Invited by Elisabeth Assayag this Tuesday, producer Wassim Béji expressed his concern about a potential collapse of the French cinema industry. He emphasized that the sector allows France to shine internationally.
As the Cannes Film Festival opened this Tuesday, producer Wassim Béji discussed the importance of preserving French cinema with Elisabeth Assayag.
“It’s a critical issue. We are fortunate in France to have a very virtuous system that is under attack in the media and by certain politicians, who claim it is costly… I don’t believe that’s true,” said the co-producer of Gourou.
“When something works in this country, sometimes there is a tendency to want to destroy it”
He referenced the example of Italian cinema, which “collapsed in the 1980s” after being a leader in the industry, attributing it to a “policy of abandonment.” “I’m afraid the same thing could happen to French cinema because, I don’t know why, when something works in this country, sometimes there is a tendency to want to destroy it,” he also expressed.
While acknowledging that the current system has “flaws and many things that need improvement,” the guest on La France bouge emphasized that cinema employs many people and allows France to “showcase its culture” internationally.
