00:03Welcome to The Cube, Euronews fact-checking show.
00:06France's film industry has been rocked after more than 600 film professionals
00:11signed a petition criticizing the main shareholder of Canal+,
00:15France's biggest film producer, on the eve of the famous Cannes Film Festival.
00:19The petition slammed the aggressive expansion of Vincent Bonore's media empire
00:23and warned of a potential right-wing reactionary agenda in French cinema.
00:27Maxime Saada, Canal+, CEO, has condemned the petition,
00:32stating he will no longer work with his signatories,
00:35urging the whole Canal+, group to do the same.
00:37The move was widely seen as a threat to freedom of speech,
00:40sparking strong backlash across the industry and within political spheres.
00:45But is that really the case, though?
00:47In France, freedom of expression is a constitutional right,
00:50though it can be limited in cases of abuse.
00:52In the Canal+, case, lawyers say both the petition signatories
00:56and Maxime Saada are within their rights to speak out and respond to any criticism.
01:02According to experts, Canal+, also has the right to choose who it works with,
01:06but the reasons behind refusing to collaborate with certain individuals
01:09could be seen as discriminatory.
01:11And Canal+, of all, is free of working with whom she wants to work.
01:15So if she says,
01:16I don't want to work with you because you have signed this tribunal,
01:19then, of course, it's reprehensible.
01:21If she says,
01:22I don't work with you, I don't want to participate in this film
01:25for telle reason, artistically, financial,
01:29you see?
01:29So, there are reasons, on va dire,
01:31who are proper and who are legitimate,
01:34we can't be reproached.
01:43So far, uncertainty remains over whether Canal+,
01:46will carry out its threats to blacklist the thousands
01:49who now sign the petition.
01:51And when contacted by the Cube,
01:52Canal+, declined to provide any further comments.
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