SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors

In Cannes: networking and talking about film (more than watching it)

"I used to think the Cannes Film Festival was all about the films and the red carpet," said Maxence, our intern, who has been monitoring the audiovisual sector's activities with us this semester. He knows better now. Parallel to the glamour, and out of the limelight, the real industry work happens: film financing, co-production projects, roundtables, panel discussions, lunch meetings and one-on-one conversations. Let me share a few highlights from my stay, in addition to meetings with SAA members:

I attended a stakeholders' roundtable on media policy organised by the EU Commission, covering the ongoing negotiations on next EU funding 'AgoraEU Programme', and the evaluations of both the AVMS Directive and the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM). You can read about SAA's contribution to the AVMS Directive public consultation that closed on 1^st May here. I also listened to Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who came to Cannes for the first time since she took office in 2024, interviewed by journalist Marjorie Paillon, about the future of Europe's film and audiovisual sector. I had the chance to put a question to the EVP directly, on the recent call for evidence on a targeted initiative for a better copyright environment for European creativity and innovation, that addresses AI and copyright.

Alongside this, SAA promoted the open letter: Cinema needs Europe, Europe needs Cinema, signed by more than 6,000 filmmakers and professionals, calling for AgoraEU to build on the successes of the MEDIA Programme and to provide separate programmes and funding for the film and audiovisual sector on one hand and for news media on the other hand. I also attended a European Parliament event on the challenges facing the film sector, with MEPs Emma Rafowicz, rapporteur on AgoraEU for the Culture Committee, and Sabine Verheyen, first Vice-President of the European Parliament, as part of a delegation of the LUX Audience Award.

With many other associations, we finalised a letter to the EU institutions to express concerns over the impact of Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on the European audiovisual and film sector, with expected increased concentration across the value chain and risks for creators, independent production, and cultural diversity.

And yes, I managed to see a few films. I warmly recommend the Palme d'Or winner, Fjord, written and directed by Cristian Mungiu.

In Geneva: supporting the WIPO audiovisual authors' rights study

From breezy Cannes, where many meetings took place outdoors beside the sea, I travelled to Geneva for a very different setting: a few days indoors under the fluorescent lights of the WIPO headquarters for a very formal and diplomatic meeting of Member States’ delegates. Yet it is a place of occasional productive disorder, where agenda items shift at the very last minute and the real conversations happen in the corridors rather than in plenary. Having learned the ropes over the years, I made good use of my time, meeting key executives from the WIPO Secretariat and Member States’ delegates.

The main purpose of my visit was the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), and specifically the agenda item on the recently agreed Study on the Rights of Audiovisual Authors and their Payment Mechanisms. Rafael Ferraz Vazquez, from WIPO Secretariat, briefly presented the scope of what will be a global report, covering the economic environment in which audiovisual authors operate, the applicable legal frameworks including rules on authorship and exercise of rights, and the payment mechanisms through which authors are remunerated for the exploitation of their works. Member States reiterated their support to the study, and so did many stakeholders, me included. A small moment, but an important one to be present for.

We are expecting WIPO Secretariat to finalise the contracts for the experts who will conduct the study soon, so that they can start rapidly, and we will actively contribute with our knowledge and expertise to this first ever scoping study. We hope the study will provide visibility to the best remuneration mechanisms for audiovisual authors and will inspire the Member States willing to improve their legal framework to strengthen audiovisual authors’ position. The study is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

Coming up: DSM review, call for evidence, London, and a centenary in Paris

In June, we will continue our work on the review of the 2019 DSM Directive, first with a workshop bringing together SAA members to discuss our response to the Commission's contractor survey by 14 June, followed by our response to the call for evidence on AI and copyright by 25 June.

The SAA Board of Directors will meet in London, hosted by our Chair Barbara Hayes, CEO of our UK member ALCS. For once, it is not our Chair who will endure the long queues at the border. So many years after Brexit, and it still feels strange, doesn't it?

And finally, I will travel to Paris for CISAC's General Assembly, celebrating its 100th anniversary. A remarkable milestone. 🎉 Congratulations to our colleagues in Paris!

Best regards,

Cécile