Boutonnat this year also authored a government-commissioned report on propping up the film business via private investment. This did not sit well with champions of France’s cinematic diversity.
Along with the Boutonnat report, another, presented by members of Macron’s La République en Marche party, suggested overhauls at the CNC including a capping of the budget and the removal of its oversight. If Boutonnat were to be handed the reins, it would mark a break with tradition which has typically seen high-ranking civil servants in the post. Not all are opposed to the idea. One industry exec told me today they were reserving judgement until he’s in the job, while writers/directors/producers org l’ARP in June agreed with some of the observations in his report.
However, ARP called moving towards private investment and away from a pre-financing model a “serious step backwards that we cannot tolerate.” France’s current system, the body said, “has allowed France to be the only real film competitor to the United States. Without this key principle, cultural diversity is clearly under threat.”