
Artificial Intelligence, Artistic Freedom, Events, News
FERA General Assembly 2025 programme announcement

FERA will hold its 2025 General Assembly in Postojna, Slovenia, from 30 May to 1 June. This year, we thank FERA members Directors Guild of Slovenia (DSR) and AIPA, k.o for generously hosting our annual meeting.
Friday 30 May
Slovenian Focus
As is tradition, this first session is dedicated to topics selected by our Slovenian hosts, DSR and AIPA. It will present an overview of key developments in Slovenia’s audiovisual sector, including the transposition of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and efforts to build a sustainable and diverse local production environment. The session will also address authors’ rights, collective rights management, and the evolving framework for fair remuneration of filmmakers in Slovenia.
Inaugural Addresses
- — Urša Menart, President of the Directors Guild of Slovenia
- — Nataša Bučar, Director of the Slovenian Film Centre, a public agency of the Republic of Slovenia.
Part 1 – Not Just Entertainment: Balkan AV Authors, Legal Reality, and the Power of Repertoire.
- Presentations by Peter Kep, Uroš Rožič (both AIPA, CMO), Nikola Sekulović (Kopriva, CMO).
- Moderated by Gregor Štibernik (AIPA)
Part 2 – Directing Through Change: The role, tasks, challenges, and future of European and international organizations in the AV sector.
- Panel discussion with Elisabeth Sjaastad (Norway), Hrvoje Hribar (Croatia), Pauline Durand-Vialle (Belgium), Gregor Štibernik (Slovenia).
- Moderated by Klemen Dvornik (Slovenia).
Saturday 31 May
FERA General Assembly Statutory Meeting (FERA Members only)
Focus on Directors’ Artistic Freedom
Once seen as almighty film auteurs, today’s Directors often struggle to maintain artistic and creative control over their projects, facing a shrinking creative space across various types of productions. At the same time, growing ideological and wartime pressures are putting filmmakers at increasing risk. This session will explore how Directors, as a community, can navigate these challenges and work toward reclaiming artistic freedom.
Keynotes
- — Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land
- — Ken Loach, English filmmaker and FERA Honorary President
Panel discussion with Jordi Wijnalda (International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk – ICFR), Sverre Pedersen (Freemuse)
Moderated by FERA Chair of the Board Bill Anderson, CEO Pauline Durand-Vialle
Sunday 1 June
Workshop: Securing Directors’ Creative Leadership in the Age of AI
Directors today face increasing challenges to their creative control, ranging from broadcaster interference and financial strain to mental health pressures. In the age of AI, safeguarding artistic freedom and improving working conditions is more urgent than ever. This interactive workshop invites participants to share experiences, identify best practices, and brainstorm collective strategies to strengthen directors’ leadership in a rapidly evolving industry.