Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said he “stands by” his controversial Cannes remarks saying the group would no longer finance films made by signatories of open letter criticising its majority shareholder Vincent Bolloré’s influence over France’s media industry, but he denied the existence of any “blacklist.”
Speaking at the group’s general assembly on Friday (May 29), Saada clarified: “I obviously never mentioned a blacklist. There is no question of us going after the crew members who signed the petition and refusing to fund the films they work on. That is out of the question, and always will be.” He added: “We are not going to target people who depend on their work to earn a living.”
Saada said the group’s film financing committee that he chairs will select projects moving forward on a case-by-case basis, “not through a political lens, but an artistic and commercial one,” but adds that there will be a “new dimension”, namely “taking into account the views of those behind the project regarding Canal+. Have they actively caused harm to Canal+?” He explained: “If someone rings your doorbell, calls you a fascist and then asks you for money, perhaps you won’t give them any money. And we’re going to do exactly the same.”
The original letter was published on the eve of Cannes Film Festival, then erupted into full blown controversy when Saada said during a producers’ brunch at the festival that Canal+ would no longer work with the then 600 local signatories of a petition denouncing what they said was Vincent Bollore’s right wing influence on the company.
Saada’s response sparked immediate industrywide backlash as signatures grew to some 4,000 including international talent like Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo and Ken Loach. Throughout the festival, boos or silence were heard during festival screenings when the Canal+ logo rolled in the opening credits.
On Friday, Saada defended Bollore saying that it was “thanks to him that we turned Canal+ around,” when the latter was still part of the Vivendi group. “Canal+, in France, was losing €400 million, (…) we were heading for disaster, and we could forget about film funding.”
He also explained that Canal+ remains an independent company following its Vivendi split at the end of 2024, and, he said, “is not controlled by the Bolloré group”, even though Bollore’s company may be its “majority shareholder”.
Saada said he has worked at Canal+ for 23 years including a decade alongside Bollore and said that during those 10 years, “1,000 films have been supported, at least half of which would not have been made without Canal+”.
He also thanked “the vast majority of professionals in the industry who did not sign this petition. Only 1-2% of the industry signed it. 99% of professionals did not identify with this petition.”
He said it is a “conscious decision on the part of Canal+ to support French and European cinema, and we will continue to do so, embracing diversity.” Citing recent films like Souleymane’s Story and Case 137, he said, “we will continue to support them, regardless of any criticism.”
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