Thomas Jolly launches the idea of ​​a “great spectacle” as a “legacy” of the Paris Olympics

The director, artistic director of the Olympic ceremonies, was interviewed by the Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

Lhe artistic director of the Olympic ceremonies, Thomas Jolly, launched the idea on Wednesday of organizing “a great spectacle offered to the population” as ” legacy “ regular of the Paris Games this summer, before the Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. “ A great spectacle offered to the population, wouldn’t that be the moment? »he asked, answering questions from deputies on “legacy” which will remain of the Olympic Games, in particular of the ceremonies which he orchestrated on this occasion, certain parliamentarians evoking the date of “July 14”.

He also pleaded in favor of a new “great cultural policy”deploring that there is no “no more talk about culture in electoral campaigns”while “the great powers have nevertheless leaned on culture”. Asked about the concentration of ceremonies in Paris, he also pleaded in favor of“a really great job” to restore to the French a taste for culture and theater, particularly in rural regions. “Being able to go to the theater is a field worth investing in”because “the desire is not extinguished. When it exists, the French know how to seize it”he added.

The director once again denied having wanted “to mock” one religion in particular, the Catholic religion, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26, praised but also strongly criticized around the world by mainly conservative and far-right voices. “You are the only one talking about it”said Thomas Jolly to a member of the National Rally, Tiffany Joncour, who questioned him about “The Beheading of Marie Antoinette”in front of a young audience or the performance “ shocking » of The Last SupperChrist’s last meal with the apostles. “If journalists and commentators have had erroneous interpretations, the problem is that they arouse hatred, how can I think that I could have mocked a religion when an entire painting is dedicated to Notre-Dame de Paris? »symbol of Christianity and the Catholic religion, he asked, recalling that a large majority of French people appreciated the opening ceremony. He also protested against “ these little sentences that generate hatred and comment frenzy”believing that we “cannot be political if we do not have the desire to unify the city”.