The French cinema is concerned. Over 70 filmmakers, among them Jacques Audiard, Nicole Garcia, or Arnaud Desplechin, expressed concern Thursday in a forum concerning the possible appointment of the head of the CNC, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, Dominique Boutonnat, author of a controversial relationship on the financing of the 7th Art. It is a successor to Frédérique Bredin.

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“Following the announcement, yesterday, of the non-renewal of the mandate of Frédérique Bredin to the direction of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC), the name of the producer Dominique Boutonnat back again and again as his potential replacement, indicates the filmmakers in this text, circulated on the internet by the professional journal, The French Movie . Emmanuel Macron has apparently rejected all the other candidates for his benefit”.

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Frédérique Bredin, aged 62, has been named 2013 president of the CNC, a public institution which main functions are to regulate, support and promote the film. It had been renewed in 2016 for a second term of three years which expires at the end of the week, without an appointment will not be reached for his succession.

“such As the leak of documents known under the name of MacronLeaks revealed, Dominique Boutonnat is one of the first supporters and “major donors” of the presidential campaign of Emmanuel Macron in 2016,” noted filmmakers, including, among others, Robin Campillo, Catherine Corsini, Michel Hazanavicius, Cédric Klapisch or Noémie Lvovsky.

“Doubly rewarded for his loyal services to the benefit of the future president of the Republic, by the approval in October 2018, Cine Axis, the Company financing the film industry and the audiovisual industry (SOFICA), of which Dominique Boutonnat is the co-founder and president, the latter has in the meantime been commissioned by the minister of Culture of that time, Françoise Nyssen, writing a report”, they write.

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This report on “private financing of the production and distribution of cinematographic and audiovisual”, which was released in may, has been strongly criticized by the professionals of cinema.

In a column published last week in The World , eleven professional organizations representing the independent film and 800 professionals had already expressed concerns of this report, and other text, released beginning of June by the member of parliament for The Republic In Walk, Marie-Ange Magne, advocating for an increased control and a cap of the fees allocated, which fund the CNC. Two reports for, according to them, focusing on the business logic at the expense of creativity.

“today we condemn the political patronage underlying the possible appointment of Dominique Boutonnat to the presidency of the CNC that the conflicts of interest that would generate, or that the policy in the service of the most powerful people in the industry that this would entail,” noted filmmakers in their text published on Thursday. They oppose “formally to this appointment.”

Yesterday, shortly after the publication of the tribune, a petition has been launched on the platform change.org, to the attention of the Presidency of the Republic, to oppose the appointment of Dominique Boutonnat. It account to this day, not far from 1000 signatories.