French film industry at risk from the far right, say actors and directors

From left: Raymond Depardon, Juliette Binoche and Sepideh Farsi, who are among the signatories to the open letter warning of the threat to French cinema. Composite: Getty Images

More than 600 cinema figures have said the growing influence of the far right on French cinema production risks turning into a “fascist takeover of the collective imagination”.

In an open letter published in the newspaper Libération to coincide with the opening of the Cannes film festival, they said the billionaire Vincent Bolloré’s dominant position in French film production and distribution threatened the independence of the industry.