Val d’Oise. This association for the defense of independent cinema claims to be a victim of censorship

The association for the defense of independent cinema, arthouse films and arthouse cinemas (Adci), created in 1999 to fight against the announced creation of a multiplex in Argenteuil, and which organizes one screening/debate per month, criticizes the attitude of the municipality (Lr) of Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise) towards him.

“Censorship”

During a meeting evening organized Tuesday April 23 at Figuier Blanc, around the screening of the film Mountain Sailorthe association loudly denounced “the situation of censorship” of which it claims to be a victim since December.

“False pretexts” according to Adci to rule it out

“It’s the first evening of the current year and the last of the season”, underlined in substance the president of the association, evoking “the fallacious pretexts” put forward by the City, “in particular that of letting room for other associations”, such as the Écrans Vo association (an emanation of the Departmental Council) which carries out cinema awareness work among young people.

” Low blow “

“The first low blow consisted in 2023 in the elimination of our municipal subsidy, without any explanation, and the last low blow on April 24, the film distributor informed the association that the screenings of the film Mountain Sailor scheduled for this week are simply canceled. An unbearable contempt for cinema professionals and the public,” denounces Adci.

The town hall explains that it did not wait for Adci to carry out screenings-debates

For Chantal Juglarddeputy mayor responsible for Culture and Heritage, the lawsuit brought by Adci would be unfair.

“I find this reaction very surprising and I regret that the representatives of this association do not recognize the work that we do in favor of cinema. I remind you that the City still manages two municipal cinemas, the Figuier Blanc and the Salle Jean-Gabin. A choice that few municipalities make. These two cinemas each have the Arthouse label. At the same time, we are carrying out an important program, by conducting previews and inviting actors from cinema in the broad sense, which is aimed at all audiences. We didn’t wait for Adci.”

The elected official explains that in terms of programming, “Adci does not respect deadlines. » Adci for its part criticizes the town hall for having “burdened the procedures for transmitting information” and this “served as an alibi to invoke missed deadlines and then a desire to control our programming”.

“When they organize a screening at the Figuier Blanc, it is not a particularly young audience and I find that respectable, but I am keen to bring in all audiences, particularly young people, by making them aware of this major art. I don’t understand why an association that says it defends cinema doesn’t understand that,” concludes the elected official, who speaks of a “dogmatic” and “political” position of the association, to which the City has effectively removed the subsidy but that the City “helps in another way, on a technical or personnel level, when we open the Figuier Blanc to them”.

The Étoile cinema multiplex project in the crosshairs

Adci was created in 1999 to oppose the first multiplex project in Argenteuil (Pathé), supported by a left-wing town hall.

She has continued her fight since then, notably against the Étoile cinema multiplex project on the Héloïse pole, supported by the Fiminco group and the municipality of Argenteuil.

For Adci, this competition would be fatal to the Figuier Blanc. The controversy has lasted for seven years.

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