30/06/2008

Margaret Menegoz is preparing to step down in September after five years as head of Unifrance, the promotional agency for French cinema abroad. Meanwhile, there is a fierce battle to succeed her as president.

The battle came to light last Friday after the institution’s general assembly. At the centre of the dispute is the issue of the statutes, which at present only allow a producer to be elected president of Unifrance, a condition that exporters and filmmakers would like to see change.

But the general assembly rejected this amendment, apparently due to a massive mobilisation of producers and a difficult threshold of 75% of votes needed to alter the statutes. As a sign of protest, exporters and filmmakers have refused to elect their commissions, leading to a boycott of the institution.

Indeed, the election of Unifrance’s president must be ratified by the representatives of four commissions (Feature Film, Short Film, economic and artistic). It is therefore necessary to hold an extraordinary general assembly as soon as possible in order to resolve the situation. Negotiations and consultations are already underway with the National Film Centre (CNC), a parent organisation of Unifrance.

Cineuropa spoke with Eric Lagesse, head of international sales at Pyramide, who explained the attitude of filmmakers and exporters. "Certain producers seem to think that Unifrance is their exclusive tool but it’s for everyone,” he said. “Those producers – who are however not averse to the Minimum Guarantees from international sellers – must change their mentality. We have to stick together and stop arguing for the sake of Unifrance.”

Lagesse added: “Exporters who work hard on a daily basis for French cinema and are committed to Unifrance are not presenting a candidate for the presidency. But, like the filmmakers, we want an opening up (which would have been ratified last Friday with a simple majority vote and not 75%) and we don’t want to be treated like a nonentity."

(Translated from French)