Independent French Distributor Bac Films Acquired by HLM Conseil

Bac Films, a prominent independent French film distributor, has been sold to investment bank HLM Conseil. The company had been undergoing judicial administration since April 2025 following financial challenges.

The acquisition was finalized by a decision from the Paris Commercial Court. Jérémy Langlois, the head of HLM Conseil, stated his intention to "propose an optimized management solution for film catalogs." Beyond the 150 titles already acquired by Bac Films, HLM Conseil plans to purchase new catalogs and expand its operations through new mandates, co-distribution agreements, and the acquisition of additional film portfolios.

Bac Films, founded in 1986 by producer Jean Labadie, has a history of distributing critically acclaimed films. Recent releases include Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest," Jean-Baptiste Durand's "Chien de la casse," Nicolas Pariser's "Alice et le maire," and films by exiled Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov. The company has distributed over 550 films throughout its history.

Farid Fatah, the group's counsel, described the judicial administration leading to this sale as a "significant step for the independent cinema industry, in a year particularly dense in terms of corporate failures." Bac Films was once part of the Vivendi group before being listed on the stock exchange in 2000 as Bac Majestic. It later became an independent entity under its current name after being acquired by producer David Grumbach in 2013.