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As the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new phase, with vaccinations becoming available and new mutations of the virus being discovered, the French Government has continued to support the audiovisual sector, which has suffered long-term harm because of the health crisis. In a decree published on 30 December 2020, a special support fund was created for certain audiovisual production companies whose filming on French soil was interrupted, delayed or abandoned when one or more indispensable individuals, such as production team members, were unable to work due to the COVID-19 virus. This one-off fund is...

A judgment issued on 6 January 2021 by the 1st civil chamber of the Court of Cassation put an end to the dispute between the production company responsible for the film Grâce à Dieu (By the Grace of God) and the main character portrayed in the film, Father Preynat, who was indicted in 2016 on suspicion of sexually abusing minors between 1986 and 1991 while he was a priest in the diocese of Lyons. The film tells the story, in a fictional format, of three of the priest’s alleged victims. In January 2019, the priest lodged an application for emergency proceedings, demanding that...

The torrent of anti-Semitic tweets targeting the Miss France runner-up on the evening of the beauty pageant on 20 December 2020 once again brought into sharp focus the need to strengthen the tools available to combat online hate speech in France. The law to combat hate speech on the Internet, known as the “Avia law”, of 24 June 2020, which required social networks to remove manifestly illegal hate speech within 24 hours (or one hour in some cases), was almost entirely rejected by the Constitutional Council. One of the few provisions to escape criticism concerned the creation of a “parquet...

Several dozen artists, theatres and representatives of the live entertainment and cinema industries asked the Conseil d’État judge responsible for urgent applications on matters concerning fundamental freedoms to suspend the closure of cinemas, theatres and performance venues ordered by the French Government since 29 October 2020 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 10 December 2020, the Prime Minister announced that these venues, as well as museums, would remain closed for at least three weeks after the end of the lockdown, which was set for 15 December 2020. As the plaintiffs...

Law No. 2020-1508 of 3 December 2020 authorised the French Government to adopt an ordinance transposing Directive (EU) 2018/1808, known as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), after the wide-ranging bill on audiovisual communication and cultural sovereignty in the digital age was abandoned because of the health crisis. Without further ado, the ordinance of 21 December 2020 was adopted, amending the Freedom of Communication Act of 30 September 1986, the Cinema and Animated Images Code and the system of film release windows. The new legislation has two objectives: to protect the sustainability...