This is the end of the cinephile adventure for the fifteen journalists of the Cahiers du cinema . On Thursday, they all left the iconic New Wave monthly. An unprecedented decision in the history of the magazine created in 1951.
In question, the sale of the magazine to new shareholders, including some producers as well as the general delegate of the SRF (Society of film directors), who is appointed general manager. The editors therefore all used the cession clause, which allows journalists to leave their editorial office in the event of a change of owner.
Against a "friendly and chic" review
Not only does the arrival of the new shareholders "pose a problem of immediate conflict of interest in a critical review", but, in addition, journalists consider that they "distort The Notebooks ".
The change was announced in early February and the editors, even if they remain free, already say that they feel pushed to "refocus on French cinema" and to make the magazine of the seventh art a "friendly and chic" review, which would be a positioning contrary to their history.
Xavier Niel and Alain Weill among the buyers
" Les Cahiers have always been a critical review, committed, taking clear positions", and "it would be distorting Les Cahiers to make them a flashy showcase or a platform for promoting French auteur cinema," they announced.
Finally, their critical attitude towards the government and their clear positioning on the left would be threatened by the presence, among the buyers, of “businessmen close to power”, such as Xavier Niel, Marc Simoncini or Alain Weill.
The announcement comes as the Alliance for Press and Media Figures (ACPM) revealed that monthly sales are down: from 15,000 copies in 2015 to 12,000 last year.
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