It’s been almost 240 years since France started its very first Revolution. But fear not, French TV producers still have what it takes to bring yet another one to modern fiction, blending hints of past, present, and future.

From Toronto-bound “Alice” recently boarded by SND to France Télévisions genre-bending thriller “Swapped” and Wild Bunch‘s latest adaptation of Stendhal’s classic “The Red and the Black,” premium Gallic period dramas are spearheading this year’s slate at the Unifrance Rendez-vous, set in the Normandy coastal town setting of Le Havre.

France TV Distribution (FTD), who sold the 2024 limited series “The Huguenots” to 29 territories (including a major partnership with HBO Max in France and Belgium) and brought “George: Untamed Spirit” to Mipcom the same year, is at the heart of this rising tide. “We’ve always been tied to period dramas,” says Julia Schulte, SVP International Sales. “and what we are now witnessing is a true comeback, a hunger for premium period dramas with high production value from distributors and buyers across Europe and beyond.”

Diana Bartha, Head of Sales & Acquisitions at Wild Bunch, shares this enthusiasm. “Historical fiction has always been a relatively safe and enduring proposition,” she adds. “It has a long shelf life, travels well across cultures, and connects with something universal: our appetite for storytelling and our fascination with the past. In an increasingly competitive distribution market, these qualities make historical fiction particularly attractive to producers and broadcasters.”

Matching this renewed interest, Schulte and her FTD teams bring “Swapped” to Le Havre. A gripping six-part limited series set in 1890s Paris, the show centers on Rose (Lula Cotton-Frapier), who leaves her rural home to become a wet nurse for a bourgeois family, hoping to give her own baby a better future.

“This female-led, character-driven series is both modern in its narrative approach and in its film making, bringing new life to French period drama with a truly powerful and empowering message,” adds Schulte. “Beyond Rose, our main protagonists Odette (Barbara Probst) and Hélène (Alexia Giordano) drive this thriller with grit and wit, giving ‘Swapped’ a fresh and up-to-date energy.”

It’s the same energy that drives HBO Max, France Télévisions’ high-end period drama “Alice: Pioneer of Cinema,” in which Oscar-nominee Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”) stars as Alice Guy, the very first female fiction filmmaker. Ahead of the Rendez-vous, SND picked up world sales of the six-part French-Canadian-Belgian production, and brings it to Le Havre along with the modern, military murder mystery and Series Mania winning show “R91.”

“Both series, while having almost nothing in common, share the most important thing in contemporary TV,” explains Alexis Reybet Degat, SND Head of TV Series & Library Distribution. “Each opens up a world never-before seen on screen (‘R91’ is a modern thriller set on a French nuclear aircraft carrier, ‘Alice’ tells the birth of cinema in France from a female perspective and unveils a universal story within it. Two premium dramas, ambitious yet accessible to global audiences.”

Wild Bunch, which produced “Alice,” also brings “The Red and the Black” to Unifrance Rendez-vous. A retelling of Stendhal’s classic, the series is part of the event’s highlights, and Bartha praises its modern edge. “Period dramas such as ‘The Knick,’ ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘The Gilded Age’ have been pioneering this idea of reinvention, and I do believe in our new generation of French fiction producers, bringing a fresh creative bold energy to the industry. They are reinventing established format aesthetics, taking creative risks, pushing boundaries and blending modern issues with French authenticity, all the while achieving real international success.”

With the right creative approach and formula, Bartha adds, these series can feel highly contemporary, sophisticated and relevant to today’s audiences.

If a high production value is mandatory to stand out in this very competitive landscape, all agree that French dramas also benefit from lower production costs. “In fact, in today’s economy, this has become our best weapon,” emphasizes Reybet Degat. “We produce high-end series with budgets far smaller, and in times where everyone is trying to reduce their costs, it’s a decisive advantage.”

Beyond this strength, French period dramas also benefit from eye-catching settings. “Being set in Paris, which is almost an IP on itself, ‘Swapped’ has already garnered some attention from European broadcasters for its instantly recognizable settings shown in a new light,” says Schulte.

But beyond the postcard looks, Reybet Degat warns: “French heritage travels only if it is supported by a true, universal narrative. ‘Alice’ isn’t just a story about a French globally renowned figure. It’s the struggle of a woman who fights to be considered equal. Heritage is the background. What we sell is what happens in it. For what makes a show stand out in this ever-so-crowded landscape is its production value, the finesse of its narrative, a unique story, and memorable characters.

For all three executives, these troubled times are filled with opportunities, if one knows where to look. “The need for quality entertainment hasn’t decreased,” hammers Schulte. “It all depends on what market, what genre you are looking at. Our national production landscape is evolving, but it’s still in much better shape than many of our neighboring countries thanks to a solid financing system. At FTD, our strategy has adapted to work synchronously with streamers, line broadcasters and European partners very early on, with a well-thought windowing strategy. Beyond that, getting our talents on the festival circuit is a great way to build awareness and stand out of the competition with our trademark French Touch.”

“French culture and our ‘art de vivre’ have always fascinated international consumers, be it across fashion, food, art or cinema,” concludes Bartha. “Fiction is simply another powerful expression of that cultural heritage, one that resonates far beyond France, and even the European continent.”