Juliette Binoche regrets the “clumsy” use of the word “fascist” in the anti-Bolloré column, which she signed

Like Jean-Pascal Zadi at the start of the week, Juliette Binoche turns her jacket around. The actress, signatory of a forum denouncing “the influence of the extreme right” and Vincent Bolloré on the Canal+ group, declared Friday morning, at the microphone of France Culture, that the petition published in the newspaper Liberation just before the Cannes Film Festival was “clumsy”. “I think the use of the word fascist was inappropriateshe added. And it’s true that I regret the boos heard in front of the Croisette during the credits of Canal+ productions. The employees in this group work very well. They really do expert work and are very attentive to the diversity of cinema. »

In total, more than 3,500 film professionals, with very disparate profiles, signed this article written by the Zappé Bolloré collective. International actors and directors, such as Javier Bardem, Ken Loach and Mark Ruffalo, have also ratified it. According to Juliette Binoche, the publication of the document was “an expression of great concern”. “There was a tremor in the public service and reproaches were made to the CNCshe explains. The actors have also been attacked even though we are hardworking, early risers, relentless and passionate. »

Artistic solidarity

The actress especially points the finger at the reaction of the chairman of the board of Canal+, Maxime Saada. On the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, the businessman said he no longer wanted to work with the signatories of the platform, seeing it as “an injustice towards the Canal teams who strive to defend the independence of the group, in all the diversity of its choices”. “It is because of these statements that the situation got out of handbelieves Juliette Binoche. But I do not regret our gesture, because there was strong solidarity between artists. It’s great to see that. Some of them took the risk of being on this famous list. […] They must live in great evident freedom for a nation to be alive and radiant. »

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Anti-Bolloré column: Maxime Saada denies any “blacklist” from Canal+

On Wednesday, Vincent Bolloré’s son, Cyrille Bolloré, called for “appeasement” during a conference in front of the shareholders of the Bolloré group, which holds 30.4% of the capital of Canal+. He notably recalled that he and his father had only a simple « participation » in the leading financier of French cinema. The son of the boss of Canal+ also described the forum as “giant lie” et “incredibly quirky”. « I have never campaigned for anything. I have always tended to vote in the center, left or right. At this stage I have never voted for an extreme”he then said.

For his part, the operational boss of Canal+, Maxime Saada, denied late Friday morning that he had constituted “a blacklist”. “There is no question for us of going after the technicians who signed the petition and no longer working or no longer financing the films for which they work”he declared.