28/10/2002 - Anxiety at ‘Beaune Meetings’ where issues included funding, Europe's cultural diversity and cable digital television

The 12th edition of one of the most important annual appointments for the French film and audiovisual industry, Beaune Meetings, organised by ARP, ended with no solutions having been found to the problems assailing the industry.
This year’s edition was presided over by Claude Lelouch and during its three-day run, provided a platform for the French film industry’s most influential figures to speak about important issues like the fragility of the system, new forms of funding, the consequences of a concentration on subjects on creative expression, the future of cable digital television, cultural diversity in the pan-European context, and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.
Pessimism prevailed despite the best efforts of the participants, who included Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the French minister for Culture and Communications, CNC director general David Kessler, John Woodward, the president of Britain’s Film Council, EC representatives and the presidents of France Télévision and M6, to be reassuring.
In conclusion, French filmmakers appealed to the EU authorities to take a stronger position in favour of disseminating cultural diversity and asked them “not to underwrite any procedures that will result in a generalised liberalisation of the film and audiovisual sectors.”

(Translated from French)