French film and TV industry described defeat of the far-right in elections as a "glimmer of hope"

A sigh of relief was exhaled by French film and tv industry after Sunday night's French election results where the leftist coalition New Popular Front cinched a surprise victory over the far right's National Rally.

Speaking on the results, film and TV producer Marc Missionier told Variety  “The National Rally’s plans for culture were deadly, so we are immensely relieved they lost.”

Missonnier who is president of the producers guild UPC, continued saying that the arts community in France has “glimmer of hope” that they will be able to “pursue their battles over budgets, preserving France Televisions’s independence, and comforting the financing of the National Film Board via tax levies.”

Amid the chaos, Missonnier says he hopes that the centre and socialist forces will be able to unite to form a broad-based government, and isn’t expecting it to be much hands-on when it comes to culture due to the lack of cohesion.

Meanwhile, Ender's Analysis business analyst and advisor in the media and telecoms industries, Francois Godard, said that while socialists are way more “receptive” to the importance of cultural institutions and policies than the far right, the current economic standing of France requires some savings which may impact culture.

“Just like the German coalition announced it would reduce its spendings, the leftist bloc in France will not be spared from having to make similar efforts” says the analyst to Variety, adding that the perspectives for culture “could have been much worse” with the National Rally which would have attempted to slash budgets allocated to culture to bolster their profile among far right voters.

The far right also threatened to damage France’s system which allows freelance workers in theatres, other live entertainment and movies and TV receive unemployment benefits. Macron’s government has already made cuts to employment benefits which prompted protests at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Projectionists, floor managers and press agents all demanded changes to the French government’s treatment of seasonal film festival staff, through a movement titled Sous les Écrans la Dèche (The Poverty Behind the Screens).

The collective, which represents over 200 individuals,  said the government’s latest proposed changes to unemployment laws would make it impossible for many skilled film festival workers to get by.