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FERA talks creative freedom, cultural diversity and AI at San Sebastián Film Festival

On 25 September, as part of the San Sebastián Film Festival, FERA Member ACCIÓN organised the “Encuentro de directores y directoras de cine de España” – a series of roundtable sessions bringing together filmmakers to discuss the major challenges facing the audiovisual sector.
In a context of globalisation and looming threats to creative freedom, cultural diversity, and artistic independence, this debate stemmed from a need to collectively reflect on the role of directors and producers in defending their projects and preserving authorship.
The panel – gathering Bill Anderson (Chair of the FERA Board), Jérôme Enrico (President of l’ARP) and Pilar Pérez Solano (President of ACCIÓN) and moderated by Giovanna Ribes (FERA Board member, ACCIÓN delegate to FERA) – opened with a reading of the European filmmakers manifesto to the European Institutions.
Bill Anderson then addressed the key issue of artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and copyright protection. Jérôme Enrico examined the European Commission’s stance on geo-blocking and territoriality, as well as the threat of the US and the streaming platforms giants to European cultural diversity.
Finally, Pilar Pérez Solano reflected on the Creative Europe programme and the new AgoraEU proposal by the European Commission, authors rights, and the Spanish Ministry of Culture and collective management organisation’s position on AI.
Together, the panellists called for greater investment in audiovisual development, defended authorship in the face of new cultural policies, and sought to consolidate the voice of filmmakers at European level.
To go further:
Recording (EN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXz9SbsyAZA&t=65s