France's top film producer says it will blacklist figures who petitioned against rightwing billionaire
Canal+ head says he will not work with hundreds of actors and directors who signed protest against Vincent Bolloré’s political sway
TL;DR
- Canal+, France's largest film producer, will cease working with hundreds of cinema figures who signed a petition against owner Vincent Bolloré's influence.
- The petition, signed by over 600 figures including Juliette Binoche, warned of a "fascist takeover of the collective imagination" and film standardisation.
- Bolloré, a conservative industrialist, owns a media empire including Canal+, StudioCanal, CNews, Europe 1, and Le Journal du Dimanche.
- Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada described the petition as an "injustice" and vowed to protect the company's "independence" and "diversity".
- Concerns were raised about Canal+'s planned full ownership of UGC, a major cinema network, which would give Bolloré control over the "entire fabrication chain of films".
- The situation echoes a similar protest in the publishing industry, where over 100 writers quit Grasset due to Bolloré's control of its parent company, Hachette.
- Bolloré has denied political interventionism, stating his media acquisitions are purely financial and aimed at promoting French soft power.
- He has previously dismissed critics as a "tiny caste" and described himself as a "Christian democrat".