Covid-19: two billion euros for culture and new rules

The government's response to the "suffering" experienced by the culture sector since the start of the health crisis will be "unprecedented" , the Prime Minister promised Wednesday morning on France Inter. The word is not too strong: an “exceptional” endowment of 2 billion euros, drawn within the framework of the recovery plan, will be released. It will be added to the 3.5 billion already announced at the beginning of the summer (including the white year for intermittents) and will lead more or less to a 50% increase in the budget for culture. “It's an economic activity (…) You have to go to the theater, to the cinema, you have to support the sector,” says Jean Castex.

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These two additional billion will have to be divided between the theater, the inheritance, the big museums, the cinemas, the concert halls… The distribution of this sum is not yet known. It will be partly unveiled Thursday afternoon, after a meeting organized at the Ministry of Culture with representatives of private performing arts. These theaters like these concert halls are the hardest hit by the pandemic because their revenues come from the sale of tickets. "Since March 2020, we have lost 2.3 billion euros in turnover" , underlines Malika Seguineau, general manager of Prodiss, union of producers and cinema owners.

The Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot has already received Malika Seguineau and her peers from the private theater, eight days ago. This time, the Prime Minister will be present. "He will listen and will not speak at the end of the meeting," we told Matignon. It is "the excellent" Roselyne Bachelot - the expression is from Jean Castex - who will give the details. The displacement of a head of government in a ministry, fact rare, is worth all the political messages.

"Go to the cinema, go to the theater"

If culture has had the feeling of being abandoned for months, it is now at the top of the pile of files in Matignon. Thus, Friday, Jean Castex should continue his cultural tour by going to the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival organized by Dominique Besnehard. There, in the presence of the producer Julie Gayet, he should go further into the details of the measures. For example, we will know from when it will be necessary to wear a mask in the cinema during the screening of the film, and no longer only in the corridors (the measure is already underway in many European cinemas). Wearing a mask will end the distance between spectators, except in areas classified as red for the virus, including Paris or Marseille. "I say to the French, go to the movies, go to the theater, you risk nothing" , enthuses the Prime Minister.

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Until then, he has not convinced Marc Olivier Sebbag, Secretary General of the National Federation of French Cinemas: "Why would culture be stigmatized by this double penalty, when planes and trains are not?" , he protests.

Since June, the entire live performance industry has been clamoring to be able to play sold out again, even if it means asking the public to come masked. We must avoid the bankruptcy of half of the companies including independent producers who manage the careers of famous artists.

Finally, after the controversy surrounding Puy du Fou, major concerts and shows for more than 5,000 people remain prohibited until October 31. Producers and artists still hope to return to the norm for concerts of up to 5,000 people, and to no longer have to separate groups by an empty chair. On Wednesday, Jean Castex dampened their enthusiasm, and contradicted his minister who hoped to obtain the end of the gauge restrictions. Prefectural exemptions in the red zones will no longer be possible. The prefects will be able to cancel certain events if the pandemic were to get carried away.

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In Angoulême, the Prime Minister will meet up with the entire film industry, actors, producers, agents, distributors, directors and theater owners. In addition to the thorny question of the cinema gauge, he will have to answer a question that is both trivial and fundamental for the economy of theaters: will we still be able to nibble on popcorn and sip a drink as we can? in the TGV? "It would be consistent," insists Marc Olivier Sebbag.