Federation & Empreinte launch Middle East, Africa & Caribbean production firm

Joachim Landau

France’s Federation Studios and its Empreinte Digitale label have formed Federation MEAC, a new subsidiary dedicated to content from to the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean, as the group continues to expand.

Federation MEAC will work with and connect talents from these territories, both locally and internationally, via productions and co-productions to “help put their creativity on the global map.”

The firm will be led and has been created by co-founding chairman Joachim Landau, a producer of documentaries, unscripted programs and series for Empreinte Digitale. The company is another member of the Federation Studios group, and is known for shows including Infiniti on Canal+, Parallels on Disney+ and The 7 Lives of Lea on Netflix.

About 15 projects are being developed at Federation MEAC, the moment, including streamed feature films and documentaries, and fiction series, across romantic comedies, thriller and action genres.

The launch of the new subsidiary comes amid recent expansion for the Pascal Breton-led Federation Studios (fka Federation Entertainment), with the company having acquired local March Of The Penguins firm Bonne Pioche in January and more recently UK-based Britannia and Bulletproof producer, Vertigo Films in September.

Landua, who joined joining Empreinte Digitale in 2014, co-created and is currently producing South African series Spinners for Canal+ and Showmax, in co-production with Natives at Large. He will be assisted at Federation MEAC, by Manuela Cassuto, who will serve as head of development, responsible for sourcing projects and taking them all the way to production.

Lionel Uzan, managing director of Federation Studios, and Raphaël Rocher, managing director of Empreinte Digitale, will also join the board alongside Landau.

“The audiovisual market in the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean is expanding fast, with a plethora of excellent writers, directors, actors and producers,” said Landau. “Their inventiveness and energy reflect those of Federation so much so that we just had to be present in these markets. We aim to help them grow internationally and to create synergies with our group, by sharing its formats, for example.’’