Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Angoulême, france

Angoulême Mayor Calls For Cancellation Of Angoulême Comic Art Festival

The Mayor of Angoulême calls for the cancellation of the Angoulême Comic Art Festival, as Liberation newspaper states that it is all over.

One of the biggest and oldest comic art festivals, Angoulême in Charentaise, France, is teetering on the brink of oblivion. Bleeding Cool has been covering the events since the show last year that have led to threatened boycotts by publishers and creators alike, over the decisions made by the owners FIBD, the actions of the organisers 9e Art+ run by Franck Bondoux, accused of fostering a toxic environment marked by autocratic decision-making, nepotism, and a disregard for workers and volunteers, as well as allegations of sexism and sexual violence. Bondoux's announcement last week that he would step back, and that FIBD and 9e Art+ would make changes to the running of the show, did little to quell the unrest.

At the weekend, Bleeding Cool heard that the French government would be getting involved and this week the French Ministry of Culture slashed state subsidies to the show by over 60% or 200,000 euros, citing "shortcomings" in the previous edition's management, leaving local authorities to shoulder nearly half of the 6.6 million euro budget. However, according to Le Figaro newspaper, the Ministry of Culture hopes "that a 2026 edition can be held without hiding the fact that the event is particularly challenging. We are at a turning point in the festival's history, which is facing difficulties and is in danger." And the mayor of Angoulême, Xavier Bonnefont, stated that he refused to let the festival become "the focal point of all the issues to be resolved within the publishing world… We have the impression that the problem lies elsewhere. This is a national issue, and I believe the festival should not be held hostage simply because it holds a leading position."

But yesterday, the French newspaper Libération announced that there would be no Angoulême show in 2026, citing sources within the industry who confirmed major publishers' withdrawal. The publishing body the Syndicat National de l'Édition (SNE), representing France's largest publishing houses, convened an emergency meeting and yesterday issued a press release that welcomed "the major advances proposed by the public authorities for a historic reform of the governance of Angoulême" but "they understand the position of the authors' unions, the manifesto of the 285 authors, and the call from the major prize winners not to attend the 2026 edition. Given this large-scale movement, which they understand, the publishers believe that the 2026 edition can no longer take place." Instead they "call for a calming of tensions that everyone is waiting for" and state that they "will participate in the renewal undertaken by the public authorities to build the festival of tomorrow from 2027 onwards, and contribute to promoting comics in France and abroad."

The organisers of Angoulême fired back, issuing a statement denying outright cancellation and pledging crisis talks. 9eArt+ stated in an unsigned message, "The festival denies this cancellation" and they "expressed their hope that ongoing discussions will lead to a solution so that the 2026 edition can take place, in the best interests of the comics ecosystem and out of respect for an audience passionate about this unique form of reading.  For the time being, having spoken out and acted to facilitate the implementation of solutions to preserve the integrity and sustainability of the event, the Festival organisation is awaiting developments that may occur and remains open to any form of exchange."

Then last night, comic book creators and publishers from the Angoulême region were invited to a meeting with the mayor and his deputies. This morning, at a press conference, they officially requested the cancellation of the 2026 event. Mayor Xavier Bonnefont, surrounded by the prefect Jérôme Harnois, the regional president Alain Rousset, and the departmental president Jérôme Sourisseaun, stated that "It appears to us to be more than complicated to organise the 2026 edition… It is the authors, along with their publishing houses, who make the festival happen. Without them and without festival-goers, there is no festival, and without the festival, there is no public funding… We are therefore asking the FIBD association and the organiser to draw the conclusions that reality demands," and that they were "getting ready" to find "a new operator" for 2027. The Ministry of Culture, however, confirmed that they were still calling on the 2026 show to go ahead..

Jean-Luc Fromental, head of publisher Denoël Graphic, explained that "Despite all the progress made in recent days, the artists continue to say no, we won't be coming back. And rightly so. The mistrust they are expressing doesn't come out of nowhere. Some major publishers thought that the authors would fall into line, that all it would take was for the situation to end, for them to flock to Angoulême. They didn't really grasp the extent of the anger."

Frédéric Lavabre, founder of Sarbacane Publishing, stated, "Without authors, with Grand Prix winners calling for a boycott, the die was cast. It was impossible to go. It made no sense. The mood is, of course, a bit sombre because we feel like we've reached a point of no return. We're abandoning a festival we know, a festival we've known to be dysfunctional for some time now, without knowing exactly what we're getting into... The politicians woke up too late. We knew things weren't going well, but no one wanted to hasten the downfall. So the authors took matters into their own hands. The publishers didn't understand that this anger came from the heart. Do we truly grasp what it means when an author, who has just learned that their book has been selected for Angoulême after four years of hard work, decides to boycott the festival nonetheless?"

Jean-Luc Fromental added, "We were in a crisis meeting of the Madrigall group when it was communicated to us. But it seems to me that we are witnessing an extremely interesting moment. A moment when creators become aware of their power and the impact that this collective voice can have….The Angoulême Festival grew and expanded year after year, dreaming of being the equal of the Cannes Film Festival, until it became this enormous machine that crushes people and no longer satisfies anyone. The monster is collapsing under its own weight."

And Frédéric Lavabre also notes the symbolic importance of the moment. "It speaks to the emergence of women's voices in comics; we are almost witnessing a transfer of power. This protest movement was first and foremost led by female authors… The festival has become too big, too cumbersome, too expensive. Is this festival, organised around gigantic tents, really what we want? Is it really what the authors hope for? And the publishers? Is it really the best way to promote comics? I'm not so sure. We're at a point where everything can be re-examined, put back on the table. We need to redefine the Angoulême Festival."

But Artist Director of Angoulême Fausto Fasulo described the scenario as "apocalyptical," warning of the festival's potential "permanent disappearance." While François Schuiten, the 2002 Grand Prix winner, drew historical parallels, invoking the fates of former festivals like Avoriaz and Chamrousse that are no more.

The stakes extend beyond comics readers as local hoteliers and restaurateurs reap a month's revenue in four days during the show. "A lost year would be terrible," warns Amaury Legrand, co-president of the Hotelier Group, as local bookstores, too, expressed major worries. Radio France's France Culture pondered a grimmer fate, stating if the show doesn't run in January, it may never return…

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