French cinema is reeling after the CEO of the country's biggest investor in films, Canal+, said he would no longer work with hundreds of actors, directors, producers and technicians who signed an open letter criticising the right-wing views of media mogul Vincent Bolloré, who owns a 30 percent share of the company. But given the number of signatories, can Maxime Saada follow through on his threat?
"I do not want to work with people who call me a crypto-fascist," Saada said last week, referring to the 600 people in the film industry who had signed the letter, including leading French actors Juliette Binoche and Adèle Haenel.
The letter accused Bolloré of pursuing an “extreme right-wing, reactionary 'civilisational project'" through his media holdings – including CNews, a right-wing television channel often compared to Fox News, and his publishing houses.
"By leaving French cinema in the hands of a far-right boss, we not only risk the standardisation of films, but a fascist takeover of the collective imagination."
Major investor
Since Saada’s statement, several hundred more industry figures have put their names to the letter, including British director Ken Loach, American actor Mark Ruffalo and Spanish actor Javier Bardem.
Sadaa’s words have sent shockwaves through the French cinema industry, in which Canal+ is a major player.
"Canal+ is an essential investor in French cinema, bringing 40 percent of the total of investment – more than public television, which is about 18 percent, or the streaming platforms like Disney, Netflix or HBO," cinema economist Kira Kitsopanidou told RFI.
Canal+, which started out as a premium cable television channel, now runs streaming services and invests in productions – in part thanks to rules put in place in 2021 requiring all streaming platforms in France to invest in French and European audiovisual productions.
Listen to an interview with Kira Kitsopanidou in the Spotlight on France podcast:
‘Vertical integration’
The company is involved at every stage of making films, from pre-financing through to distribution and theatrical release.
In September, Canal+ also acquired a 34 percent share of the film producer and distributor UGC, which owns and operates 50 cinemas in France. It plans to fully own UGC by 2028.
This acquisition in part prompted the open letter, which warns of Bolloré’s increasing power in the film industry.
"Concentration is a concern beyond Bolloré," says Kitsopanidou. "Canal+ is doing what is called vertical integration, which makes sense for the group."
But for creators, the concern is that Bolloré – who is frequently accused of interfering in the editorial line of the media under his control, and who has an increasingly prominent role in French right-wing politics – could have a significant say in which films are made.
Two-way street
Canal+ has reportedly refused to greenlight a handful of projects because of their subject matter – notably a documentary investigating a child sex abuse scandal involving Catholic priests, which was rejected by Bolloré himself.
Whether Canal+ can follow through on the threat to cut ties with the signatories of the letter, however, is not clear.
"When you look at the list, it is full of technicians and producers – it’s huge," says Kitsopanidou. "You cannot just say 'I will make movies without these people', because there are so many of them."
While filmmakers need Canal+ for funding, Canal+ also needs creators to fill its platforms and bring people to its cinemas.
Protecting diversity
For now, France’s mixed funding model offers some protection.
"We are lucky in France to have public investment, public television, public aid schemes, co-productions – other means to make films that cannot be financed by Canal+," Kitsopanidou says. "We have to protect this diversity."
The signatories of the letter too acknowledge that the feared ideological pressure is yet to fully materialise, but added: "While the influence of this ideological offensive on the content of films has been for the moment subtle, we have no illusions: it will not last."
France's Human Rights League and the CGT entertainment workers’ union have announced they are filing a civil suit against Canal+ for discrimination.
They are asking a court to order the company to "refrain from any measures of exclusion, of refusal to collaborate or discrimination" against those who signed the letter.
Listen to an interview with Kira Kitsopanidou in the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 145, here.
