26/06/2002

Palais Chaillot is in a turmoil. The Cinémathèque Française, founded in 1936 by Henri Langlois, is facing a total crisis. In addition to its overwhelming financial deficit and having been abandoned (voluntarily and not) by many of its directors, much of the blame lies with the management policies of its governing body, the CNC (National Cinematographic Center) , as well as with Cinémathèque president, Jean-Charles Tacchella. Besides, the project to create a French center for the conservation of cinematographic heritage, including the BIFI (Film Library) and the SAF (Film Archives) , seems to have run aground.
In order to deal with this situation, the new Minister of Culture Jean-Jacques Aillagon has asked Martine Offroy, director of the Gaumont cinémathèque to take the helm with a view to drastic reorganization, even if this nomination has raised further controversy concerning a possible conflict of interest. In the meantime, the Cinémathèque general assembly, which was held on June 25th, has not yet revealed any indications concerning the future of this institution. Cultural and intellectual circles are extremely worried, above all for the future of the Cinémathèque´s extraordinary collection and for its irreplaceable educational programs.