CODA, Pathé, and Vendôme Team Up to Launch Emotion Pictures for English-Language Films

Pathé, Merit France, and Vendôme Pictures Launch Emotion Pictures

Pathé and Merit France have joined forces with Vendôme Pictures to establish Emotion Pictures, a new production and finance company aimed at creating English-language films with broad appeal.

The newly formed company plans to develop, acquire, fully finance, and produce a range of films, which Pathé will distribute theatrically in France, Switzerland, and Benelux.

“Emotion Pictures will be the home for filmmakers to tell original, commercial, and universally resonant stories. Films the studios used to make in the 80s and 90s, which audiences around the world are craving, and that have become far too rare today,” stated Philippe Rousselet, founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Vendôme Pictures.

He emphasized that this partnership strengthens the long-standing relationship between Vendôme and Pathé, which is led by Jérôme Seydoux. The collaboration also involves French-Lebanese logistics tycoon Rodolphe Saadé, whose family holding company, Merit France, acquired a 20% stake in Pathé in May 2025.

Pathé and Vendôme’s previous collaborations include the Academy Award-winning film CODA and Morten Tyldum’s upcoming film Ibelin, which began principal photography in Oslo this month.

“Vendôme and Philippe Rousselet have been exceptional partners — our work together, from CODA to Ibelin, highlights what’s achievable when shared values meet shared ambition. Pathé has always championed audience-first storytelling without compromising on excellence, and Emotion Pictures is the natural expression of that conviction,” commented Ardavan Safaee, President of Pathé.

Safaee added, “Together with Vendôme and Merit France, we will support original, character-driven films made for the big screen — stories that deliver ambition, craft, and emotion on a global scale. Films that make hearts beat.”

Pathé will showcase its commitment to storytelling at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, featuring a slate that includes three films in competition: Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, and Arthur Harari’s The Unknown, along with Guillaume Canet’s Karma and Antonin Baudry’s De Gaulle.