France’s government intervened in a dispute affecting the domestic cinema industry after Canal+ said it would stop working with people who signed a petition opposing billionaire Vincent Bolloré’s influence. Culture Minister Catherine Pegard described Maxime Saada’s Cannes comments as disproportionate while saying she understood the concerns of petition signatories. The petition, initially signed by 600 professionals, urged mobilization against the growing grip of the far-right on the film industry under Bolloré and the Canal+ group. Signatories included Juliette Binoche and director Arthur Harari, co-writer of Anatomy of a Fall, along with Swann Arlaud. Saada called the petition an injustice toward Canal+ teams and said Canal would no longer work with signatories. The controversy reflects broader upheaval in media and publishing tied to Bolloré’s reshaping of companies he controls.
"Culture Minister Catherine Pegard described the comments by Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada, made during the Cannes Film Festival, as "disproportionate" and said she understood the concerns of signatories. The petition, initially signed by 600 industry professionals, urged a mobilisation against "the growing grip of the far-right" on the film industry under the influence of Bolloré and the Canal+ group. Signatories included French star Juliette Binoche as well as director Arthur Harari, who co-wrote the Oscar-winning Anatomy of a Fall in 2023, as well as that film's prominent French star Swann Arlaud."
""This company's major role in cinema gives it a voice that matters," Pegard told parliament, referring to Canal+. "I regret that the response - disproportionate to say the least given to the very real concerns that have been expressed - is only fuelling them," she added. The minister said she had "heard the emotion, the concern being expressed in the film industry" and voiced hope that "reason and dialogue will prevail over threats"."
"Saada, speaking on Sunday, had described the petition "as an injustice toward the Canal+ teams". He added: "I will no longer work with and I no longer want Canal to work with the people who signed that petition." The uproar mirrors similar upheaval in the media and publishing worlds where Bollore, a conservative close to far-right politicians, is reshaping businesses he controls, from television channels to publishing houses."
Read at The Local France
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