Under the gilding of the living room of the marshals of the Ministry of Culture, they were obviously all masked and seated far from each other. But surprise. Unheard of in rue de Valois. On the eve of his trip to Angoulême to inaugurate the Francophone Film Festival, Prime Minister Jean Castex organized a meeting with representatives of private performing arts at the Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot. About forty producers, turners, trade unionists, theater owners, ... had answered the call.
After two hours and thirty minutes of discussions and the announcement of 220 million euros for the sector out of the 2 billion provided for Culture in its recovery plan, relief was visible on all faces. " This is the first time that I have heard a Prime Minister who considers culture other than as an expense item ", welcomes Bertrand Thamin, president of the National Union of Private Theaters. Of these 220 million, ten will be paid to the association for the support of private theater in order to manage the most delicate situations.
This is the first time since the start of the health crisis in March that these actors can finally consider the end of the tunnel. Along with nightclubs, concerts and shows are the only ones not to have been deconfined. According to Prodiss, a union of producers and room owners, the profession has lost 2.3 billion euros and many companies are on the verge of bankruptcy.
The sum announced by Jean Castex this Thursday is a direct help. It will be added to all the aid measures already taken (partial unemployment, state loans, aid to intermittent workers, emergency funds, exemption from charges, etc.). " From now on, the important thing is to decide how this sum will be broken down " , underlines the vice-president of Prodiss, Aurélien Binder .
Jean Castex asked the professionals to create a committee next week with the management of the National Music Center (CMN). This committee will have to work quickly, efficiently and flexibly so that the money is distributed as quickly as possible to companies in difficulty.
The Prime Minister also announced an allocation of 100 million euros to compensate for the loss of revenue due to social distancing in the red zones. " We do not yet know according to what criteria, so we will have other meetings with the Culture services which will be less media-intensive, but just as important, " adds Bertrand Thamin.
This Friday, August 28, Jean Castex, who seems to have a large financial room for maneuver, will announce other measures for the cinema during the opening ceremony of the Francophone film festival in Angoulême where he will meet Roselyne Bachelot.
The Minister of Culture, after going to Paris on Tuesday evening at the Théâtre du Marais to see Assume Bordel !, the new comedy by Pierre Palmade is at the Rock en Seine festival this Thursday evening. One way of ensuring the cultural world of the support of the State while following to the letter the slogan of the Prime Minister who now considers that the public “does not risk anything” by going to the theater or the cinema.