The Implementation of the Cultural Exception Concept on the French Cinema Development and the Complexion of its Domestic Movie Theater Industry

Abstract

The French government is committed to providing a special treatment on cultural products by implementing the Cultural Exception on the French cultural policies relating to the cultural industry such as the French cinema industry and its domestic movie theater industry. In an effort to protect the French cinema industry as well as its domestic movie theater industry, the French government imposed a number of policies such as quota restrictions and tariff arrangements of import film, funding to support French cinema production, as well as strict regulatory processes in the development of the movie theater industry sector in level domestic by foreign investors. These policies have long been used to maintain the French cinema industry as well as its domestic movie theater industry sector in the face of Hollywood Film domination, competition of global cinema exhibition chain, new challenges in technology development and the dynamics of international policies within the EU level. The adoption of cultural exception concept in French cultural policy relating to the French cinema industry and its domestic movie theater industry sector is the French government's resistance form in order to defend its cultural identity. This study aims to know how the cultural exception concept applied to the French cultural policy and it gives an impact on the French cinema development as well as its domestic movie theater industry. In order to reach the objection, this study uses qualitative research design. The literature review has been chosen to obtain secondary data from books, journals, and also from government publications and documents. Furthermore, this study applies a political economy perspective to provide an overview of the French cultural policy related to its cultural industry. The application of the cultural exception concept adopted into the French cultural policy and imposed by the French government is able to make the development of the French cinema industry and its movie theater industry sector grow strongly at domestic level. For the sake of the economic factor in French cinema industry sector, the French government is more openly supporting the making of films adapted to the global market in order to compete with Hollywood films. On the other hand, there are homogeneity and monopoly in the French movie theater industry sector which is only controlled by local exhibitor or domestic companies.