A French collective representing the interests of French film festival workers has called for a general strike “of all workers of the Cannes Film Festival and from the sidebars.”
The collective Sous les écrans la dèche (Broke Behind the Screens) made the call in a public statement on Monday.
The group has long been sounding the alarm about the precarious nature of film festival work, which typically involves short-term contracts for freelancers. But unlike other so-called intermediate workers in the entertainment industry, many festival workers are not covered by France's unemployment insurance program, meaning they are not eligible for unemployment benefits between jobs or projects.
De Sous les écrans noted that the latest set of benefit reforms, which will come into effect on July 1, will further tighten rules for workers.
“These reforms place festival workers in such uncertainty that the majority of us will have to give up our jobs, jeopardizing the events we participate in,” the group said.
So far, the group said, the Cannes festival, the French culture ministry and the French film council, the CNC, have greeted workers' concerns “with polite attention. [but] No concrete measures have been offered. That's why the upcoming opening of the Cannes festival leaves us with a sour note
taste.”
A strike could disrupt the Cannes festival, which opens May 14 and runs through May 25, and its sidebars, including Directors' Fortnight, Critics' Week and ACID Cannes. The 12-day event includes the star-studded premieres of highly anticipated films George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaFrancis Ford Coppolas MegapolisAnd Kevin Costner's Western epic Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1.
The Sous les écrans la dèche movement enjoys significant support within French industry. On the red carpet for her Palme d'Or-winning film Anatomy of a fall last year, French filmmaker Justine Triet and Anatomy actor Swann Arlaud pinned the group's bright red button to their lapel. Strike or not, expect many more Sous les écrans pins on the red carpet this year.
The Hollywood Reporter has contacted the Cannes Film Festival for comment.