The head of the French TV company and film producer Canal+, which like Havas is controlled by the Bolloré family, made headlines over the weekend for saying that the company would no longer do business with 600 members of the media and entertainment industry.  

According to reports Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada claimed to be offended that the group, including producers, directors, actors and other industry members had signed an open letter criticizing Bolloré patriarch Vincent Bolloré and his growing influence over French media and cinema.  

According to France 24 and other outlets the petition called on people to mobilize against "the growing grip of the far right" on the film industry under the influence of Bolloré and the Canal+ group. 

According to the outlets Saada said in Cannes on Sunday that he “experienced that petition as an injustice toward the Canal+ teams, who are committed to defending the independence of Canal+ and the full diversity of its choices."  

The Hollywood trade publication Deadline published a statement from the organizers of the open letter asserting that Saada’s comments supported their concerns. 

“These intimidation tactics are typical of his group’s majority shareholder, Vincent Bolloré,” the letter organizers stated in reference to Saada’s comments. 

According to Deadline, the open letter, titled “Time To Switch-Off Bolloré” was signed by French cinema luminaries like Juliette Binoche and Cannes 2026 Palme d’Or contenders Arthur Harari and Bertrand Mandico. 

Vincent Bollore Photo Credit: Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)