Arnaud MONTEBOURG, Minister of Economy, Productive Recovery and Digital Technologies and Aurélie FILIPPETTI, Minister of Culture and Communication welcome the vote taken this Thursday, April 17, 2014 in the Senate, within the framework of the Craft Bill, trade and very small businesses, which aims to better take into account the objectives of diversity of the film offer and cultural development of our territory.

With a view to better recognizing the specificities of the development of cinemas with regard to commercial urban planning, the Senate voted just like the National Assembly, the transfer of the commercial code to the cinema and animated image code the procedure for issuing the cinematographic development permit.

The Senators also adopted two amendments to transpose certain proposals contained in the report of Serge Lagauche “Assessment and proposals on the system of authorisations of cinematographic development resulting from the law of modernization of the economy of 4 August 2008”.

The priority is to ensure maintaining and protecting the pluralism of film exploitation with the aim of guaranteeing the variety in the territory of the Art et Essai and multiplexes theatres, which is one of the key factors in the dynamism of cinema attendance and the influence of cinema in France.

A new threshold of eight cinemas, the crossing of which implies the filing of a new application for authorization before the departmental committee of cinematographic development, was introduced. In particular, it will make it possible to submit to the committee cases of extension of establishments into a number of rooms without the creation of new seats, given their impact on cinema access.

In addition, the adopted text provides for the consideration of urban planning documents in the context of the assessment of the effect of the project on the cultural planning of the territory, the protection of the environment and the quality of urban planning. This will verify the appropriateness of installing film equipment within a territory.

Finally, the Senate adopted an amendment to ensure, in the case of a request for extension, control of programming commitments previously made by operators.

The Ministers stress that, in a necessary citizen objective of cultural democratization, this adapted cinema regulation tool will contribute to better guarantee to France a diversity of offers and cinematographic equipment, essential to these places of sharing and encounters between the works and the public.