Organizers Address Maxime Saada’s Boycott Remarks: “This Threat Validates Our Concerns”
Organizers of an open letter expressing concern over Vincent Bolloré’s increasing influence in France’s entertainment and media sectors have reacted to statements made by Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada. Saada announced that his group would cease collaboration with those who signed the letter.
In response, the organizers stated, “Our open letter, responding to the UGC acquisition, only ever singled out the aforementioned without incriminating the Canal+ teams. This threat, however, confirms our fears. Can we still believe in Canal+’s independence from the far-right billionaire, against whom it is now officially impossible to speak out?”
The Zapper Bolloré collective expressed its strong support for the letter’s signatories and urged labor unions to defend them while reinforcing their call to action.
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Launched on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival, the letter titled “Time To Switch-Off Bolloré” garnered signatures from 600 cinema professionals, including Juliette Binoche and Cannes 2026 Palme d’Or contenders Arthur Harari and Bertrand Mandico.
The letter targeted Canal+ Group’s recent acquisition of a 34% stake in UGC, a major player in French production, distribution, and exhibition, with the option to buy it outright by 2028. The signatories warned that this move marked a significant step in Bolloré’s expansion strategy, suggesting it was indicative of a broader agenda aimed at promoting a right-wing, reactionary movement in France.
Saada addressed the letter during Canal+ Group’s annual producers’ lunch on Sunday, which coincided with the Cannes Film Festival. He remarked, “I experienced this petition as an injustice towards the Canal teams who are committed to defending the independence of Canal+, and in all the diversity of its choices. And as a result, I will no longer work; I no longer wish Canal+ to work with the people who signed this petition,” according to quotes from French newswire AFP and trade publication Le Film Français.
Saada also referred to an interview with Palme d’Or contender Harari, who justified his signature on the open letter, despite having received financing from Canal+ in the past, labeling Bolloré a “crypto-fascist.”
Saada responded to these comments, stating, “If some go so far as to call Canal+ ‘crypto-fascist’, then I cannot agree to collaborate with them. That’s the line. It is not acceptable that there is no consideration for the work of our teams.”
Canal+ was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2024, but the Bolloré Group retains approximately 30% of the stock, making it the largest shareholder. Vincent Bolloré officially stepped down as chair and CEO of the group in 2022, though many in the French media and entertainment sectors believe he continues to influence operations behind the scenes.
