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Canal+ Executive Says Signers of Anti-Bolloré Letter Face Funding Ban
Canal+ head Maxime Saada said individuals who signed an open letter criticizing shareholder Vincent Bolloré could be excluded from projects financed by the company. The statement drew responses from French film industry figures and the national cinema agency.
Le MondeAudio version
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Canal+ executive Maxime Saada stated on May 17 that signatories of an open letter critical of the company's main shareholder would be barred from films financed by the group. The letter, published May 11 in Libération, criticized the influence of conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré in French cinema.
Signatories include actors Juliette Binoche, Adèle Haenel, Blanche Gardin, Anne Consigny, Louise Chevillotte, Clotilde Hesme, Sergi Lopez and Samuel Kircher, as well as directors Dominik Moll, Nicolas Klotz, Louise Hémon, Arthur Harari and Raymond Depardon.
By midnight on May 18, the collective reported an additional 1,000 signatories, including Robin Campillo and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart. The announcement prompted concern among producers, actors and directors about potential restrictions on employment opportunities.
Gaëtan Bruel, president of France's national cinema agency, said on France Inter radio that he regretted Saada's comments and that they raised questions about freedom of expression. Bruel stated it was factually untrue to claim Canal+ had stopped supporting the full diversity of French cinema and urged caution against self-fulfilling prophecies.
The CNC has sought to reduce tensions between the company and the growing number of signatories while many industry professionals continued to defend Canal+'s prior work.
