
AWARD-WINNING PROJECT: to produce Le Nègre et la Poupée by François Ozon, a love story between a young middle-class woman from Paris’ posh 16th arrondissement and a young illegal worker from Senegal
When he won a Special Prize from the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation, Olivier Delbosc was no newcomer to producing. After a Bac diploma in science, one year of medicine, a preparatory course for the HEC School of Management and three more years of studies between France and the United States, he ended up at the FEMIS audiovisual school in Paris. "That was when I established Fidélité Productions with another student, Marc Missonnier." When he chooses film projects, Olivier believes in the person who presents them above all, much more than in the subject. "Feeling like they need me, my artistic eye, my assistance – I like the Pygmalion side of my job. Every film is like a birth, and I know what I'm talking about, because my father is an obstetrician!" Olivier is proud of the wide divergence between his choices, as demonstrated by his project subsidized by the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation, François Ozon’s Le Nègre et la Poupée.
Achievements since winning the grant
In 1998, Olivier produced Sitcom, François Ozon’s first feature-length film, which was selected for Critics' Week in Cannes and won Best Actress and Best Photography awards at the Vancouver Film Festival.
In 1999, he produced François Ozon’s Les Amants Criminels, which was selected for the Venice Film Festival.
In 2000, he produced François Ozon’s Gouttes d’Eau Sur Pierre Brûlante, which was selected for the Berlin Film Festival, as well as Promenons-Nous Dans les Bois by Lionel Delplanque, which generated record sales abroad.
In 2001, thanks to François Ozon’s Sous le Sable, Fidélité Productions broke into the United States and participated in the Toronto, Rotterdam, San Sebastian, Namur and Acapulco film festivals. Un Jeu d’Enfants, the first feature-length film by Laurent Tuel, was selected for the Locarno and Acapulco film festivals.
In 2002, he produced La Maîtresse en Maillot de Bain by Lyèce Boukhitine and Samouraïs by Giordarno Gederlini. Huit Femmes by François Ozon won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2004, Fidélité Productions produced Podium, co-authored by Yann Moix (1996 Writer grant-winner) and Arthur Emmanuel Pierre (1996 TV Screenwriter grant-winner). Following this enormous success, five of the films produced by Fidélité Productions were released in theatres: Anthony Zimmer by Jérôme Salle, which racked up nearly 800,000 viewings in France; L’Avion by Cédric Kahn; Combien tu m’Aimes? by Bertrand Blier; Mensonge et Trahison et Plus Si Affinités by Laurent Tirard; and Le Temps Qui Reste by François Ozon, which was chosen for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section.
In 2006, several more films were released in theatres: Quatre Etoiles by Christian Vincent and Jean-Philippe by Laurent Tuel, as well as Mon Meilleur Ami by Patrice Leconte.
In 2007, releases included Molière by Laurent Tirard, Angel by François Ozon, and J’ai Toujours Rêvé d’Être Un Gangster by Samuel Benchetrit.