French film industry at risk from the far right, say actors and directors
Juliette Binoche joins 600 leading figures to warn against a ‘fascist takeover of the collective imagination’
TL;DR
- More than 600 cinema figures signed an open letter warning of a 'fascist takeover of the collective imagination' due to the far-right's growing influence.
- Billionaire Vincent Bolloré's dominant position in French film production and distribution, through entities like Canal+ and StudioCanal, is a major concern.
- The signatories fear that Bolloré's control over the entire film production chain, from financing to distribution, could lead to propaganda films serving a specific ideology.
- Concerns are amplified by the National Rally's questioning of public funding for the arts and their proposed privatization of public broadcasters.
- Recent protests by writers against Bolloré's control of publishing houses have emboldened film industry professionals to speak out.