Les Valseurs
French film production and distribution company known for internationally recognized short films, animation, documentaries, and selected feature-film releases.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Les Valseurs is a French film production and distribution company established in Paris in 2013 by Damien Megherbi and Justin Pechberty. The company operates primarily in the short-film and independent cinema ecosystem, developing and producing live-action, animation, and documentary projects while also distributing selected films. Its catalogue is strongly connected to international festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Locarno, Toronto, and other specialist events. The company became particularly visible through a series of award-winning short films. Ayce Kartal's animated film Wicked Girl, released in 2017, won the National Grand Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2018 and the César Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2019. The recognition was notable because the Clermont-Ferrand prize was the first National Grand Prize awarded to an animated short since the festival's early history. Les Valseurs also produced Yves Piat's Nefta Football Club, which received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2020. In 2019, the company was associated with further festival success through Qiu Yang's She Runs, which received the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film at Cannes Critics' Week. Les Valseurs' production activity spans works by filmmakers from France and other countries. Its live-action credits include Meninas Formicida by João Paulo Miranda Maria, Nefta Football Club by Yves Piat, La Muerte de un Perro by Matías Ganz, Fendas by Carlos Segundo, She Runs by Qiu Yang, The Diver by Michael Leonard and Jamie Helmer, Sideral by Carlos Segundo, Big Bang by Carlos Segundo, Aunque es de noche by Guillermo García López, and Sem Coraçao by Nara Normande and Tião. The company has also supported animation by filmmakers including Ayce Kartal, Nara Normande, Weijia Ma, Théophile Gibaud, and others, as well as documentary work such as Midnight Ramblers, Après Ta Révolte, Ton Vote, and My Quarantine Bear. Alongside production, Les Valseurs has acted as a distributor for independent cinema. Its distribution activity has included Boris Khlebnikov's Arrhythmia, Eugène Green's Faire la parole, and Sarah Marx's feature debut K Contraire. This combination of production and distribution allows the company to participate in the full circulation of festival-oriented films, from development and financing through premieres, awards, and wider release. The company's positioning is that of a small, internationally oriented independent producer and distributor focused on distinctive director-led cinema. Its catalogue emphasizes formally ambitious shorts, emerging filmmakers, cross-border collaboration, animation, and projects with strong festival potential. Publicly documented milestones include the 2019 France Télévisions Jeune Producteur award, the César win for Wicked Girl, and the Academy Award nomination for Nefta Football Club. Sideral, directed by Carlos Segundo and produced by Les Valseurs, was shortlisted in December 2022 for the 95th Academy Awards in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
History
Les Valseurs was founded in Paris in 2013 by producers Damien Megherbi and Justin Pechberty. From the beginning, the company developed a profile around short-form and independent cinema rather than a conventional commercial studio model. Its activities combine production, co-production, project development, and distribution, with a catalogue that includes live-action films, animation, documentaries, and selected features. The company's early production activity included work by filmmakers from France and abroad. Meninas Formicida, directed by João Paulo Miranda Maria, premiered at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival. In the same period, Les Valseurs distributed or supported circulation for films such as Eugène Green's Faire la parole and Boris Khlebnikov's Arrhythmia. Its involvement in both production and distribution positioned the company within the festival and arthouse networks that are central to the international independent-film economy. A major breakthrough came with Ayce Kartal's animated short Wicked Girl. The film received the National Grand Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in February 2018. It subsequently won the César Award for Best Animated Short Film in February 2019. The Clermont-Ferrand result was historically notable because it was described as the first time an animated short had received that national grand prize since the festival's beginnings. Wicked Girl helped establish Les Valseurs as a significant producer of ambitious animated shorts as well as live-action work. The company continued its festival activity in 2019. Qiu Yang's She Runs won the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film at Cannes Critics' Week. Other productions from this period included Nefta Football Club by Yves Piat, La Muerte de un Perro by Matías Ganz, Fendas by Carlos Segundo, and The Diver by Michael Leonard and Jamie Helmer. Les Valseurs also received the France Télévisions Jeune Producteur award in September 2019, a recognition of its status as an emerging production company. Nefta Football Club became another major international milestone. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in January 2020. The company expanded its animation and documentary activity during the same period, with projects including Guaxuma, Step into the River, I Gotta Look Good for the Apocalypse, Midnight Ramblers, and Après Ta Révolte, Ton Vote. Its feature-distribution activity also included Sarah Marx's K Contraire, released in January 2020. During the early 2020s, Les Valseurs continued to work with filmmakers across different countries and formats. Carlos Segundo's Sideral premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was shortlisted in December 2022 for the 95th Academy Awards in the Best Live Action Short Film category. Segundo also directed Big Bang, which premiered at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival and received the Pardino d'Oro. Other festival-oriented projects included The Melting Creatures by Diego Céspedes, Aunque es de noche by Guillermo García López, and Sem Coraçao by Nara Normande and Tião. The company's animation and documentary slate has remained complementary to its live-action work. Animation projects have included Rules of Success, the collective production Animal Tales of Christmas Magic, and development projects such as Les Décentrés and The Day I Smoked a Cigarette with My Dad. Documentary and non-fiction projects have included My Quarantine Bear, Los Nombres Propios, The Syrians, Avec Naomie, and Targuia. Overall, Les Valseurs has developed a recognizable identity as a French independent company that supports emerging and international filmmakers, places substantial emphasis on short films, and uses festival recognition as an important route to visibility and distribution. Its public record is characterized by awards, premieres, and nominations rather than large-scale commercial production or corporate expansion.
- 2022
Sideral reaches the Academy shortlist
[1]Sideral is shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
- 2021
Sideral premieres at Cannes
[1]Carlos Segundo's Sideral premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.
- 2020
Nefta Football Club receives an Oscar nomination
[1]The Yves Piat short is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
- 2019
Wicked Girl wins the César
[1]Wicked Girl receives the César Award for Best Animated Short Film.
- 2019
She Runs wins at Cannes Critics' Week
[1]She Runs receives the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film.
- 2019
France Télévisions recognizes the company
[1]Les Valseurs receives the Jeune Producteur award from France Télévisions.
- 2018
Wicked Girl wins at Clermont-Ferrand
[1]Ayce Kartal's Wicked Girl receives the National Grand Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
- 2017
Early festival and distribution activity
[1]Meninas Formicida premieres at the Venice International Film Festival, while the company distributes selected independent films including Faire la parole.
- 2013
Company founded in Paris
[1]Damien Megherbi and Justin Pechberty establish Les Valseurs as a French production and distribution company.
Products and positioning
Independent, director-led French production and distribution focused on artistically distinctive short films, animation, documentaries, and international festival cinema.
Animated short film · 2017
Wicked Girl
Directed by Ayce Kartal, Wicked Girl is an animated short produced by Les Valseurs. Its festival and awards trajectory, including the Clermont-Ferrand National Grand Prize and the César for Best Animated Short Film, made it one of the company's defining productions.
Live-action short film · 2018
Nefta Football Club
Yves Piat's live-action short was produced by Les Valseurs and became one of the company's most internationally visible projects after receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Live-action short film · 2021
Sideral
Directed by Carlos Segundo, Sideral premiered at Cannes in 2021 and was later shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards. It represents Les Valseurs' continuing focus on auteur-led international short films.
Live-action short film · 2019
She Runs
Qiu Yang's She Runs was produced by Les Valseurs and recognized at Cannes Critics' Week, where it won the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film.
Live-action short film · 2022
Big Bang
Carlos Segundo's Big Bang premiered at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival and received the Pardino d'Oro, extending the company's collaboration with the filmmaker.
Feature-film distribution · 2018
Arrhythmia
Les Valseurs distributed Boris Khlebnikov's feature film Arrhythmia as part of its activity in independent and arthouse cinema.
Feature-film distribution · 2020
K Contraire
Sarah Marx's first feature film was among the independent productions distributed by Les Valseurs, with a French release in January 2020.
Brand decisions
2013
Adopt a production-and-distribution modelStrategyBackground
At its creation, Les Valseurs entered the independent-film market as both a producer and distributor rather than limiting itself to a single film format.
Action taken
The company developed original live-action, animation, and documentary projects while distributing selected independent features and other films.
Aftermath
This model supported a festival-centered catalogue and enabled the company to participate in both film creation and circulation.
Sources2 sources
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