Cinema Against Bolloré: Do Professionals Make Movies?

After the television takeover and the shake-up at the French edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the industry has rallied against Vincent Bollore. 600 signatories have called in Liberation to “zap him.” Given the dependence of the French film industry on the financial omnipresence of the Canal+ group, the “professionals of the profession,” as aptly named by Jean-Luc Godard, have reason to be concerned.

“The cinema counter-attack!”: Liberation is like George Lucas without special effects. A predictable outrage.

“By leaving French cinema in the hands of an extreme right-wing boss, we risk not only the homogenization of films, but a fascist control of the collective imagination,” the 600 signatories of the latest anti-Bollore petition lamented in the left-wing newspaper on May 11th. They denounce a “reactionary civilizational project of the extreme right-wing,” deeply supported by CNews and several publishing houses of the Hachette group.

In the midst of controversies regarding Pascal Praud and in response to the Grasset affair in April, the cultural left is stirred up. It is now the turn of personalities from the French cinema world to join the fray. Among the signatories are notable figures like Juliette Binoche, Adele Haenel, Swann Arlaud, Blanche Gardin, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Raymond Depardon, Remi Bonhomme, and Arthur Harari, among others.

It is worth noting that these celebrities published in Liberation, owned by the Altice France group led by Patrick Drahi, are targeting the growing influence of Vincent Bollore’s group on the cultural industry. It’s a bit like hunters, there are good and bad billionaires.

“In the battle of culture,” the collective “Zapper Bollore” stresses that the billionaire, through Vivendi, acquired 34% of UGC in October 2025. This takeover would put Bollore in a position to control the entire film production chain, from financing to distribution on small and big screens. The petitioners decry an unprecedented concentration of funding, production, and distribution means in the hands of Canal+, as the businessman plans to acquire 100% of UGC by 2028.

The concerns of the cultural world are not merely ideological but also concern the economic structure of French cinema. The industry heavily relies on investments from Canal+, one of the main financiers of the sector thanks to media financing obligations and the CNC system.

Choosing the Cannes Film Festival as the platform for this debate is clearly strategic: using the largest auteur cinema showcase to fuel the discussion and raise awareness about what they see as a threat to French artistic independence.

“An ideological asymmetry?” Pressed on this controversy during a Cannes press conference for his film “The Electric Venus,” Pierre Salvadori downplayed the situation, stating, “I fully understand the emotion and worry that guided the writing of this opinion piece.” He added, “Canal+ has an obligation to invest in cinema,” highlighting the existence of “diversity clauses.”

His producer, Philippe Martin, agreed, stating that the cinema industry’s developments have nothing to do with the recent events in the publishing world. He emphasized that his contacts remain the same as before Bollore’s arrival at Canal+, without any noticeable shift in their decision-making based on a supposed political dimension in a film, as reported by Le Figaro.

“When will there be a parliamentary inquiry commission?” While the upheaval is widely heard in a microcosm quick to indignation, defending one’s territory is understandable. However, constantly complaining while enjoying benefits may test the patience of critics.

But will the clamor from celebrities lead to a parliamentary inquiry commission? Like public broadcasting, the cinematographic microcosm, and indeed the CNC, often appear as impenetrable dark rooms.

-Francois-Xavier Consoli