French cinema is reeling after the CEO of the country's biggest investor in films, Canal+, said he would no longer work with hundreds of actors, directors, producers and technicians who signed an open letter criticising the right-wing views of media mogul Vincent Bolloré, who owns a 30 percent share of the company. But given the number of signatories, can Maxime Saada follow through on his threat?
Issued on: 30/05/2026 - 12:46
3 min Reading time
"I do not want to work with people who call me a crypto-fascist," Saada said last week, referring to the 600 people in the film industry who had signed the letter, including leading French actors Juliette Binoche and Adèle Haenel. The letter accused Bolloré of pursuing an “extreme right-wing, reactionary 'civilisational project'" through his media holdings – including CNews, a right-wing television channel often compared to Fox News, and his publishing houses. "By leaving French cinema in the hands of a far-right boss, we not only risk the standardisation of films, but a fascist takeover of the collective imagination." How Africa helped forge French billionaire Vincent Bolloré's empire of influence Major investor Since Saada’s statement, several hundred more industry figures have put their names to the letter, including British director Ken Loach, American actor Mark Ruffalo and Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Sadaa’s words have sent shockwaves through the French cinema industry, in which Canal+ is a major player. "Canal+ is an essential investor in French cinema, bringing 40 percent of the total of investment – more than public television, which is about 18 percent, or the streaming platforms like Disney, Netflix or HBO," cinema economist Kira Kitsopanidou told RFI. Canal+, which started out as a premium cable television channel, now runs streaming services and invests in productions – in part thanks to rules put in place in 2021 requiring all streaming platforms in France to invest in French and European audiovisual productions. Listen to an interview with Kira Kitsopanidou in the Spotlight on France podcast:
