French production company Marvelous Productions and Greek outfit Kapa Studios are forming a cross-border partnership that kicks off with a feature film before expanding into television series and other projects.
The collaboration is set to be unveiled Thursday at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The two companies plan to develop and produce projects capable of traveling across European and international markets, while linking creative talent from France and Greece.
The inaugural project under the pact is "Nana," a period drama directed by Olivier Dahan. The filmmaker is known for biographical features such as "La Vie en Rose," which won Marion Cotillard an Academy Award for her portrayal of French chanteuse Edith Piaf, and "Simone: Woman of the Century," a biopic of Auschwitz survivor Simone Veil.
Adapted from the classic novel by Emile Zola, "Nana" is backed by France Television, Canal+ and the CNC, and is co-produced and distributed by ARP in France and internationally. Arthur Cohen of Momentum Entertainment brokered the deal and serves as executive producer.
Producers describe the film as a stepping stone toward a broader collaboration. Once the historical drama is complete, Marvelous Productions and Kapa Studios intend to develop a series together, with more film and television projects potentially following.
"We are very excited about the prospect of partnering with Kapa on 'Nana,' our flagship project," said Marvelous Productions founders Romain Le Grand and Vivien Aslanian. "Giannis and his team will help us strengthen the European and international dimension of our current and future productions."
"France and Greece have strong and distinctive filmmaking traditions, and there is an exciting opportunity to work with Romain and Vivien to combine power and bring those perspectives together while developing projects with international reach," added Giannis Karagiannis, producer and CEO of Kapa Studios.
The alliance will draw on Greece's rising profile as a production hub, fueled in part by the country's 40% cash rebate, along with the expanded facilities at Kapa Studios, which recently added two new 20,000-square-foot sound stages.
Le Grand and Aslanian launched Marvelous Productions in 2017 after spending 19 years together at the helm of Pathe. Since signing a first-look deal with Warner Bros., the company has produced or co-produced 15 films, among them Dahan's "Simone: Woman of the Century," one of the biggest hits at the French box office in 2022, and the biographical comedy "Bernadette," starring Catherine Deneuve, which earned a Cesar nomination in 2024. The company also produced "BDE," a comedy directed by Michael Youn, for Prime Video.
Kapa Studios brings more than 50 years of film industry experience and operates the largest sound stage facilities in Greece. The independent company's site includes 12 sound stages totaling 250,000 square feet across 25 acres, plus backlots, standing sets and 100,000 square feet of supporting space housing production offices, costume shops and workshops. The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs Nov. 5 through 15.
