French directors’ guilds l’ARP and La SRF have issued a statement on the Canal+ Group ’s plan to acquire historic French film company and cinema chain UGC , saying they are paying close attention to the implications of a potential deal.

Pay-TV giant the Canal+ Group announced last week that was it was in exclusive negotiations to acquire a 34% stake in UGC, with an option to buy the company outright in 2028.

The guilds noted the operation came at a time when “the American administration had declared war against Europe and its culture”, and also in the wake of Lebanese-French logistics tycoon Rodolphe Saadé taking a 20% in Pathé, another pillar of French cinema.

“For French filmmakers and producers, cinemas, as well as their catalogs and films, are strategic cultural assets and

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