Joint Press Release: European screenwriters and directors call for right to fair remuneration online
Brussels, Tuesday April 11 2017
Ahead of the deadline for amendments of 12th April in the lead committee of the European Parliament, audiovisual authors call for a concrete measure to turn the positive rhetoric on the need for authors to be fairly remunerated into reality.
European screenwriters and directors including Pedro Almodovar, Agnieszka Holland and Sir Alan Parker sent a letter to the Members of the Legal Affairs’ committee to support the introduction in the EC proposed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market of an amendment that would guarantee audiovisual authors proportionate remuneration wherever their works are exploited online across Europe.
The proposal for amendment introduces an unwaivable and inalienable right to remuneration, paid by video-on-demand services for the making available of audiovisual works, collectively negotiated and enforced.
The signatories are counting on their MEPs to make the Digital Single Market a sustainable environment for audiovisual creators, where they can finally share in the economic success of the exploitation of their works online.
List of signatories of the letter sent on 10th April 2017:
Pedro Almodóvar
Alejandro Amenabar
Christophe Andréi
Lucas Belvaux
Monica Boracco
Iciar Bollain
John Boorman
Francesco Bruni
Peter Carpentier
Dan Clifton
Stijn Coninx
Klemen Dvornik
Jochen Greve
Agnieszka Holland
Hrvoje Hribar
Maciej Karpinski
Cédric Klapisch
Daniele Luchetti
Lars Lundström
Radu Mihaileanu
Caroline Otto
Sir Alan Parker
Sverre Pedersen
Adela Peeva
Andrea Purgatori
Diane Redmond
Michaël R. Roskam
Marie Roussin
Stefano Sardo
Maurizio Sciarra
Birgitte Stærmose
Hugh Stoddart
Charles Sturridge
István Szabó
Robert Taylor
Felix Van Groeningen
FERA – Founded in 1980, the Federation of European Film Directors contains 39 directors’ associations from 29 countries. It speaks for approximately 20,000 European screen directors, representing their cultural, creative and economic interests both in Brussels and in the Member States. www.filmdirectors.eu @Film_directors Press contact: Pauline Durand- Vialle, pdv@filmdirectors.eu – +32 491 52 49 04.
FSE – The Federation of Screenwriters Europe is a network of national and regional associations, guilds and unions of writers for the screen in Europe, created in June 2001. It comprises 25 members from 20 countries, representing more than 7,000 writers in Europe. www.scenaristes.com @ScreenwritersEU Press contact: David Kavanagh, david.kavanagh@scenaristes.com – + 353 86 837 1203.
SAA – Founded in 2010, the Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA) is the association of European collective management organisations representing audiovisual authors. Its 31 members in 23 countries manage rights for over 120,000 film, television and multimedia European screenwriters and directors. www.saa-authors.eu @saabrussels Press contact: Cécile Despringre, c.despringre@saa-authors.eu – +32 475 65 24 99.
Download the Press Release in PDF here