Press Release

SCREENWRITERS AND DIRECTORS CALL ON EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO PUT AUTHORS AT HEART OF COPYRIGHT REFORM

23 November 2016

A delegation of audiovisual authors and their collective management organisations (CMOs) from across Europe met Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg to discuss copyright package ahead of the announcement of the winner of the European Parliament’s LUX Film Prize.

With the European Parliament about to start discussing the European Commission’s copyright package proposals, SAA and FERA brought screenwriters and directors from across Europe. During their meetings with MEPs, they encouraged them to change the rules to achieve two main objectives: ensure that authors are fairly remunerated when their works are seen; better support the circulation and promotion of European audiovisual works. 

The delegation also met the teams of the three LUX Film Prize finalists (My life as a Courgette by Claude Barras, Toni Erdmann by Maren Ade and As I open my eyes by Leyla Bouzid) present in Strasbourg for the awarding of the 2016  LUX Film Prize on 23 November. The European Parliament’s cinema prize provides distribution support through subtitling in the 24 official European languages, an essential element of a films’ circulation across Europe. 

The delegation was made up of SAA members from Croatia (DHFR), France (SACD, LaScam), Germany (VG Bild Kunst), Poland (ZAPA), Slovenia (AIPA), Spain (SGAE, DAMA) and the United Kingdom (ALCS, Directors UK) as well as Members of FERA’s board of directors from Germany, Slovenia and France. The authors in the delegation included:

  • Julia Altares (Amar en tiempos revueltos), Spain
  • Christophe Andrei (Plus Belle La Vie), France
  • Karolina Bielawska (Mów mi Marianna), Poland
  • Peter Carpentier  (Wie es Bleibt), Germany
  • Carlos Clavijo (Gernika), Spain
  • Klemen Dvornik (Kruha in Inger), Slovenia
  • Dariusz Gajewski (Obce Niebo), Poland
  • Anne Georget (Festins Imaginaires), France
  • Virginie Linhart (Lundi en Histoires - Manuel Valls : Le Matador), France
  • Jobst Ötzmann (Tatort), Germany
  • Di Redmond (NOKSU), UK
  • Tom Roberts (Company of Soldiers), UK

    Notes to Editors:


    About SAA

    Founded in 2010, the Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA) is the association of European collective management organisations representing audiovisual authors. Its 29 members in 22 countries manage rights for over 120,000 film, television and multimedia European screenwriters and directors.

    The organisation’s objectives are:
    • to defend and strengthen the economic and moral rights of audiovisual authors;
    • to secure fair remuneration for audiovisual authors for every use of their works;
    • to develop, promote and facilitate the management of rights by member societies.
    www.saa-authors.eu @saabrussels

    About FERA

    The Federation of European Film Directors (FERA), founded in 1980, represents film and TV directors at European level, with 35 directors’ associations as members from 29 countries. We speak for more than 20,000 European screen directors, representing their cultural, creative and economic interests.

    www.filmdirectors.eu @film_directors 

    About DIRECTORS UK 

    Directors UK is the single voice of British screen directors representing the creative, economic and contractual interests of over 6,400 members – the overwhelming majority of working film and television directors in the UK. Directors UK campaigns for the rights, working conditions and status of directors in the industry and works closely with fellow organisations in the UK, Europe and around the world to represent directors’ rights and concerns.  It also promotes excellence in the craft of direction both nationally and internationally, and champions change to the current landscape to create an equal opportunity industry for all.

    www.directors.uk.com  @Directors_UK                                 
Download the press release (PDF)
Author

Victoria Morris

Director of Communications and Public Affairs

[email protected]

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