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FERA board and ambassadors discuss copyright, audiovisual regulation and creativity at Euro Balkan Film Festival
1 November 2025
On 30-31 October, as part of the 8th edition of the Euro Balkan Film Festival held in Rome, FERA ambassador Maurizio Sciarra led a series of workshops on creativity in Europe in the age of algorithms and digital streaming.
A FERA delegation, which included the Chair of the board Bill Anderson, board members Chiara Sambuchi, Elisabeth Sjaastad and Klemen Dvornik, and ambassador Hrvoje Hribar, took part in discussions addressing the relationship between creativity and algorithms, cultural exception as a basis for public support, and the role of the collective management of authors’ rights across Europe and the Balkans.
The first workshop gathered authors and explored how European creativity can help develop and consolidate a shared audiovisual culture in the streaming era. Bill Anderson discussed directing in such an ecosystem, while Elisabeth Sjaastad addressed EU audiovisual policy.
In the second workshop featuring authors, producers, academics, and representatives from film agencies, Chiara Sambuchi discussed EU affairs and legislation, and Hrvoje Hribar addressed co-production in the Balkans. The panel also discussed young European authors’ recommendations to the European Commission for audiovisual policies in the digital world.
The last workshop featured Bill Anderson, Klemen Dvornik and Cécile Despringres, SAA Secretary General, as well as several SAA members. The discussions centred around the origins of collective rights management, the evolution of collective management organisations in the Western Balkans and how they are perceived at EU level.
These three workshops proved to be an enriching and unifying experience. The exchange between European, Balkan, and Italian screen directors deepened mutual understanding and strengthened relationships across regions. By comparing local challenges and experiences, participants were able to identify shared concerns and common aspirations, reinforcing the sense of a collective European community of creators committed to defending and promoting authors’ rights and cultural diversity.
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