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. fpo/fg/har