Jean Labadie is a French film producer and distributor1, founder of BAC Films, Paradis Films, Mars Films, Wild Side Films and Le Pacte.
Jean Labadie was first an encyclopedia canvasser, then a Z-series salesman for Trans Univers. Hired as a representative at MK2, he then became a poster designer and then head of sales and acquisitions. In 1986, he founded BAC Films with a capital of 50,000 francs2 on the occasion of the release of the film The Devil in the Body by Marco Bellocchio, which attracted 670,000 admissions. Among the first films released were Nola Darling by Spike Lee, Troubled Agent by Jean-Pierre Mocky, The Belly of the Architect by Peter Greenaway and Three Sisters by Margarethe Von Trotta. The company won its first Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1990 with David Lynch's Sailor and Lula, which grossed nearly a million admissions in France. He obtained seven more before the founder's departure: for Barton Fink, The Best Intentions, The Piano, Pulp Fiction, The Son's Room, The Pianist and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days.
In 1998, Jean Labadie created Mars Films, an arthouse distribution company, with Stéphane Célérier (also a former Lazennec employee). In 2000 he also created Wild Side Video and Wild Side Films3.
On June 28, 2000, the holding company Bac Majestic, which owns BAC Films, Mars Films and the Majestic exhibition division (which includes Les écrans de Paris), among others, went public4.
In 2007, Jean Labadie left the structure to found Le Pacte5, leaving the management of BAC Films to Roch Lener.
