17/11/2009

Following DIRE (United European Independent Distributors), the APC (Film Producers Association) and the SPI (Independent Producers Union), film directors have forcefully joined the alarmist debate initiated by the National Federation of French Cinemas (FNCF - see news and news).

In an open letter to Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand, over 200 directors criticise the "aggressive lobbying" by the FNCF, whose method of defending movie theatres "risks disrupting the balance of a sector that is the envy of the world. In trying to make people believe there is a widespread crisis in French exhibition and by hiding behind an alarmist discourse full of confused generalisations, the National Federation of French Cinemas is masking differing situations and a more complex economic reality (….) In periods of crisis, there is sometimes a strong temptation to focus inwardly on one’s own interests. This narrow, short-term vision always proves disastrous."

Referring to the fact that 2009 has seen a rise in French audience figures compared to 2008 (see news), directors point to the differences between "large exhibitors that often represent integrated companies and multiplex operators with a constant growth in admissions" and "small and medium-sized movie theatres, which are often situated in areas where employment has been directly hit by the economic crisis and are, above all, victims of the fierce competition from multiplexes."

Rejecting the FNCF’s suggestion of a reduction in the film rental rate, which would undermine independent production and distribution, directors call for measures targeted at small and medium-sized exhibitors whilst encouraging the FNCF to consider redistributing major exhibition towards more fragile theatres.

Directors would also like to "find out the total takings generated by trailer screenings and billposting, essential tools for film and movie theatre promotion, but which they now charge for. These takings, like those from advertisements and confectionary (…) do not, moreover, contribute to funding film creation."

Signatories of the open letter include Costa Gavras, Dany Boon, Philippe Lioret, Alain Corneau, Rachid Bouchareb, Radu Mihaileanu, Christian Carion, Claude Lelouch, Djamel Bensalah, Philippe Claudel, Michel Ocelot, Robert Guédiguian, Martin Provost, Jan Kounen, Danièle Thompson, Bruno Podalydès, Michel Hazanavicius, Dominik Moll, Jacques Rivette and Bertrand Tavernier.

(Translated from French)