Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton to Receive Variety’s International Visionary Award
Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton is set to receive Variety’s International Visionary Award at the Cannes Film Festival where the company will have multiple films playing across the Official Selection.
The award will pay tribute to Capton’s trailblazing track record at the helm of Mediawan, the company he founded with investment banker Mathieu Pigasse and telecom billionaire Xavier Niel in late 2015. Mediawan is now a global production powerhouse encompassing more than 85 labels around the world, having just announced its acquisition of Leonine, a leading German distribution-production company.
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The combined group comprises Brad Pitt’s Plan B (“Bob Marley: One Love”) in the U.S., France’s On Entertainment (“Miraculous”), Hugo Selignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi (“Beating Hearts”), Dimitri Rassam’s Chapter 2 (“Limonov, the Ballad of Eddie”), Italy’s Palomar (“The Count of Monte Cristo”), as well as Drama Republic and Misfits Entertainment (“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”) in the U.K and Wiedemann & Berg Film (“The Lives Of Others”) and BeetzBros Film Production (“Eternal You”) in German-speaking territories. Mediawan also has a partnership with Florian Zeller and Federica Sainte-Rose’s Blue Morning Pictures in Los Angeles.
This year marks a milestone for Mediawan which boasts five titles in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival — two movies in competition, Gilles Lellouche’s “Beating Hearts” and Kirill Serebrenikov’s “Limonov, The Ballad of Eddie,” in addition to the opening night title, Quentin Dupieux’s “The Second Act,” and Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s “The Count of Monte Cristo” playing out of competition, as well as Julien Colonna’s “Le royaume” at Un Certain Regard. The group also has Leonardo Van Dijl’s Critics Week title “Julie Keeps Quiet” which is executive produced by Blue Morning Pictures,
Capton, who started out as an indie producer, still runs his vehicle Troisième Œil Productions which is behind some of France’s most popular talk shows, including C à vous. The self-made entrepreneur works closely with Elisabeth d’Arvieu, a well-respected and seasoned executive who joined the company almost four years ago as managing director of Mediawan Pictures, comprising all group’s film, animation and international banners.
“Pierre-Antoine Capton’s direction and vision have transformed Mediawan into one of the world’s leading production companies,” says Michelle Sobrino, CEO and Variety Group Publisher. “Mediawan’s artistic and commercial success continues with their large Cannes Film Festival presence this year, as well as the international achievements of franchises like ‘Miraculous’ and ‘Call My Agent!’ and box office wins for movies like ‘Bob Marley: One Love.'”
During a wide-ranging interview with Variety on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, Capton said he’s “always been guided and passionate about content.” “It’s the focus that has set Mediawan and my productions companies apart. We’re not guided by finance nor investor-dictated strategies,” says Capton.
Variety will present the award to Capton at an exclusive event hosted during the Cannes Film Festival, on May 16.
Capton was named Knight of the Legion of Honor by French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony held at the Elysée Palace in Paris in October.
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