ALUMNI PORTRAIT 1

Tristan Desplechin

Promo #2

Project: Cinexperience

interviewed on 05/02/2024

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I'm Tristan Desplechin, CEO and co-founder of Dream Factory. We recreate the world of cult films IRL by combining live entertainment, technology and new narratives.

What prompted you to take part in the Futura Cinema incubation programme?

I knew some people who had taken the programme the previous year and they told me how dynamic it was, how it gave you the chance to meet a lot of people in the film world and to develop a project in an innovative/coaching environment. So I thought I'd give it a go! And the prospect of taking part in some of the biggest film festivals in France was also very appealing!

Did you have a project when you joined the programme? If so, how did the programme contribute to its development? 

Yes, my partners and I had an idea to bring Dream Factory to cinemas, in other words, to turn film screenings into a total experience!
The programme enabled us to meet people who had identified the same need and were looking for solutions to the same problem: getting people back into cinemas through events.

It also gave us the opportunity to shape the idea throughout the programme as we met a number of experts. The pitches at each stage also enabled us to formalise the progress we had made and identify any gaps.

Do you have a highlight to share from your incubator adventure?

I would say two. At the start of the programme, the moment when we created the team, because we came together on the same issue but with different visions/angles. It was a great moment of resonance!

The second was at the end of the programme, when we won the various prizes. It was great to see that the various stakeholders (institutions, associations, distributors, exhibitors, the public) were concerned by our problem and aligned on our solution to address it!

Today, has the project developed during the incubation year seen the light of day? What has it become?

Yes, we are supported in particular by Europa Cinemas via the ‘Collaborate to Innovate’ scheme, for which we submitted an application with the Cinéma de la Cité in Angoulême. We produced an initial Cinexpérience box on horror, which we deployed at the Cinéma de la Cité for Halloween, based on the film Night of the Living Dead. We also worked with Pathé on a Cinexperience around the release of the film The Three Musketeers: Milady. Other boxsets are in the pipeline, so stay tuned...