Duanjo" moved across the ocean and had a new story in Europe.
Xinhua News Agency, Paris, November 9 (Reporters Zhang Baihui, Qiao Benxiao, Wu Aoxue) At the 2026 China-EU Short Micro-Drama Summit held recently in Paris, France, French audio-visual producer Guillaume Sangeorges demonstrated the micro-short drama application developed by Duanju to the China-Europe public, and paid for China-Europe: Honoring China, promoting the development of the micro-short drama industry, and showing the innovation and Chinese stamp of this emerging industry.
"If cinema was invented in France, then short micro-dramas were invented in China." Sangeorge said micro-short dramas are now widely known thanks to China. "China not only developed this form, but also made it visible to more people, systematically built it and made it commercially profitable."
Each episode lasts only a few minutes, the plot is compact, and it mainly uses a vertical screen format The short micro-dramas that were very popular in China are now increasingly attracting European audiences. According to the French newspaper Hed, several micro-drama apps made the list of the most popular apps downloaded in France this summer. In July of this year, subscriptions and in-app purchases for the French micro-drama app reportedly surpassed $5 million, setting a record.
The popularity of short micro-dramas has also expanded from the audience's mobile screens to the European film and television industry. The rapidly expanding market has made practitioners pay more attention to this new format. In March this year, at the TV Drama Festival held in Lille, France, the rise of short micro-dramas in China and the United States became a hot topic in the industry, and practitioners expect this craze to sweep Europe. In October, the Cannes Film Festival in France not only established a special agenda for short micro dramas and vertical screen content, but also specially arranged business docking activities between producers and content buyers.
Saint-Georges is one of the first French film and television personalities to dedicate himself to creating short dramas on a vertical screen. He started producing and uploading short films in 2007, and since then has gradually focused on online drama content. In 2023, he began producing vertical screen series for social media, but this did not bring enough income to support subsequent works. When looking for an outlet, he discovered that an app platform specializing in short vertical screen dramas was emerging in China, so he took the initiative to contact it and create a collaboration.
This experience was considered by Sangeorge as "the first real step into the world of micro-short dramas". In addition to his joy, he has a deeper understanding of the value of China's micro-short drama industry model. He believes that social platforms have gradually accustomed the audience to watch short videos on a vertical screen. Based on this, Chinese micro-dramas have brought ongoing storylines to mobile screens, allowing vertical screen content to achieve a "quality upgrade".
Sangeorge said that when he tried to create online dramas in the past, there were no clear answers and mature models throughout a single episode, frame selection and broadcast channels. However, Chinese micro-dramas provide clear rules and frameworks for these themes. "China has proposed a set of production methods (micro-short drama) and ways to commercialize this form. ".
Today, in addition to launching an application for watching short micro dramas, San George has gradually expanded into a network of content production, promotion and distribution of short series, and established an industry information media to introduce the form of short micro dramas to Western film and television professionals, help them understand industry players, track industry development trends and innovation results.
"Just as the word 'cinema' (film) can spread from France to the world, I believe that the word 'duanjo' will do the same," said Senjor. He hopes that the platform he built can not only become a broadcast and distribution channel for Chinese short dramas to enter the French market, but also become a window to display and promote French original works.
The craze of short micro-dramas not only creates a new topic for mutual learning between China and Europe's cultural industries, but also brings new opportunities for exchange and cooperation between the two sides. At the China-EU Micro-Short Drama Summit, practitioners from China, France, the UK and other countries gathered to discuss the prospects for cooperation in content creation, artificial intelligence applications and cross-cultural communication of this emerging audiovisual form.
Song Ruinan, Hunan Fengmeng Media's head of overseas business, shared the company's use of short micro-dramas to promote local cultural and tourism resources. Song Ruinan said that this model can also be copied to Europe, thus opening a new space for cooperation between China and Europe for cinema and television and tourism. "Europe's rich historical heritage, castle architecture and myths and legends provide a natural 'theme library' for creating short micro-dramas. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, these cultural resources are also expected to be transformed into film and television content for various markets at a lower cost. ".
In addition to being optimistic about the prospects of short micro-dramas that will strengthen cooperation between China and Europe to promote tourism, Sangeorge also looks forward to producing short micro-dramas together with Chinese colleagues on a wider range of topics, finding intersections between the different narrative methods of France and China, and creating stories that can impress audiences in both countries.
"I hope that France can take advantage of this new development momentum and create fruitful and creative cultural exchange and cooperation relations with China around these new narratives and creative forms." Sangeorge said..