The party's over! Canal+ announces it will no longer work with the 600 signatories of the anti-Bolloré open letter.

Canal+ has taken a sharper stance against film professionals who signed the open letter criticizing Vincent Bolloré's influence in the industry. The group's CEO, Maxime Saada, announced that Canal+ no longer wishes to work with the signatories of this text, published just before the Cannes Film Festival and spearheaded by the collective “Zapper Bolloré”The forum brought together nearly 600 film professionals, including Juliette Binoche, Adèle Haenel, Swann Arlaud, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Blanche Gardin, Raymond Depardon and Arthur Harari.

"That's the limit." Canal+ takes responsibility for the break

Maxime Saada justified this decision by citing the harshness of the language used against the group. According to him, describing Canal+ as a structure “crypto-fascist” This makes it impossible to maintain a normal professional relationship. He also denounced a lack of consideration for the Canal+ teams, stating that they have been working for years to finance and support a wide variety of French films. For Canal+, Vincent Bolloré's political or ideological criticism crossed a line when it directly targeted the channel, its teams, and its role in film financing. The consequences seem perfectly logical!

A power struggle at the heart of film financing

This statement carries significant weight, as Canal+ remains a central player in French cinema. For decades, the pay-TV channel has invested heavily in film production and pre-sales, making it one of the sector's economic pillars. The announced break with the signatories of the open letter could therefore have very real consequences for certain projects: access to financing, distribution, exposure, co-productions, or relationships with StudioCanal.

The signatories denounce an ideological grip

As a reminder, the “Zapper Bolloré” manifesto accuses Vincent Bolloré of posing a cultural and ideological threat to French cinema. The signatories see this as a risk of homogenization, pressure on creativity, and increased dependence on a group whose political orientation they contest.

Canal+ defends its record and its historical role

In response to the accusations, Canal+ emphasizes its financial commitment to French cinema and the diversity of the films it supports. Maxime Saada pointed out that many recent films, including challenging or socially conscious works, would not have existed under the same conditions without the channel's support. It's hard to disagree with him…