Adastra Films
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production and distribution |
| Founded | March 2008 |
| Founder | Sébastien Aubert, David Guiraud |
| Headquarters | Cannes , France |
Area served | France, International |
Key people | Sébastien Aubert, David Guiraud |
| Products | Feature films, short films, film distribution |
Adastra Films is a film production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Cannes, France. Established in March 2008 by Sébastien Aubert and David Guiraud, the company collaborates with both French and international filmmakers to create diverse cinematic works.
History
The company's portfolio includes a collection of acclaimed short films such as The Strange Ones and Social Butterfly, which have been showcased at prestigious festivals like Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest (SXSW), Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. These titles are regularly aired on prominent national broadcasters including Canal+, France 2, France 3, and RTP2.
Adastra Films ventured into feature-length productions in 2014 with the film Brides (2014 film), which was selected for the Panorama Section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. This screening placed the film alongside works by renowned directors such as Michel Gondry and Tsai Ming-liang. That year, the company was honored with France Télévisions’ Award for Best Emerging Producer. In 2015, during the Cannes Film Festival, Adastra was recognized by Screen Daily as one of the "Future Leaders: Producers."
The company's second feature, The Strange Ones, a French-American collaboration starring Alex Pettyfer and James Jackson-Freedson, earned the Jury Prize at the 2017 Champs-Élysées Film Festival and was featured at SXSW, where Jackson-Freedson received the Best Breakthrough Performance award.
Following the positive reception of the short film Domingo at the 2015 Biarritz Film Festival, Adastra supported its expansion into a feature-length project filmed in a Guadalajara favela. Backed by independent financiers, post-production took place at Label 42 studio in Marseille. The completed film debuted at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, won the Made in Jalisco award at Guadalajara International Film Festival, and secured distribution agreements with Samuel Goldwyn Films for the US market and Picture Tree International internationally. It was added to Tubi’s streaming platform in September 2021.
In August 2020, production commenced on Heartbeast, the first feature from Finnish director Aino Suni. This co-production involving France, Germany, and Finland had a budget of €1.3 million. The film premiered at the 2022 Göteborg International Film Festival and garnered four nominations at the 2023 Jussi Awards, winning accolades for Best Cinematography and Best Music.
September 2023 saw the release of LaRoy, Texas, produced by Adastra and directed by Shane Atkinson. Filmed in New Mexico with a $2 million budget, it received multiple honors at the Deauville American Film Festival including Grand Prize, Audience Award, and Critics' Award. Featuring performances by John Magaro, Steve Zahn, and Dylan Baker, it was distributed in French cinemas in April 2024 where it attracted over 67,000 viewers within its first nine weeks.
At the close of 2023, filming concluded on In the Name of Blood, directed by Franco-Georgian filmmaker Akaki Popkhadze in Nice. With a production budget of €3 million, this Adastra-backed project stars Nicolas Duvauchelle, Denis Lavant, and Finnegan Oldfield. The film premiered at the September 2024 San Sebastian International Film Festival and is slated for French theatrical release on January 8, 2025.
Feature films
- 2014: Brides, helmed by Tinatin Kajrishvili
- 2017: The Strange Ones, directed by Christopher Radcliff alongside Lauren Wolkstein
- 2020: Domingo, under the direction of Raul Lopez Echeverria
- 2022: Heartbeast, crafted by director Aino Suni
- 2024: LaRoy, Texas, directed by Shane Atkinson
- 2025: In the Name of Blood, directed by Akaki Popkhadze
Short films
- 2008: Le tonneau des Danaïdes, directed by David Guiraud
- 2010: I am Agha, a work by Muhammard Umar Saeed
- 2010: Jour 0, directed by Vincent Diderot
- 2011: Deux inconnus, a collaboration between Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein
- 2011: Le nid, directed by Tornike Bziava
- 2012: Black Mulberry, created by Gabriel Razmadze
- 2013: Social Butterfly, directed by Lauren Wolkstein
- 2013: L'assistante, under the direction of David Guiraud
- 2014: Jonathan's Chest, directed by Christopher Radcliff
- 2015: Mine de rien, a film by Grzegorz Jaroszuk
- 2015: H recherche F, directed by Marina Moshkova
- 2016: Maxiplace, helmed by Vincent Diderot
- 2016: En proie, directed by David Guiraud
- 2018: The Ambassador, a project led by Shane Atkinson
- 2022: Out of the Fog, directed by Tigrane Minassian
Short Film Distribution
- 2015 : Domingo from Raúl López Echeverría (Mexico)
- 2015 : Pitter Patter, Goes My Heart directed by Christoph Rainer (Austria, Germany, USA)
- 2015 : Two Sisters under Keola Racela's direction (United States)
- 2015 : Jackie created by Giedrius Tamoševičius (Lithuania)
- 2015 : Midland directed by Oliver Bernsen (United States)
- 2014 : Beach Flags from Sarah Saïdan (Iran/France)
- 2013 : La Fugue helmed by Jean-Bernard Marlin (France)
- 2012 : Penny Dreadful directed by Shane Atkinson (United States)
- 2012 : Bad Toys 2 co-directed by Daniel Brunet & Nicolas Douste (France)
- 2012 : Frozen Stories created by Grzegorz Jaroszuk (Poland)
- 2012 : Wolf Carver from Aino Suni (Finland)
- 2010 : Tasnim directed by Elite Zexer (Israel)
- 2010 : The April Chill helmed by Tornike Bziava (Georgia)
- 2009 : Helpless under Li Yang's direction (China)
- 2009 : Cigarette Candy created by Lauren Wolkstein (United States)
- 2009 : Ma Poubelle Géante directed by Uda Benyamina (France)
- 2009 : La Révélation from Vincent Diderot (France)
Awards and selections
| 2009 : In Scale (also known as V Mashtabe) |
|---|
Accumulated more than 20 awards including:
- GOLDEN FISH at VauFest International Video Art & Short Film Festival
- Best animation film at PLANETE DOC FILM FESTIVAL
- Special Jury Award and RTP2 Award at CINANIMA Film Festival
- Best animation prize at Sapporo International Short Film Festival
Selected over 80 times including:
- Festival International du court-métrage de Lille
- Tofifest International Film Festival
- Alpinale Short Film Festival Nenzing
| 2011 : The Strange Ones (also known as Deux Inconnus) |
|---|
In the year 2013, it was nominated for the "Lutins du court métrage," a French accolade recognizing best fiction. It ranked among the top seventeen French fiction films that year.
Received over 20 awards such as:
- Best short film and "Golden Starfish Prize" at Hamptons International Film Festival
- Best fiction short at Atlanta Film Festival (Oscar qualifying)
- Special Jury Award at Filmets - Badalona Film Festival
- Revelation Award at Brest European Short Film Festival
Chosen more than a hundred times including:
- World premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, established by Robert Redford
- Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
- South by Southwest
- Melbourne International Film Festival
- Chicago International Film Festival
- San Francisco International Film Festival
- Woodstock Film Festival
Television Broadcasts:
- France 2 "Histoires Courtes"
| 2012 : Black Mulberry (also known as Shavi Tuta) |
|---|
Honors received:
- Grand Jury Mention at Festival du court métrage en plein air de Grenoble
Selected in over thirty festivals including:
- Sundance Film Festival
- Uppsala (Out of Competition)
- Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
- Short Shorts Film Festival
- Cork Film Festival
- Rhode Island International Film Festival
- Festival Côté Court
- IFF Molodist
- Odense International Film Festival
| 2012 : Social Butterfly |
|---|
Awards won:
- Best short fiction film at Oak Cliff Film Festival
- Best short film at Victoria TX Independent Film Festival
More than thirty selections including:
- World premiere in 2013 at Sundance Film Festival
- South by Southwest (SXSW)
- Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
- Atlanta Film Festival
- Curtas Vila do Conde
- Independent Film Festival of Boston
- Maryland Film Festival
| 2014 : Jonathan's Chest |
|---|
Initial selection:
- World premiere in 2014 at the Sundance Film Festival
| 2022 : Out of the Fog |
|---|
Selected over twenty times:
- World Premiere in 2022 at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
TV Broadcasts:
- France 2 "Histoires Courtes"
| 2022 : Heartbeast |
|---|
Awards received:
- Best Cinematography and Best Music honors in 2023 at the Jussi Awards
| 2024 : LaRoy, Texas |
|---|
Accolades awarded:
- Grand Special Prize, Audience Award, and Critics Award in 2023 at the Deauville American Film Festival
- World Premiere held in 2023 at the Tribeca Film Festival
Advertising and video clips
Films 06, a video and advertising agency operating under Adastra Films, created the 2015 music video Jeune fille trois étoiles for JB Dunckel of the band Air. The production took place at Villa Domergue in Cannes, utilizing 360° filming techniques to enable virtual reality experiences.
In 2021, Films 06 was tasked by Xiaomi to promote the Xiaomi Mi11 smartphone through a 25-minute feature titled Le futur en avant-première, which was recorded at the Museum of Asian Arts in Nice. The promotional video garnered more than 3 million views within its initial week of release.
Awards and accolades for Cannes 360
In 2018, Films 06 created the Cannes 360 application for the Palais des Festivals and the City Hall of Cannes, offering users immersive virtual tours of both the Palais and the historic district of Cannes through 360° video technology.
This pioneering tourism app received the Regional Prize '10,000 Startups to Change the World' from BNP and La Tribune, along with the Silver Dolphin award at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.