsules, press kit.

We work on the narrative, universe and form of cinematic works: clarifying intention, sharpening point of view, preparing materials that are readable by commissions, markets and festivals.

Dossiers & selections

unds, co-productions, pitch decks, markets, festival EPKs - stills, bio-filmographies, credits, technical sheets - team portraits, making-of, network capsules.

Launch & first looks

Cinema teaser/trailer, work-in-progress excerpts, press notes oriented toward critics and programmers, critical angle, premiere strategy by world and territories.

Writing & vision

Logline, synopsis, treatment, director’s note, breakdown, visual bible, mood reel, camera and sound tests. Identity and narrative, positioning, promise, language, voice and tone.

Mantorship

Support From the first idea or sensation to the cinema screen. Transforming a strong intention into an achievable and financed plan.
Strategic and creative guidance on key decisions regarding dramaturgy, financing and market calendar. We secure the critical path: feasibility, partners, schedule, legal matters.

Financing & co-production

Budget estimates, financing plans, applications to institutional, regional and international funds, co-production and rights-sharing agreements, insurance and chain of title.

Production preparation

Shooting plan, scouting, casting, crew agreements, key contracts, safety dossiers and data management.

Strategy & feasibility

Risk analysis, artistic and technical plan, macro-schedule: development, shooting, post-production, premieres.

Circulation Strategies

Maximising the film’s artistic lifespan and value.
From premiere to international sales, through platforms and cinemas.

Sales & rights

Sales agents and distributors, negotiations - minimum guarantees, windows, territories - buyer materials, deliverables compliance, revenue tracking and reporting.

Releases & audiences

Targeted theatrical releases, TV/SVOD/TVOD, events and mediation, press and influencer relations, impact plan through cine-clubs and affinity networks.

Festivals & markets

A/B mapping, premiere strategy - world, continent, country - programmer packaging, selection and awards follow-up, market calendar.

Technical Services

From rushes to masters
Controlled execution by senior teams and proven workflows.

Image post-production

Rushes review and organisation, offline/online editing, conforming, colour grading (HDR/SDR) light VFX, DCI/IMF masters, QC.

Sound post-production & deliverables

Sound design/foley, 5.1/Atmos mixing, stems and M&E, broadcaster standards, subtitles (Multlinguage and SDH files) PAH/metadata, LTO archiving.

Shooting

Agile crews, multi-camera setups, stage/live recordings, DIT and redundant backups, camera/sound reports.

The Team

Our strength lies in very different backgrounds, from architecture to computer science, literature, economics, law and philosophy. This diversity nourishes our gaze and allows us to approach each project with a singular method mobilising multidisciplinary skills.

Our team brings together sensibilities from several countries and continents, weaving a rich, competent and experienced international network. We collaborate closely with partners from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, convinced that a cinema truly looking at the world is forged through the encounter and interweaving of imaginaries and knowledge.

Tahar Kessi

Founder | Director, Production Manager, DoP, Editor and Software Architect

Soukaina Sentissi

Founder | Producer, Production Manager, Consultant

Tamara Binet

Production Officer, Film Project Coordinator

Pierre Agoutin

Chief Editor, Director, Production Collaborator

Why Les Ménines ?

We are not merely a “production company”: we support films that unfold an entire craft of the gaze; attempts to make films differently, closer to the intimate worlds and exploratory desires of filmmakers, and therefore also closer to diverse audiences throughout the world.

Strategic precision / Every decision is based on measurable objectives and a realistic timeline.

Active network / Programmers, sales agents, distributors, journalists, cultural partners: we activate the right relays at the right time.

Careful execution / Precise, revised deliverables, both technical and editorial, that facilitate support from commissions and programmers.

10+

15+

Works circulated, recognised or awarded…

People dedicated to each project, with the mobilisation of a whole network of skills when needed.