Day 3441 (Tuesday) 10th November 2026.

These were both taken in Villefranche - sur - Mer in the past.

This is the port de la Darse

and this is the seafront.

It was quite cold again today and very grey so we were not able to go to Nice for our weekly kebab, very disappointing.

Huw found this article in the Nice Matin this morning..

We get blackmailed": Is Villefranche-sur-Mer still a welcoming city for filming?The Netflix series Emily in Paris, the prequel to Ocean's Eleven, the movie Roller Coasters... Many shootings have taken place in recent months in Villefranche-sur-Mer. But they left a bitter taste for the production teams, who feel like they were taken for dairy cows.

Appreciated by directors and producers, the Côte d'Azur is a fertile land for filming. In recent months, from Monaco to Grasse, via Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice or Antibes, many productions have put down their cameras: Emily in Paris, The prequel to Ocean's Eleven, the movie Roller Coaster…

Montagnes russes

But installing productions in cities is not always easy. Because once the place is chosen, there is a whole logistics to set up. It starts with the cities that must grant access to the public domain. And, the story can get tougher, with regard to private spaces such as shops. This is the case in particular in Villefranche-sur-Mer where production has encountered difficulties, with traders sometimes too greedy in their claims for compensation.

We get blackmailed, says Étienne Olchewsky, the general manager of the production of Ocean's prequel. It is not because it is a large production that budgets are unlimited. We have envelopes to honour. "In the manager's sights: the restaurateurs of the Villefranche-sur-Mer harbour.

"A restaurateur asked for 100,000 euros in compensation for the filming of Ocean's prequel to occupy his establishment, when it was no longer even open at the time of filming," reports a member of the production.

The Nice director Cyril Gelblat, who had chosen to shoot on the port of the Darse for his feature film Montagnes russes, denounces the methods of the city. "As few days before the start of filming, the municipality presented us with the bill: 4,000 euros. There had never been any question of prices before, "he said in Nice-Matin, on September 27, 2026.

On the Admiral Courbet quay, the Lou Bantry restaurant served as the setting for Ocean's prequel. Olivier Senia, his boss for a decade, does not hide his pride in seeing his establishment among the sets. Even if it had to be renamed "Albertine the queen of shellfish". "Some of my customers thought I had sold," he amuses.

Without revealing the amount he received so that the cameras could land at his home, he claims "not to have been too greedy". As proof, the production asked him again when it needed to come back to shoot a few scenes in the harbour.

"Money drives you crazy," he exclaims. Some restaurateurs have gone so far as to ask for three times what they usually charge. You have to know how to be reasonable. The idea is not to lose goods and to find your way around. ”Olivier Senia even tried to bring together the merchants on the dory to discuss and try to harmonise the amounts claimed. "Apart from that, I couldn't do anything more," he says in a nod.

The mayor of Villefranche, Robert Capelier, indicated that he wanted to "solve the problems with restaurateurs" and deplores some "crazy requests". 

"We are putting things in place with rates," he continues. We must not forget that these shootings are an extraordinary promotional tool for the city. ”

"The Mafia of the South”

In charge of finding places to organise filming, rental manager Arnaud Duterque deplores these methods. "These behaviours have a very harmful impact," he says. Because it gives a very bad image at the national and international level. ”Requested for many productions, he is on the front line to see the ravages. "Some say that they will no longer shoot in Villefranche, that it is organised racketeering, and talk about the Southern mafia," says the one who "has been in the business since 1989”. He continues: "It is very difficult to get rid of a bad reputation and a single city can tarnish those of the entire South".

According to him, a question arises: "Is it still possible to shoot in Villefranche? "If it does not generalise these practises at the level of all traders, it nevertheless launches a warning about harmful consequences for all.

"We are trying to homogenise all this with the municipalities in which the shootings take place," explains Camille Féret, the operational manager of the Alpes-Maritimes film commission. Each city has its own price list for the occupation of its public domain but private owners do what they want. ”The film commission then takes on the role of "traders' unions" and tries to relay between all in order to help them better exchange on the conditions of the shooting.

The regional film commission has also published a practical guide to filming in order to "give everyone the keys so that everything happens in good conditions" and "avoid misunderstandings”. "It's always harmful when it doesn't go well because it gives a negative image of the municipality," laments Camille Féret.