French president Emmanuel Macron has announced the creation of a temporary compensation fund aimed at TV and cinema shoots which were delayed or cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting French national lockdown which began on March 17th, reports Screen Daily.
Macron revealed the initiative in a wide-ranging televised address on Wednesday, detailing what his government is doing to support France’s cultural sector.
He said the initiative was being developed by France’s Ministry of Culture and the National Cinema Centre (CNC).
Alongside central state funds, Macron said it would also be financed by regional funds as well as private sector partners such as insurance companies, banks and Sofica tax shelter schemes.
“We are going to get them involved and make them take on their responsibilities too,” Macron said of the insurance companies, banks and Soficas. “They have to join us to help us put this compensation fund in place.”
He said it would be aimed at compensating shoots which had been cancelled or postponed, on a case by case basis.
The president added, however, that it would not be possible for big shoots to start up again at least until the end of May.
“Rules around social distancing and numbers will make it difficult to start shoots again in a concrete manner, aside from a handful of exceptions, before the end of May. After, when we can see a bit clearer, we can adapt but it will be on a case by case basis,” he said.
Macron’s address followed a morning-long meeting with around a dozen representatives of France’s culture sector and comes amid growing disquiet from its professionals over their future.
The sector has been hit hard by the lockdown, which forced the closure of cinemas, theatres, and museums as well as the cancellation of numerous big cultural events, including the Cannes Film Festival in May and performing arts-focused Festival d’Avignon, which usually takes place in July.
The country’s lockdown is due to start easing on May 11th but alongside the uncertainty around shoots there is still no indication on when cinemas and other cultural and entertainment venues will be able to start opening up again.
Under the plan to ease the lockdown, announced by French prime minister Edouard Philippe last week, the question of when to re-open cinemas will be examined in early June. The only public, cultural spaces due to open their doors on May 11th are local libraries, mediatheques and small museums.
In other initiatives for the culture sector, Macron said emergency income support measures for cultural sector professionals on temporary contracts and unable to work due to the lockdown, would remain in place until August 2021.
People working in France’s cultural, media and communications sector are usually well-provided for during periods of unemployment thanks to the country’s compulsory Audiens mutual welfare fund.
These income support benefits are dependent, however, on professionals having worked and contributed for a minimum of 507 hours over a period of less than 12 months. Many professionals will no longer hit 507-hour quota due to the lockdown.