Films à Cinq is the combination of two producers, Sally Blake and Martin de la Fouchardière and the fusion of two cultures – Anglo and French. This linguistic combination has led to a long history of co-productions between French and English-speaking countries. Our films about science and the environment, cinema and art, continually push for experimentation and excellence. Our work has been nominated for Emmys, selected at Cannes, appeared on major television networks around the world and been released in cinema across North America.

 

Recent films include: The Secret History of Writing, a globe spanning history of writing and how it shaped human civilizations (ARTE, BBC, PBS) Reef Rescue, following the urgent quest of scientists to buy time for the world’s coral reefs (Vulcan Productions, ARTE and CBC – Winner, Jackson Wild Media Awards), and Kingdom of the North one man’s odyssey to follow polar bears over the course of a year in Canada’s Hudson Bay (France 3, National Geographic Wild, CBC).

 

Previous films include: The Messenger about the vertiginous decline of songbirds, which premiered at Hot Docs and was released cinematically throughout Canada and the US (Netflix, ARTE, CBC, Canal D, winner Best Conservation Film at Jackson Wild, Buffon prize at Parisciences); Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum in co-production with Magnum Photos that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival (ARTE, BBC, TMC, Canal+); The Shadow of Gold, an investigation into the catastrophic environmental and human rights impacts of this precious metal, (ARTE, TVO, SVT, Canadian cinema release); Licence to Krill a scientific adventure into Antarctica on the trail of the little known keystone species – krill, which premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fest and won Best Science Film at Jackson Wild(ARTE/PBS Nova); Beauty and Ruin about the Detroit Institute of Arts during Detroit’s near collapse (ARTE, AVRO, Superchannel, premier FIFA, official selection Austin Film Festival) and The Real History of H.I.P.H.O.P. about the world’s first hip-hop television show and the first time a person of colour appeared as a presenter on French TV (ARTE Creative).

 

Coming up soon : The second greatest rock concert of all time (Bell Media, Crave, ARTE), The Hidden Palace of the French Kings (France 5).

SALLY BLAKE

— PRODUCER

A Canadian living in France, Sally has worked both sides of the Atlantic as a creator and producer of documentary films and series for both television and the cinema. It all began with hunky heroes in pink tights, when Sally co-produced the international award winning film Hitman Hart : wrestling with shadows about the bizarre world of professional wrestling. From dropkicks to evangelical pop stars, cat ladies, ‘peep culture’ and spam, Sally has produced, directed and edited scores of documentaries since then and continues to look for intriguing stories in unusual places.

MARTIN DE LA FOUCHARDIÈRE

— PRODUCER

Producer Martin de la Fouchardière has been making documentary films for the past fifteen years, starting off as the production manager of the Emmy nominated Four Wings and a Prayer, the Cannes Film Festival feature doc Two in the Wave and the docu-drama Charles Darwin’s Grand Voyage. He has produced numerous international co-productions, notably the feature length docu-drama Hitler’s Museum which sold to over 42 countries worldwide, civilisations films such as The Emperor’s Lost Harbour, Naachtun, the forgotten Mayan City and the 3 episodes series coproduced with ARTE, PBS/NOVA and BBC4 The Secret History of Writing/How writing changed the world and a scientific expedition Licence to Krill that won Best Science Film at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. Martin de la Fouchardière is a flamenco aficionado, runs the Marathon in 3h 46 minutes and 12 seconds, when in top shape, and has his own poached eggs recipes.

RÉBECCA HAGÈGE

— PRODUCTION MANAGER

After completing her studies at Sciences Po Bordeaux in 2013, Rebecca joined the Films à Cinq team as a production and post production coordinator. Whether it’s booking shoots with New York photographers or Turkish songbirds, negotiating in English or seducing in Spanish, organizing trips in Guatemalan helicopters or on German icebreakers, in Honduran huts or Californian motels, Rébecca raises to the challenge of international productions on a daily basis.