By winning its Palme d’Or on Saturday May 27, “Justine Triet took out her Kalash”, tweeted the former president of the Cannes Film Festival, Gilles Jacob. The director ofAnatomy of a fall, receiving his award from the hands of Jane Fonda, first denounced the way in which the government had “shockingly denied” the protest against the pension reform. Then she continued with a very political speech on the State and the seventh art which turned out to be extremely divisive. “The commodification of culture that the neoliberal government defends is in the process of breaking the French cultural exception, this same cultural exception without which I would not be here today”launched the filmmaker.
This statement was applauded by part of the audience at the Louis-Lumière amphitheater, but exasperated another. Within the Cannes Film Festival, which represents all film lovers on the planet and this year paid tribute to Ukraine and Iran, the French system is the envy of people. On Twitter, the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, immediately declared herself “flabbergasted” by “such an unfair speech”. She clarified: “This film could not have seen the light of day without our French model! » The Minister reiterated her reproaches the next day on BFM-TV: “I find it ungrateful and unfair. » Especially since it had announced eight days earlier an unprecedented aid plan for film studios and training of 350 million euros. And that the State has supported this sector at arm’s length during the Covid-19 pandemic, by granting 430 million in direct support and more than one billion euros to intermittent performers. “In Justine Triet’s speech, there is clearly an ideological background from the far left”, said the minister.
The political controversy swelled all weekend. On the one hand David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes (Les Républicains) criticized on Twitter “a speech of a spoiled child and so conformist, receiving the prestigious Palme d’Or for her subsidized film. Routine “. Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry, was ironic when speaking “anatomy of the ingratitude of a profession that we help so much… and of an art that we love so much”.
French film funding
On the left, however, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France insoumise (LFI) welcomed ” courage “ And ” the talent “ by Justine Triet. Olivier Faure, number one of the Socialist Party (PS) launched: “Thank you Madam for keeping a stiff neck” while the national secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF), Fabien Roussel castigated “the commodification of culture. Congratulations to Justine Triet (…) for his speech which hits so hard”.
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