The growing opposition to Vincent Bollore’s control over Canal+, which has slowly overtaken the French film industry in the second week of Cannes, has now expanded internationally.
Ken Loach, Aki Kaurismäki, Yorgos Lanthimos, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo are among the some 3,500 signatories of the “Zapper Bollore” petition that first appeared as an open letter on the eve of the festival on May 11.
The signatories allege Bollore is pushing “a right-wing, reactionary agenda” in France and that, once the company takes control of UGC, French production and distribution company and the country’s third-largest cinema chain, with a 34% stake from 2028, the industry risks “not only the standardisation of films, but a fascist takeover of the collective imagination”.
Further international figures adding their names to the growing list include Hany Abu Assad, Saleh Bakri, Isabel Coixet, Annemarie Jacir, Indya Moore, Laura Morante and Walter Salles, who join original signers Juliette Binoche, Arthur Harari, Bertrand Mandico, and Swann Arlaud among a rapidly expanding list.
On May 18, in response to the “Zapper Bollore” petition (that loosely translates to “Switch off Bollore” as “zapper” is the French word for changing the channel) the CEO of Canal+, Maxime Saada, said the media giant would no longer work with the then 600 signatories from the French industry which sparked backlash that has wound up the entire industry as the festival begins to wind down.
French newspaper Le Monde published a deep dive into what Saada’s threats would mean for the future of film production and revealed that the signatories of the original petition “appear in the credits of more than 600 films produced in France over the last five years”.
Independent producers organisation the SPI also weighed in on Thursday evening denouncing Saada’s remarks and saying attempts to blacklist industry figures would constitute a “direct violation of freedom of expression and stands in stark contradiction to the values our industry collectively upholds”.
It also reiterated, “Canal+ is a pillar of French cinema. For 40 years, the network and its teams have played a fundamental role in financing creative works, including in their most diverse, unique, and demanding forms. This commitment is a source of pride shared by the entire industry, and we defend it.”
The SPI called on Canal+ “to confirm, through concrete actions, that this shared heritage takes precedence over current tensions”.
The debate continues to be the talk of Cannes, particularly among the French industry, as the festival winds down ahead of the closing night ceremony on May 23. Filmmakers, actors and producers continue to be questioned on the topic at press conferences and on Cannes’ red carpet.
“As a filmmaker, as far as I know, no filmmaker has been censored by Canal+ when it comes to funding their films,” said actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz on the Palais steps. “I think Canal+ is doing a good job, for now. We’ll have to speak out when Canal+ stops doing its job properly, but for now they’re doing it very well.”
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