The Independents acquires Phantasm Group, bringing development and film production credits including Emilia Pérez and Paper Tiger

The Independents, a Paris-based communications group that focuses on lifestyle and luxury, said on June 24 that it has acquired the French advertising and film production-focused Phantasm Group. The deal expands The Independents’ presence into film development and production activity through Phantasm Group’s operating structure, according to Deadline’s report.

Phantasm Group is described as being best known in the film industry through its production arm, Vixens. Deadline linked Vixens to recent feature-film credits, including Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez and James Grey’s Paper Tiger, underscoring that the group’s work spans both advertising and high-profile film production.

Deadline said the acquisition aligns with The Independents’ specialization in communications and branded storytelling, while bringing Phantasm Group’s film-focused capabilities into the larger organization. In practical terms, the report frames the move as an effort to combine communications expertise with development, financing, and production roles associated with Vixens.

The report characterizes the Phantasm Group’s activity as working across development and financing, and it positions the acquisition as extending those functions under The Independents’ umbrella. Deadline did not provide further transaction specifics in the item supplied, such as the purchase price or deal structure, and those details are not included in this account.

The announcement comes as both communications firms and production companies continue to compete for rights and development pipelines, especially in Europe where advertising-to-film talent and capital structures can serve as a route to feature production. For companies in lifestyle and luxury segments, branded communications relationships can also translate into collaborations that support film projects at earlier stages.

For audiences, the merger’s immediate impact will primarily be indirect, through development and production decisions that can affect future releases. For industry partners, the acquisition indicates that an established communications group is seeking a stronger foothold in film production activity tied to recent festival-level or awards-aligned projects.

No additional changes in staffing, company branding, or distribution partners were specified in the supplied Deadline report. The next steps, as described at a high level, will be the integration of Phantasm Group’s film-oriented operations, including Vixens’ production work, into The Independents’ broader organizational structure.