French Cinema Groups Condemn Vautier Theater Renaming — SkimNews
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- Elne Mayor Steve Fortel renamed the municipal cinema from 'René Vautier' to 'La Bobine Illibérienne,' citing 'neutrality' and arguing cinema 'should not be politicized.'
- 17 French cinema organizations, including ACID, AFCAE, and DIRE, condemned the decision as reflecting 'a desire to erase the work and struggles of René Vautier' in a joint statement.
- René Vautier, a French Resistance member awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1945, directed Afrique 50—dubbed the first anti-colonial film—which landed him in prison and was banned in France for over 40 years.
- Vautier's 1972 film To Be Twenty in the Aurès depicted young French pacifists drawn into the violence of the Algerian War during France's attempt to quash the independence movement; he leaves a 180-strong filmography.
- Independent theaters across France symbolically operated under the René Vautier banner on Friday in solidarity, while backing a petition by Elne residents to restore the original name.
- The cinema bodies warned the move—combined with the municipality simultaneously taking over the cinema's management—threatens programming freedom protected by France's July 7, 2016 law on creation freedom, which local authorities must guarantee.
- Fortel, who won as an independent in March municipal elections, was previously affiliated with the far-right, neo-fascist Nationalists party; he also removed LGBT flags from the town and froze funding for the Château d'en Bardou refurbishment, home of the former Swiss Maternity of Elne.
Why it matters: The 17 cinema bodies warned the renaming—combined with the municipality taking over the cinema's management—directly threatens programming independence protected by France's 2016 freedom-of-creation law. The fight turns Fortel's 'neutrality' claim into a national debate over cultural memory, with Marine Le Pen's National Rally eyeing the April 2027 presidential election.
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