French production house Marvelous Productions and Greek studio operator Kapa Studios are pooling their film and television ambitions in a cross-border deal announced Thursday at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
The pact starts with Nana, Olivier Dahan’s period adaptation of Émile Zola’s novel. It comes with French support from France Télévision, Canal+ and the CNC; ARP co-produces and handles distribution in France and internationally. Arthur Cohen of Momentum Entertainment brokered the deal and is executive producer.
A slate, not a single film
Both companies frame Nana as the opening move. After the feature, they plan to develop a television series, with more film and TV projects likely to follow.
“We are very excited about the prospect of partnering with Kapa on Nana, our flagship project,” said Marvelous 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.”
Kapa Studios producer and CEO Giannis Karagiannis noted that France and Greece have “strong and distinctive filmmaking traditions” and an opportunity to bring those perspectives together for international reach.
Where the economics sit
Greece’s 40% cash rebate and Kapa’s expanded facilities are central to the pitch. Kapa recently added two new 20,000-square-foot sound stages to a site that already offers scale for international productions.
- 12 sound stages totalling 250,000 square feet across 25 acres
- 100,000 square feet of supporting production offices, costume shops and workshops
- Backlots and existing sets, plus what Kapa describes as the largest sound stage facilities in Greece
Marvelous, meanwhile, was launched in 2017 by Le Grand and Aslanian after 19 years at Pathé. It has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. and has produced or co-produced 15 films, including Dahan’s Simone: Woman of the Century, a 2022 French box office hit, and the César-nominated Bernadette starring Catherine Deneuve. It also produced BDE for Prime Video.
Why the model matters
This is not just two independent producers teaming up. It is a structure that pairs French IP and broadcaster finance with Greek incentive-backed studio capacity, then positions the slate for European and international buyers. For streamers and distributors, that means a pipeline with public funding already attached before the first frame is shot.
The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs November 5 to 15, giving the partnership an industry-stage debut before the market has to judge whether a single literary adaptation can become a repeatable cross-border pipeline.
Source: Variety
