French TV Export Awards Celebrate Cozy Crime Hit ‘Bright Minds’ and Notre-Dame Documentary Insights
The French cozy crime drama Bright Minds, also known as Astrid et Raphaëlle, along with a documentary detailing the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, received top honors at this year’s France TV Export Awards.
French producers and distributors are gaining recognition globally for their cozy crime shows, a sub-genre that has become popular with international buyers. These series appeal to broad audiences with their non-edgy narratives and episodic formats. Among the notable titles in this category are Gaumont’s L’Art Du Crime, Federation International’s Tropiques Criminels, and TF1’s High Intellectual Potential. However, it was Bright Minds that clinched the award for drama, with France TV Distribution managing its international sales.
The Export Awards, organized by industry organization Unifrance, saw its President Gilles Pélisson and Director of Audiovisual Sarah Hemar present the awards during a ceremony held in conjunction with the French TV Producer Awards.
In the documentary category, the Terranoa-distributed film Notre-Dame Reborn also took home an award. Filmed from 2020 to 2024, this documentary captures the extensive effort involved in restoring Notre-Dame Cathedral after the devastating fire in 2019.
While France has historically excelled in international animation sales, recent figures indicate a decline in this area. Nevertheless, the Studio Hari-distributed series Mystery Lane stood out in the animation category, earning an export award this year.
The titles nominated for the Export Awards are selected through a voting process by international buyers at Unifrance’s annual Rendez-Vous market in Le Havre. The Producer Awards ceremony took place at the Trianon, an iconic concert hall in Paris.
