Cancel culture and blacklists in the French film industry.
As the world-famous Cannes Film Festival is ongoing, the French film industry is trembling with the shockwaves caused by an announcement coming from the biggest film financier Canal+.
Controlled by right-wing billionaire Vincent Bolloré, its main shareholder, Canal+ announced it will no longer work with some 600 leftist film professionals who signed a petition opposing Bolloré and denouncing the ‘grip of the far right’ on French cinema.
France24 reported:
“Chairman Maxime Saada said on Sunday that he no longer wanted Canal+ to work with the hundreds of industry professionals who had signed a petition accusing billionaire Vincent Bolloré, the main shareholder of Canal+, of leading a far-right ‘civilizational project’.”
The petition was signed by filmmakers and actors like Juliette Binoche, Cédric Klapisch, and Gilles Lellouche. It denounces what it calls the ‘growing grip of the far right’ on French cinema.
“The billionaire mogul “makes no secret of the fact that he is leading a reactionary, far-right ‘civilizational project'”, the signatories wrote, adding: ‘While the influence of this ideological offensive on the content of films has been discreet so far, we are under no illusions: it won’t last’.
‘I saw that petition as an injustice towards the Canal+ teams, who are committed to defending Canal+’s independence and the full diversity of its choices’, Saada said on the sidelines of the festival on Sunday. ‘I will no longer work with, and I no longer want Canal to work with, the people who signed that petition’.”
Canal+ CEO says he will blacklist everyone who signed open letter criticising right-wing owner Vincent Bollore https://t.co/rJupJRgQ6n
— Screen International (@Screendaily) May 19, 2026
Canal+ is France’s largest film and TV production company, with main shareholder Bolloré often described as France’s Rupert Murdoch.
The threat from Canal+ carries weight as the group pre-bought the rights to 74 percent of French feature films produced in 2025, with an average contribution of €1.3 million per film.
“Film journalist Estelle Aubin described the scale of the group’s influence in stark terms. ‘Canal+ is the leading financier of French cinema’, she said. ‘They invest huge sums in films before they are even made, paying producers upfront. Without that, the entire ecosystem is at risk’.”
