France’s cultural minister Rachida Dati will remain in her position under French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s new cabinet, unveiled over the weekend.
The confirmation comes after months of political deadlock in the country after July’s snap elections.
Dati, known for her conservative politics, was appointed in January which sparked backlash from the traditionally left-leaning local film and TV industry and concern that she would be a threat to independent filmmaking.
Barnier’s cabinet marks a notable shift to the right, raising fears that France’s long-revered “cultural exception” could be subject to censorship or reduced subsidies from the government.
Since taking the reins earlier this year, Dati has been pushing for uniting the country’s public service radio and television, merging France Televisions, Radio France, the National Audiovisual Institute and France Medias Monde. The move has seen staff at several of the concerned media outlets strike in recent months.
She has been vocal in her efforts to spearhead more widespread access to culture, particularly in rural areas, and has also pushed for expanding a government-driven “culture pass” for 15-18 year olds.
Her ministry is currently working with a 2025 budget estimated to be identical to that of 2024 with €4.4bn devoted to culture, a 2% reduction taking inflation into account.
During a speech in May at Cannes Film Festival, Dati attempted to allay fears that she planned to revolutionise the country’s film industry, pledging to support local film festivals by boosting the CNC’s allocated festivals budget by 60% among other measures like renewing a fund to support films about disability and investing in itinerant cinemas. She was also outspoken about taking precise measures to prevent sexual violence and harassment on film sets.
She has named both Kevin Costner and Tom Cruise to the country’s Order of Arts and Letters in splashy ceremonies in Cannes for the former and then in Paris during the Olympics for the latter.
Dati has said she plans to run for Paris mayor against incumbent Anne Hidalgo in 2026, which would leave her just over a year to put her plans into action before campaigning would begin. Also putting a potential damper on her ambitions is the fact that she is under ongoing investigation for “passive corruption” and “abuse of power charges” dating back to 2021 that allege she received payments from a subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan automobile alliance.
Other government appointees who could influence the French film industry moving forward include the CNC’s former director of cinema Magali Valente who is now cultural advisor to Barnier, and Clara Chappaz who was named the country’s first-ever Secretary of State for AI and Digitalisation tasked with making France a leader in global technology.
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