When Séréna Zouaghi was named deputy mayor in charge of cinema for the French city Marseille in 2014, the local official knew she would have to pack her bags and hit the road. Though the coastal metropolis had always benefited from a healthy production infrastructure, and was second only to Paris as an industry hub, the newly named councilor intended to make her city a starry destination all on its own.
Starting in 2014, the city of Marseille began occupying its own promotional booth at the Cannes Film Market, next to, but separate from, booths for the regional and national production commissions. Zouaghi and her team built upwards from Cannes, and within two years started sending delegations to markets and international industry gatherings in Berlin, London and Paris.
“The proximity and diversity of our landscape is one of our most important assets,” Zouaghi explains. “Productions come to Marseille for our natural locations. They can shoot our coves and beaches, and within an hour be in the countryside, and an hour later be off in the mountains. The productions that come here don’t stay locked in the studio.”
Indeed, 2019 proved to be a banner year, as the city hosted 15 features, including the Matt Damon-led thriller “Stillwater.” Produced by Amblin and directed Tom McCarthy , the film was written with Marseille in mind and shot in town for almost three months this past autumn.