The entire journalistic staff of the Cahiers du cinema - the film magazine that launched the French New Wave - have resigned from the influential title. The monthly which once employed legends like Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut before they went on to change cinema history, was sold earlier this month to a group of film producers and tech tycoons.

But its 15 staff writers and editors said the new owners posed a danger to the magazine's cherished independence. "The new shareholders include eight producers who create a conflict of interest for a critical publication," the journalists said in a statement.

"Whatever articles are published, there would be a suspicion of interference," they added.

They are also unhappy that the new owners want to turn the often earnest review into a more relaxed and "fashionable" read.

"Les Cahiers has always been engaged, taking clear positions," the statement added. The magazine's new management has yet to respond to the mass resignation.