Hello everyone,
Mr. Speaker, dear Jean-Luc Martin,
Dear Jérôme Tréhorel,
Dear friends,
I am absolutely delighted to be here with you today.
I was told that it had been thirteen years since this festival had been visited by a minister of culture: it was time.
For the past few weeks, I have been travelling the route of festivals throughout France and I must tell you that the atmosphere and the energy we find here have something very special.
It is thanks to you, thanks to your commitment, and I want to begin by paying tribute to you: thank you to all the members of the Vieilles Charrues association, all the partners, all the patrons, all the volunteers...
If this festival was to see the light of day, it is because enthusiasts, activists and entrepreneurs like you have been there since the beginning, to go up the sleeves and believe in what was initially a somewhat crazy project and support its development.
If I wanted to be able to make a stop here, in my festival tour, it’s not just because this one is the biggest... nor to make up for the lost thirteen years … but because the Old Plows embody everything I stand for.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the values that are carried here, which meet my struggles, my convictions; and to tell you more broadly the policy that I wear so that festivals like this can continue to live everywhere in France.
A word about what sets the example of this festival for me, first:
There is much to say, but I would like to mention a triple commitment: territorial, artistic, and citizen…
The strength of the Old Ploughs is a local anchor, the relationship with the territory…
It is the support of an entire economic, political and associative fabric.
These are the partnerships, sponsorship activities developed with dozens of companies in the region. It is the trust you have been able to nurture among elected officials that you have managed to unite around your project.
I fight every day for the valorization of cultural initiatives like these, which are born far from the heart of metropolises, which make the life of rural areas, neighborhoods, medium-sized cities.
Culture plays a vital role. It not only creates links, it creates jobs, it creates activity, it enhances attractiveness.
It was a real gamble to launch a festival in the heart of Brittany, far from the coast, and to bring internationally renowned artists here: you succeeded.
For the territorial policy that I defend, which sometimes meets with criticism and scepticism, you offer what is most precious: you offer proof, a model of success.
The example of this festival, she is then in her artistic commitment.
This is the bet of eclecticism: the programming of this 27th edition is still the best illustration. One of the biggest challenges of cultural policy today is to defend diversity against the standardization that is being driven by globalization: you are part of this fight and I really want to thank you for it.
I would also like to acknowledge the great contribution made to local artists and the support that has been given for more than twenty years to the emergence of young talent.
And finally, if this festival is exemplary, it is through its civic engagement.
I am thinking of the virtuous model of involvement of volunteer associations:
More than a hundred of you support this festival, mobilizing nearly 7,000 volunteers in total!
And in return, the gift that the festival gives you allows you to develop activities, at the service of the territory, at the service of its inhabitants, also at the service of humanitarian projects far beyond our borders.
When I talk about citizen engagement, I am also thinking of ecology, of course: an issue that has been dear to me for a long time and on which you are at the forefront.
For all these reasons, the Vieilles Charrues are exemplary: examples of what makes the strength of French cultural life; and examples of what I defend.
Beyond its singularities, this festival is emblematic of thousands of others in France, which rest on the passion and generosity of professionals, elected officials, associations.
Festivals that have started from scratch, and today play a decisive role for the territory, artists and citizens. They occupy a major, incomparable and irreplaceable place in the life of the French.
Exemplarity, the State must support and value it.
We will have a policy equal to what you represent for France.
We will have a policy that meets the challenges you face.
I want to say a word about that, because I have heard the questions that have emerged in recent weeks.
My first decision – and this is the first sign of my commitment to festivals, of my determination to tackle your problems head on – was the appointment of a permanent representative within my ministry.
There was no clearly identified interlocutor for the festivals so far.
So I decided to name one: Serge Kancel, who is here with us today and whom I thank for his commitment.
When I arrived at the department last year, I was also struck by the lack of data and visibility we had on the French festival scene. But without data, we can’t develop a suitable policy. It was a colossal job, but a must.
I asked Serge to take a look at the landscape of festivals in France, which is now available on the ministry’s website.
Nearly 2,000 festivals have already been recorded. There are more. Serge will continue his work and the platform is also intended to be fed by organizers, associations, local elected officials, in a collaborative way.
This panorama may seem anecdotal, but it is a decisive innovation.
It is first and foremost a valuable information tool for all French people, who can now access the map of festivals in their region.
It is also an indispensable tool for our public policies.
It’s an observation tool. It will make it possible to study the evolution of the landscape from year to year, the sustainability of festivals, creations and disappearances.
And it’s a steering and monitoring tool for our policies, our grants.
It will allow us to act more effectively, more fairly, to the challenges that independent festivals may encounter in France.
The density and diversity of the French festival ecosystem are now weakened by various factors.
I would like to mention three major challenges:
The variation in public subsidies, firstly, which is linked to budgetary constraints but which weakens the festivals that depend on them.
The panorama drawn up by Serge Kancel includes data on the level of support given to each festival and will allow us to improve steering.
There are 600 festivals funded by the Ministry of Culture or the National Book Centre, the National Variety Centre, and the National Film Centre.
I asked Serge for a concerted effort to draft a circular defining precisely the criteria for public support for festivals.
I hope this work will be done in consultation with elected officials and professionals. It is underway and should be finalized in a few weeks.
The second challenge is to cover security costs in the context of an ever-high terrorist threat.
In a circular dated 15 May, the Minister of the Interior recalled the rules in force for the billing of law enforcement services. Localized difficulties may have arisen in the interpretation of the text and so I alerted Gérard Collomb.
We therefore communicated together in early July to reaffirm the government’s commitment to festivals, but also the priority of ensuring the safety of artists and the public.
The Minister of the Interior reminded the prefects of the need to exercise discretion in the application of the instructions, so that the billing of the services of order is always compatible with the economic balance of the festivals and does not weaken the events. We also recalled that a change in the amount invoiced should be systematically discussed with the organiser, and sufficiently in advance of the events.
The services of my ministry in the regions will approach the prefects to study the situation at the slightest complication.
A progress report on the May 15 circular will be made in the fall as part of the interdepartmental committee monitoring the security of cultural institutions and events.
This is an issue that I am following with the utmost attention, count on me.
The safety of artists and festival-goers is our priority.
The third area of concern is the risk of concentration in the sector.
In recent years, there have been acquisitions of festivals by large groups, which has resulted in a cascading increase in artist fees, which small independent festivals can no longer afford, and which leads to the risk of attracting audiences, standardization of the artistic offer.
I heard the warnings on the subject, so I did not wait to act.
I decided to launch an interdepartmental mission, in connection with local authorities and festival actors, with three objectives:
- First, measure the phenomenon;
- Next: identify potential bad players, identify practices that fall outside the normal rules of competition;
- Thirdly, to identify avenues for government action.
We will take appropriate action.
Without delay, I wanted to be able to formalize the principles I defend in a “Festival Charter” that my department will broadcast. Through this document, I wanted to reaffirm a political commitment to festivals, their role in the territories and the cultural ecosystem they create.
This Charter is a form of “code of good conduct”, a covenant of commitment and solidarity that recalls what is the foundation of the “festival-making” in our country and the importance of protecting it.
It is intended to be broadcast from today on in all festivals: to organizers, elected officials, volunteers, artists.
It has already met with a favourable response among several associations of local elected officials, and I intend to continue working with them.
Through this Charter, we are committed to supporting festivals that are “exemplary” in terms of artistic diversity and excellence; exemplary in terms of opening up to the public, with awareness-raising activities, pricing efforts; exemplary in terms of the territorial footprint; exemplary in terms of economic attractiveness, employment, structuring of the cultural sector; exemplary in terms of social and environmental responsibility.
We are also committed to paying particular attention to emerging festivals and those whose economic model is fragile.
When I say “support”, I mean subsidies, but not just subsidies.
The role of my department does not end there. You are the illustration of that.
You are demonstrating that exemplary events can also live without state support, thanks in particular to patronage. That doesn’t mean we’re not behind you.
The regional directorates of my ministry are also there to support training, mediation, dissemination of good practices, arts and cultural education. My department can foster bridges, connections.
The role of the State, continuously, is also to guarantee the creative, programming and broadcasting freedoms that make up the lifeblood of our cultural life.
And the role of my department is also to implement policies that promote access to events like this.
This is the meaning of the Culture Pass that we are developing, for 18-year-olds.
Your festival has very quickly offered to be a partner: in a few moments we will sign an agreement so that the Vieilles Charrues offer will be available on the Culture Pass. You’re one of the first festivals to sign.
It’s a huge satisfaction for us, and I want to thank you for that.
This Pass Culture is a unique adventure for my ministry.
This is a tremendous opportunity for the youth of our country.
This is an opportunity for all the cultural players in the territories, including festivals like this one. Thank you for taking it.
Thank you again for your commitment, thank you for the model you offer.
Thank you all.