Angoulême 2026 cannot go ahead. In a message from his lawyers, Franck Bondoux places the blame for the festival’s cancellation entirely on public funders, and demands to have his company 9e Art+ remain as festival organiser for the 2027 event.
Based on this communication, Bondoux seemingly bases Angoulême 2026’s cancellation entirely on the national, regional, départmental, and municipal administrations for their joint decision to withdraw their funding on November 20, which fills nearly half of the Festival budget. Curiously the message sidesteps mentioning that their decision came after a massive author boycott and publisher withdrawals following a November 8 decision by festival owner Association FIBD to retain 9e Art+ as the organiser of the 52-year-old festival until 2036, despite a call for alternative proposals over the summer. 9e Art+ has been operating the Angoulême Festival since 2007.
There is presently no indication that Bondoux has any intention of stepping down as Angoulême Festival general delegate (which he has held since 2004) or that his company will be leaving. It is possible he could mount legal action to try to ratify the Association FIBD’s original result despite the owner’s decision to nullify and rerun the process following immense industry backlash.
The Angoulême Festival crisis continues.
[This article is being updated]
It appears that Franck Bondoux retirement and stepping away was always the sham everybody said it was.