Arte France’s ‘Tax Me (If You Can)’ Lands Broad European Deals

Paris‑based sales outfit The Party Film Sales, still riding the buzz from Oscar‑nominated “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” just announced a string of pre‑broadcast deals for the new Arte France documentary “Tax Me (If You Can).”

In a press‑release that dropped on the cusp of the Unifrance Rendez‑Vous market in Le Havre, the company said it has already sold the film to RTVE in Spain, RTS in Switzerland, RTV in Slovenia and YLE in Finland. The deals were sealed before the series even makes its first public appearance on Arte’s streaming platform on Sept. 8, followed by a broadcast on the ARTE channel on Sept. 14.

“Getting leading public broadcasters on board so quickly is a surprisingly encouraging signal, especially when funding pressures are tightening across Europe,” said Estelle de Araujo, co‑head of international sales at The Party Film Sales. “It tells us that the topics the film tackles – wealth concentration, tax policy and the politics of inequality – really matter to decision‑makers right now.”

Directed by investigative journalist Thomas Lafarge, the 52‑minute feature (or a two‑part version of 45 minutes each) dives into the meteoric rise of ultra‑wealth over the past two decades. It also examines the resurgence of “trickle‑down” economics championed by Arthur Laffer and the growing “tax‑the‑rich” movement, notably championed by French economist Gabriel Zucman and a handful of high‑profile philanthropists.

Lafarge explains that the spark for the film came from media stories about billionaires openly calling for higher taxes – a narrative that feels as odd as “a man biting a dog.” He and co‑director Adrien Pinon, who previously tackled Amazon’s empire and the murky waters of BNP Paribas, paired up with producer Valérie Montmartin to chase that story. Their approach was deliberately different: instead of turning to traditional NGOs like Oxfam, they wanted to hear directly from the people whose fortunes are at stake.

Getting those ultra‑rich interviewees to speak proved to be the toughest hurdle. “Rich people, whether French or from any other country, are nervous about putting their financial details on record, even when they say they’d like to pay more tax,” Lafarge notes. “There’s a real risk of exposing themselves, so many are guarded.”

Despite the challenges, the documentary has already struck a chord with European broadcasters, a sign that the conversation about fair taxation is resonating beyond France. De Araujo hopes the film’s reach will fuel broader public debate on inequality, wealth concentration and the political will needed to recalibrate tax systems.

As the Unifrance Rendez‑Vous continues, The Party Film Sales is still hunting for additional partners, confident that the film’s timely subject will keep opening doors across the continent.