Latest in France

France is now set to enter a second lockdown phase from tomorrow night and for five weeks as coronavirus cases continue to escalate. French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement in an address to the nation this evening. Movie theaters were not explicitly cited, but will clearly be included in the off-limit…

A government-mandated curfew that was set in place in France last week has been widely extended across the country, and will come into effect from Friday night. An estimated 46M people (69% of the population) will be impacted by the new measures announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex this evening. Residents of the 54…

In another blow to the industry, the French government has ordered a curfew in several major cities across the country. From Saturday, residents of L'Ile de France (which includes Paris and its environs), Lyon, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Lille, Grenoble, Montpellier, Rouen, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne will be under a…

France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex on Wednesday said that the state has earmarked €2 billion ($2.36 billion) for the cultural sector in the wake of the coronavirus. While the full economic recovery plan — €100B euros in total — will not be officially unveiled until September 3, the newly installed Castex told France…

The big international box office news this week isn’t actually from the weekend — which was again led by Korea and saw continued ups and downs versus last session as moviegoers await new product. Instead, after 100 days of closure, French cinemas re-opened beginning Monday this week, and with at least 40 films…

France’s movie theaters will be allowed to re-open from June 22, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced this evening. This is earlier than expected, as French Culture Minister Franck Riester said this week that cinemas were eyeing a July 1 re-start. The decision was made in concert with the industry, Philippe said…

Following Spain, India and others, France has outlined recommendations for on-set safety when filming gears back up again as coronavirus restrictions ease in the country. The Central Committee for Hygiene, Security and Working Conditions for TV and Film (CCHSCT) published its proposals today. The org noted that the…

As France awaits official updates that are expected to come later this week with regard to the re-opening of restaurants and perhaps fewer restrictions on travel, Culture Minister Franck Riester reiterated today that cinemas are eyeing a July 1 re-start. Speaking to France Info, Riester said the government is mulling…

France’s movie theaters may be able to re-open at the beginning of July, the country's Culture Minister Franck Riester said today. A further update is expected at the end of this month, however, Riester told local radio this morning that the government believes a certain number of cinemas may be able to get back to…

French president Emmanuel Macron spent about 30 minutes this afternoon presenting his proposals for the country’s cultural sector which has been badly hit by the coronavirus crisis. Most notably for local artists and technicians who work on a periodic basis, Macron said he hopes to extend their unemployment insurance…

French movie theaters will not be allowed to re-open when the country begins to lift its national lockdown May 11, while a ban on festivals and events that draw more than 5,000 people has been extended to September. That includes professional sports, and notably the effective axing of the 2019-2020 local soccer…

French president Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation this evening, saying that in-home confinement spurred by the coronavirus crisis will be prolonged until May 11. While not specifically identifying the Cannes Film Festival, Macron also noted that festivals and other events drawing large crowds will not be allowed…