06/05/2003

Representatives of Canal+, the French film industry's principle source of financing, have begun a series of meetings with the leading film industry associations.
Over the last few weeks people from BLIC (the office that coordinates the French film industry) and BLOC (the office that maintains links between French film industry organisations) and ARP (Writers, Producers, Directors) met with Bernard Méheaut, the new managing director of Canal+, Frédéric Sichler, the director general of StudioCanal and Nathalie Bloch-Lainé, head of French film acquisitions at the pay-TV.
The first reports back were optimistic, especially after Canal+ confirmed their intention to continue supporting the French film industry and respect the diversity clauses. Not so good was the news that the pay-TV continues losing subscribers although a change in the rules that govern the broadcasting of films may help stem the flow. The aim is to cancel the ban on films being aired on Saturday nights on TV and to reduce the waiting period between a film’s theatrical distribution and its being aired on TV (that currently stands at six months after the release for DVD and one year for Canal+). Unlike the exhibitors who belong to BLIC, most producers and directors were in favour of these proposed measures.
The good news is that film production is to continue at StudioCanal although cuts will be made, with the company set on refocusing on co-productions. The consequences of this decision were obvious in this year’s Cannes Film Festival selection where StudioCanal co-produced two titles: La petite Lili by Claude Miller, in Competition and produced by StudioCanal through their subsidiary company, Les Films Alain Sarde, and Young Adam di David Mackenzie, selected for Un Certain Regard. Canal+’s distribution arm, Mars Distribution is taking four films to Cannes: Swimming Pool [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The brown bunny, People butterfly and Les égarés.

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(Translated from French)