It is very upstream now that they must act

Before being appointed Director General of the CNC, the national Centre of cinematography, running the Festival de Cannes. What is now such an event

She has a role of a high efficiency! It is by walking abroad that shows how it is powerful, the Festival de Cannes! His first vocation is to highlight the cultural diversity of cinema, show that there are whole continents of cinema that is not known, or which are still to be born. And therefore interest in films not necessarily out in rooms. His second mission is the development of the artistic dimension of cinema in counterbalance to the global market. Finally, there is the effect of leverage the simple selection in official competition can be a work in his country. Especially in those who live a small revival of their cinema. Sometimes while some build real film policy.

And French cinema, draws benefits

The primary mission of the Festival de Cannes is not supporting French cinema! But with three films in official selection which includes 19 or 20 each year, it provides a strong artistic showcase. Moreover, the largest market in the world is at his feet. Ask a producer that this represents. It's huge. And, any French cinema is concerned, selected or not. This year, more than 10,000 participants enrolled in the film market. This is because it is integrated into the Festival that this event such a success! This ensures an artistic dimension that is not, for example, in the U.S. market, completely dominated by the commercial logic. The mixed nature of the financing of the Cannes Festival with private and public resources is the key element which enables it to maintain a balance between art and commerce.

Are you satisfied with how evolved the hexagonal production

The French film policy has demonstrated its effectiveness. Several indicators prove this. And first market share. The India, the United States and the Korea, the France is the only country whose national cinema represents between 35 and 50 of entries.

Moreover, the success of the French film export is a new phenomenon. In 2005, hexagonal production has collected more than entries from abroad than in it. This had never happened since the birth of cinema! And this is not only linked to the success of "The March of the Emperor". Among the ten French films that attracted the most viewers in France, the first seven totaled more entries in theatres abroad. Michael Haneke is now known around the world. It is produced by the French and it works worldwide! The internationalization of financing for French films is clearly an explanation. When they register in a co-production with third countries, Europeans in particular, they have the aid which they practise and distribution conditions necessarily. But, even in the US, two films, "March of the Emperor", Luc Jacquet, and "The transporter 2", produced by Luc Besson, arrived at the top of the box-office...

What are the key to French cinema rayon in ten years

I am very optimistic about the evolution of the market share of French cinema, and indeed those of other European films. In 2005, the Denmark, the part of the national cinema reached 34, and in Italy, where yet more no film policy is implemented over the past four years, she established at 20. More we are witnessing the development of global "events" such as "Star wars" or "the Lord of the rings", which appear on 20,000 screens in the world on the same day and won a great success, more a local cinema easily find its audience. France, today is the case for comedies such as "Les Bronzés 3" or "I find you beautiful. These films grow their specificity and cultural difference in counterbalance to a global cinema. Everywhere, the film found a strong match with his national public, because there need to have a foot in the world and one foot in his cultural land. What makes me optimistic, very optimistic, on the future, not of European cinema, but of European cinema. The same phenomenon has occurred in the music, for the same reasons. Here also, there was a directory globalized, but majors have invested in local directories, because this walking.

According to a study, Americans, of less than twenty-five years, the film will happen in seventh position among entertainment. Do you find it disturbing

For now, I find it reassuring that despite the development of new solicitations, video games, television, Internet, mobile phones, as soon as there are two or three films that appeal, the public takes the path of the rooms. Evidenced in April where they attended a bottling of films, but each has found its audience and attendance increased overall by more than 30 over 2005. This is a market of supply. It is sufficient that there exits that create a delicacy, a wait. That is why I have no concerns about the future of the rooms. More consumption of images will be individualized, and more there is also a desire to counteract this solitary consumption, a little narcissistic, by output collective film.

The Americans were estimated at 6 billion

$ the impact of piracy on Hollywood. Do you have an encryption for the French market

Non. It is a grey area. I do not know how the Americans are able to make an assessment. I am afraid that they add political communication more than information. In France, is not measure such a phenomenon. On the other hand, is that legal offers cinema develop. They arrived almost at the same time that piracy, in contrast to what happened to the music, which has suffered a delay of several years.

Will download of films on the Internet change the economy of the cinema

The Internet is a wonderful tool for democratization of culture, very suitable for all cultural industries. The distribution is much less expensive, which allows to lower prices. Of course, must still be ensure that these tools make the creation and production. It is in this spirit that the cinema has signed an agreement in December last with Internet access providers. Agreement that respects the two basic principles of the French regulation: VOD (video on demand) registration in the chronology of the media (1) and the obligation for service providers to invest in production from a certain level of turnover. The France is the only country to have an agreement of this type.

What do you think the launch simultaneous films on the Web and in cinemas, as Americans have begun to do so

I do not think that this is desirable. The work of cinema, when she has an artistic dimension, needs to be discovered in a collective place.

At this time, Americans are studying the French system of chronology of the media. They realize that the experiences of exit films in cinemas, on the Internet and on cable networks simultaneously, as comes to Steven Soderbergh with "bubble", are not positive. In reality, Soderbergh offered a promotion for the release of his film. Streaming rooms was not his priority and indeed it was not a success.

But, in France, a majority of movies can't even access to the public. Could this be a solution

Of course, everything is not perfect. For this reason, the CNC asked Jean-Pierre Leclerc set a code of conduct to improve relations between distributors and operators. This is, inevitably, the number of films produced in the world will continue to increase. And this is not only disadvantages. High production French 240 works last year for example allows us to have a strong presence on the European VOD sites. Among the 2,000 films they propose on average, 700 are French. But this abundance requires review our methods to create a desire, a delicacy. Traditional marketing in the US is not the single track to promote the film. It is very upstream now that they must act. I wish that the CNC adoption means to encourage producers. It should be that, at the start of the project, the producer adoption with distributor how to attract attention to his film. "Brice de Nice" has demonstrated that this method could work; the film began his promotion before even the beginning of the filming, with the launch of the site Web de Jean Dujardin. Authors such as Olivier Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin, Jacques Audiard, them also, very well come to create this desire. They attract the public France but also abroad.

Digitization will further exacerbate this tendency to the increase in the offer...

Undoubtedly. At the time, the profession of operator will have to slightly change. With the digital switchover, where the film copy will be replaced by a computer file, it is the world production will be offered every Wednesday. This means perhaps a hundred films, not ten or twenty, like today. This will require managers of the theatres to choose, and therefore to engage.

Another phenomenon, not necessarily negative, digital will also enhance the possibility of presenting multiple movies in one room, by selecting the hours and days...

How to prepare the transition

The upgrade of the multiplexes is the less complicated for reasons of integration of production, distribution and exploitation. But must be taken to concern also of the rest rooms Park. Otherwise, it may have a polarization, with on one side of the multiplexes prepared for digital, so to accommodate the American production, knowing that the Americans, who have a time in advance, may soon get more movies in digital, for reasons of economy. The other less well equipped rooms, will find so marginalised and ghettoised. However, there was also concern about the content. Today, very few European films are scanned. It would be desirable that European aid is created to facilitate the digitisation of European films.

In a changing world, is the French film support system still adapted

The market changes. Nothing is stable. It certainly we us to adapt. With an annual production of 240 French films, the CNC should for example to pay attention to what its aid system is not at the origin of a certain natalisme. One can also wonder about the function of the Ombudsman of the film, created twenty years ago. He had a power of injunction to help farmers access to copies. Today, it should almost be with inverse power!