Lobster Film, founded by Bromberg in 1985, specializes in the restoration and distribution of vintage film. The prosecution contended that as an experienced film restorer, Serge was well aware of the danger of fire with nitrate film.
The judge found Bromberg guilty of manslaughter, involuntary injury, endangerment of others, and involuntary destruction of property by fire.
Fully acknowledging his responsibility for the fire Serge testified that . . . “I am the sole person responsible for this drama. It is my fault and exclusively my fault. I am unforgivable and I hardly dare ask for forgiveness”.
On Tuesday 24 January 2023 Serge Bromberg, former Artistic Director of Annecy International Animation Festival and founder of Lobster Films was sentenced to a 5-year suspended prison sentence with 1 year of house arrest under electronic surveillance for his negligence in a nitrate film fire that resulted in the death of 2 people in August 2020.
Old nitrate film is notoriously inflammable. Fires involving nitrate film are extremely difficult to extinguish and give off highly toxic gasses. The fire occurred on the night of 10 August 2020 in the midst of an extreme heat wave. The air conditioning in the storage room was turned off due to complaints from neighbors about the noise. The space was not equipped with a fire alarm and a firewall disintegrated soon after the fire broke out. August is the holiday season in France, so the apartment building was relatively empty or there would have been many more fatalities.
Bromberg acknowledged that he was solely responsible for storing the old nitrate film reels under an inhabited 8-story building in Vincennes, in the Val-de-Marne district on the outskirts of Paris. Storing such film in a building that is not properly refrigerated and insulated is illegal.
The sentence of 5 years in prison with a suspended sentence of 4 years with 1 one year of house arrest and a fine of 150,000 Euros for Lobster Films exceeded the prosecution’s request of 4 years suspended prison term with 1 year of house arrest and a 150,000 Euro fine by 1 year. Bromberg’s lawyer, Emmanuel Mercinier stated that they are considering appealing the sentence which he described as “far from lenient”.
