Stephane Celerier Launches French Production Company, Gemma Pictures

Stephane Celerier, French film executive whose former banner, Mars Film, co-produced "La Famille Belier," is joining forces with PGS Entertainment to create a production company.  

Celerier is launching Gemma Pictures with Philippe and Guillaume Soutter, founders of PGS Entertainment, a family-owned business specializing in financing and licensing worldwide youth entertainment. 

The new Paris-based company will look to produce French- and English-speaking movies, TV series and TV movies, and is developing a slate of 10 projects with French and international talents. PGS Entertainment will fully finance the development of Gemma Pictures' roster over the next three years and will handle back office, while giving Celerier the full reins of the company.  

"After distributing so many wonderful films, I started having this strong desire to dedicate myself to producing movies that I love watching and we seldom make in France: films that are filled with emotions, feel-good and fresh, inspirational fairy tales about ordinary people like the Working Title movies I handled, 'Bridget Jones' Diary', 'Love Actually' and 'Billy Elliot,'" says Celerier. "I saw with the four movies that I produced that there is a large audience for these types of movies even if they are made outside of the U.S.” 

Celerier said getting together with Philippe and Guillaume Soutter, whom he's known for over 10 years, made sense because they share his "vision and are dedicated to the same goals." 

"We are complementary because we have a different expertise, and at the same time we share the same independent spirit and international ambition," say Philippe and Guillaume Soutter.  

Celerier said Gemma Pictures will look forward to working with a wide range of partners, from theatrical distributors to streamers and TV companies. Celerier will also be able to leverage the relationships he has forged with creatives, actors, agents and other industry players in France, the U.K. and the U.S. over the last two decades.