Viral publications on social networks claim that "5 million euros " were "released to save the Cannes festival" , canceled this year. If the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region has voted an "exceptional plan " of 5 million for culture, she explains "that no means of this plan will be allocated to the festival."
Also read: Pierre Lescure: "Cannes must not draw the curtain"
"5 million euros released to save the Cannes festival, while the caregivers burst open mouth!" , indicate these messages, shared more than 20,000 times on Facebook since the beginning of May. "I have a hard time in my France, " reacts a user, when others question the veracity of the information: "Do you have proof of what you write?" , comments one of them. "Where does this source come from?" Nothing found ...... ”, abounds another.
The Paca region did indeed announce at the end of March an "exceptional plan" of five million euros for culture, which aims - among other things - to "strengthen support for permanent structures and festivals". However, as indicated in the details of the aid plan available, these five million euros in aid will be distributed among a plurality of cultural players in the territory.
Read also: Cancellation of festivals means “400 million euros in loss” for the Paca region according to Renaud Muselier
“To date, the Cannes festival has not reported any requests. No means from these five million will be allocated to the Cannes festival , " said AFP the office of the president of the region Paca Renaud Muselier, who stresses that this aid will be allocated " according to who needs and who doesn 'need not.' The cabinet specifies that "the regular subsidy of 250,000 euros per year will be maintained despite the cancellation of the festival ". "We did it for all the festivals, to avoid any mismanagement," we explain from the same source.
"A manifest fake news "
Questioned by AFP, the president of the Cannes festival, Pierre Lescure, denounces "a manifest fake news ". “We are not asking for absolutely any additional help. We don't need it, ”he explains. "We are not concerned by [this] release of five million euros for culture ", confirms Pierre Lescure, who figures "the shortfall in turnover" linked to the cancellation of the edition 2020 Cannes Film Festival at “around 10 million euros” . He explained in a recent interview to Le Figaro that "the way the festival has structured its finances and its cash by setting up an endowment fund shelters it " . This fund " has around 20 million euros," he explains.
The festival will not receive any exceptional public aid this year
The CNC and the Ministry of CultureThe festival will receive no exceptional public aid this year, say its president, the National Cinema Center and the Ministry of Culture.
According to Pierre Lescure and Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the festival, the reflection on the alternative forms that the festival could take this year continues, around in particular a selection stamped "Cannes 2020", without jury or awards, and a possible collaboration with the Venice Film Festival.
The budget of the Cannes film festival and market "amounts to 32 million " euros, said Pierre Lescure in March, a sum coming from public and private funds. "The festival in its operation is about 10 million euros," he detailed to AFP.