David Lynch recently said, "if the flame of cinema is supposed to burn out one day, the last country where it will be burning is France". France did not fall short of the Enlightenment tradition when it required the European Commission not to stab Europe in the heart by forcing it to give up its cultures and cultural policies.
By refusing the diktat of multinational audiovisual and web firms, relayed by the European commission, which has forgotten its ideal and its essential goals - to defend the cultural and economic interests of Europe - France was the spokesman of many EU partners to obtain, on Friday 14 June, the total exclusion of audiovisual services from the scope of the trade negotiation with the United States of America which is about to start.
This precaution was indispensable as the development of European civilization, in all its dimensions, including the economic and industrial ones, requires dynamic national cultural policies, encouraging creation and creativity and valorizing national and local identities. If our regulation was not implemented on digital networks, Europe would soon become a territory used only to absorb American surpluses today, Chinese ones tomorrow: Europe of consumers would become Europe of the unemployed, it would be Europe of the unemployed consumer, what a nice ideal....
That's not the least of paradoxes to say that the preservation of cultural Exception - which is the key for an exceptional culture and the ground for all cultural policies - does protect the artists and the publics living not only in Europe but in the whole world, including the USA, as shown by the support given to France by Harvey Weinstein and Steven Spielberg, at the very moment when the latter and George Lucas foresee the crisis of Hollywood cinema.
This historical victory has to be credited to the French Government, with the personal implication of the President of the Republic and of the Prime Minister, the constant commitment of two Ministers, Nicole Bricq and Aurélie Filippetti, but it is also the victory of filmmakers, musicians, and all people working in the cinema industry, the victory of all local and national film agencies in Europe united in the EFAD network, not forgetting the massive resolution of the European Parliament : all of us have created a genuine holy alliance. Today we are celebrating the victory of Europe, the real Europe, the hearty democratic and generous Europe, acting for its interests without giving up its ideals, and its motto, "United in diversity"!
Eric Garandeau
