The Cannes Film Festival could have some changes due to worker action as a group of French film festival workers, called Sous les écrans la dèche, has asked for a strike at the event if unemployment benefits are not given to their members.
The group explained in a public statement on Monday that even though their work is not steady, they do not qualify for unemployment benefits in France, causing financial hardship between festivals.
The statement said, “We want the organizations that hire us to follow an agreement allowing us to be employed as intermittent show business workers and our roles to be added to the unemployment benefit system, going back 18 months.” The group mentioned that their concerns have been acknowledged but no real changes have been made.
“This is why we feel upset about the upcoming Cannes festival. We are in a very difficult situation and need to protect our work, so after consulting with our members, we are calling for a strike of all Cannes Film Festival employees,” the statement continued.
The Cannes Film Festival starts on May 14 and ends on May 25, and these actions could seriously disrupt the annual event, which is important for launching major films of the year. This year’s festival will feature George Miller’s prequel “Furiosa,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Francis Ford Coppola’s epic “Megalopolis” and more.
Read the group’s full statement below.
For the past year, we, members of the Sous les écrans la dèche (Broke Behind the Screens) collective, have been warning about the increasing insecurity faced by film festival workers.
We move from short-term jobs to unemployment periods, and even though our work is not steady and we promote the circulation of films, we are not covered by the French intermittent status benefits for show business workers!
The recent changes to unemployment benefits in France and the upcoming July 1st reform will make it even harder for employment seekers to receive benefits.
These changes put festival workers in such a difficult situation that many of us will have to give up our jobs, risking the events we are part of.
So, we want the organizations that hire us to follow an agreement allowing us to be employed as intermittent show business workers and for our roles to be incorporated into the unemployment benefit system, going back 18 months.
Our concerns and requests have been politely noted, but the CNC or the Ministry of Culture have not taken any definite action.
That is why the upcoming opening of the Cannes festival is leaving us feeling upset.
taste.
In a situation of great vulnerability and urgent need to protect our work, and after discussion and vote of the members of the group, we ask for a strike of all workers of the Cannes Film Festival and its related events.
