Have you thought about all the times you watch films and TV when you are not at home nor at the cinema? Indeed, you are watching from the waiting room at the doctors, the airplane seat or in the classroom. These are all occasions when screenwriters and directors should be - but rarely are - receiving fair and proportionate remuneration for the use of their works.

During the pandemic lockdowns and quarantines, many of us expressed gratefulness for the 21st century technology that allowed us to watch films and series on our screens, escaping the worrying health crisis around us. However, few paid attention to the consequences of the domination of the streaming and on-demand services by US interests: while the audience gets more content, European authors are being stripped of their right to royalties.

The film and television landscape play an influential role when it comes to depicting, shaping, and framing reality. Since topics like inclusion and diversity have gained more public attention, the representation of marginalized groups in the global film and television industry[i] has increased[ii]. At first glance, this gives hope.

“Nothing about us, without us” is a slogan used by marginalised groups to say that no policies should be decided without the representation of the groups affected by them. The idea that people should be at the centre of policymaking may seem obvious for some but in the audiovisual sector, the interest of large streaming platforms often comes before - and at the expenses of - individual authors’ rights to their works.

CharactHer, a new campaign by the European Commission, features inspiring women professionals and puts a spotlight on gender equality in the male dominated film and media sectors. A recent report by the European Audiovisual Observatory identifies 3 challenges: difficulties in measuring progress on on-screen representation, the complexity of collecting data on diversity, and the need for intersectional approaches.

The pandemic crisis is best described as unpredictable. Its waves of COVID-19 infections left us insecure about the future. However, following the roll-out of vaccination, we can finally start to plan ahead. On the EU level, institutions are working on initiatives that could contribute to a more hopeful future for the cultural and creative sectors.

7 June 2021 is the last day to implement the directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market into national law, but few EU Member States will meet the deadline. EU countries have the opportunity to carefully, while still urgently, implement the directive and present a recovery plan to actively support the creative and cultural sector. In return, the sector will be able to nurture European’s wellbeing and recovery.

Little did we know that 2020 would turn out the way it did, although the road is still long to recovery, I am hopeful that we will turn a corner by the end of 2021. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the SAA swiftly shifted its priorities. The health crisis led to more cooperation and coordinated action within the cultural and creative sectors than before.

SAA Patron Volker Schlöndorff pays a moving tribute to his peer Bertrand Tavernier.

“Setting up a new European organisation was an exciting challenge I could not refuse”, said Cécile Despringre, Executive Director, when sharing her experience of developing the SAA over one decade ago. “10 years from now, I hope we will have a more harmonised Europe for audiovisual authors’ rights and remuneration, also for online demand. However, there is a risk for the European model to be overturned by a US approach that deprives authors of their rights”, warned Despringre.

In recent years, there has been an important increase on the use of AI in the audiovisual and media sectors. This raises key questions on authorship and creativity.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on culture has been, and still is, devastating. While many policymakers understand the consequences of the crisis on our health, social life and wellbeing, few are aware of the important role that the cultural sector can play for the recovery of the European economy.