The president of the French association of arthouse cinemas, François Aymé, believes that to get out of the coronavirus crisis, French cinema must change its mode of operation. Guest from Europe 1 on Wednesday, he also hopes for an extension of state aid.

INTERVIEW

These are alarming figures for a sector hit hard by the coronavirus crisis: the National Cinema Center announced on Friday that French cinema attendance had collapsed, with more than 70% decline in July. Due to the health crisis, the release of a large number of films has been delayed, while others have even preferred to release directly on streaming sites, to the chagrin of theater operators. A drop "never seen" for French cinema, said Wednesday at the microphone of Europe 1 the president of the French association of arthouse cinemas, François Aymé.

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Make people want to go to the cinema again

However, if the sector is suffering, it is not yet in agony. And according to the latter, the lifeline of French cinema is the development of "before- and after-screening", such as screenings dedicated to moviegoers or children. Special events that some arthouse cinemas have already set up. "The added value of cinema, that is to say comfort, exclusivity and pleasure, is still essential, but it may no longer be sufficient." "You need an atmosphere," he insists. "The sessions must be friendly, lively, and event-driven."

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User-friendliness to make the difference? 

"It is the convivial dimension of cinema that will make the difference, but for that, we need real support from the Ministry of Culture." This is why François Aymé hopes that partial unemployment and emergency aid will be extended. An essential step to help the 2,000 French cinemas to survive the half a billion euros loss suffered since the start of the year.