“For the first time, we are paying for a film which is number ten at the American box office this year. » Hubert de Torcy still can’t believe the “improbable” success of Sound of Freedom across the Atlantic. Record attendance for this film defended by Elon Musk or Donald Trump, which the distributor hopes to see replicated in France, where the film was released this Wednesday.
With this thriller panned by many critics, which is inspired by the controversial child rescue operations carried out by Tim Ballard, a Mormon, Saje distribution, Hubert de Torcy’s company, continues its conquest of cinemas, beyond screenings in the basements of Catholic churches and parish halls, its first audience. “Very clearly, it is a film which reaches a much wider audience than just the Christian audience,” explains Hubert de Torcy to 20 minutes. But the message of the film is essential: it is this sentence from Christ, what you did to the least of mine, you did to me. »
Conspiracists convinced that the film was not going to be released in France
The release of the film is accompanied by a scent of controversy: when the film was successful in the United States this summer, French Internet users then convinced themselves that the film would not be released in France, as it was too “disturbing” by its theme. , the portrayal of a Mormon who claims to save child victims of trafficking during spectacular operations. However, the film is showing in 215 theaters this Wednesday.
If there were a few months between these two releases, it was because we simply had to acquire the rights to distribute it in France, relates Hubert de Torcy, who saw the “rumors” on social networks. “There were some strange things, because there was even supposedly the Minister of Culture who said that the film would not arrive in France…”
“The real conspirators in the affair are the newspapers”
The distributor does not blame the people who relayed this type of message. Instead, he points the finger at the media: “For me, the real conspirators in this affair are the newspapers. I think that this type of rumor also arises from the treatment of the film in the United States, where the film was accused of conspiracy. The film doesn’t talk about anything mentioned in the articles. Such gap [écart] between what is written and what is reality makes people wonder: ”Why are the media telling us this?” And it feeds conspiracy.” The press especially reported the conspiratorial positions of the main actor .
In October, according to the American press, six women filed a complaint against Tim Ballard, whose story is fictionalized in the film. A situation which did not call into question the choice to distribute the film in France: “I don’t know any more than you about this situation,” explains Hubert de Torcy. I hope that American justice will clarify this. »
“I have always had faith”
In January, a previous film defended by Sage distribution, this time in co-production with Studio Canal, attracted criticism from historians. Win or die, the first film from the Puy du Fou park, focused on the wars in Vendée, a theme that is still mobilizing in certain Catholic circles. Two years ago, it was the broadcast on C8 ofUnplanned, a film that took “the point of view of anti-abortion activists,” which briefly highlighted Christian small business. The film was a flop.
Controversies that the distributor deplores: “There are outbreaks of media acne on films, often unfounded, at least from my point of view. »
The Christian faith has been the common thread of Hubert de Torcy and Saje since the beginning of the company, almost ten years ago. “I have always had faith,” confides this member of the Emmanuel community, one of whose missions is evangelization, that is to say the propagation of the Christian message in the world. Former journalist for Christian magazines and for the KTO channel, Hubert de Torcy had a “click” ten years ago. “I saw, from 2013-2014, lots of films being a hit on the American market, with a great cast, and no one was releasing them in France,” he remembers. I knew that I could activate networks in the Christian world, I have contacts in parishes. I tried my luck in 2014 with Cristeros, which made almost 100,000 entries with relatively few resources and very targeted communication. The film amazed everyone, especially theater operators, who saw an audience they did not usually see. »
Since then, the catalog of this broadcaster has been enriched with edifying works: lives of saints, popes, cartoons for children about Christmas, documentaries on priests… Its distribution will even draw from American evangelical Protestant productions. Isn’t this a paradox for a Catholic? “All the films that we distribute are not Catholic, but they are not contrary to the common faith of Christians,” argues Hubert de Torcy.
The company grew, working as a communications agency and making its network available in parishes for films like Stay a bit, where Gad Elmaleh recounts his discovery of the Christian faith. Saje also launched a VOD platform and is working on their next theatrical release, The Miracle Club, “an Irish comedy-drama, amusing and at the same time profound,” says Hubert de Torcy. Cinema, television, VOD, not all avenues are impenetrable for this HEC graduate.