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Federation of European Screen Directors - Fédération Européenne des Réalisateurs de l'Audiovisuel

FERA

Founded in 1980, the Federation of European Film Directors gathers 49 director’s associations as members from 35 countries.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Mario Furore (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Jan 2026 · AgoraEU

Meeting with Nela Riehl (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair) and Federation of Screenwriters in Europe

13 Oct 2025 · Exchange with FERA & FSE

Meeting with Nela Riehl (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair) and EUROCINEMA, Association de producteurs de cinéma et de télévision and

15 Sept 2025 · Stakeholder Roundtable on European Film Sector

Response to European Democracy Shield

26 May 2025

The Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA) represents over 20,000 directors working in film, television, and streaming across Europe. Founded in 1980, FERA advocates for directors as primary authors of audiovisual works, responsible for their creative cohesion and artistic integrity. We support policies that protect directors artistic and economic rights, reinforcing the cultural significance and integrity of audiovisual works in 21st-century Europe. FERA welcomes the European Democracy Shield initiative and highlights the essential role of artistic freedom in sustaining democracy. The ability of filmmakers to create and share diverse narratives without undue interference is a cornerstone of pluralistic societies and an indispensable ally of media pluralism. However, filmmakers across the EU face growing threats to this freedom. These include ideological pressures leading to censorship or self-censorship, commercial pressures linked to media concentration and funding gatekeeping, and personal attacks, including blacklisting, that jeopardise livelihoods by excluding filmmakers from funding, festivals or professional opportunities based on their political views or creative work. AI brings a new layer of risk. While it can support creative processes, overreliance on generative AI at the expense of human-led artistic choices risks homogenising narratives. Generative AI can also be used to create propaganda material that mimics authentic storytelling, blurring the line between art and manipulation. Article 50 of the EU AI Act, requiring clear labelling of AI-generated or altered content, is a crucial tool for maintaining a level playing field with human-centric artistic expression, transparency and public trust. Equally vital is the independence of audiovisual media services, public service broadcasters (PSBs) and public audiovisual funding systems. These are pillars of Europes cultural and democratic infrastructure, alongside policies supporting local audiovisual ecosystems and cultural diversity. Both public and private media actors are vulnerable to politicisation, and when their independence is undermined, so is the democratic function of audiovisual creation. To confront these challenges, FERA urges the development of EU-wide indicators and monitoring tools to assess pressures on artistic freedom, including: Quantitative data on personal threats, funding restrictions, censorship and the impact of Generative AI on artistic work. Qualitative insights to identify ideological, commercial, technological and personal pressure factors. Artistic freedom must be explicitly recognised within the Democracy Shield as a pillar of democratic resilience, alongside media pluralism and civil society protection. A vital first step is raising awareness through reliable, comparable data across Member States, laying the groundwork for effective response mechanisms. Education and media literacy efforts should also address artistic freedom and promote critical awareness of AI-generated content. Finally, it is essential to institutionalise engagement with filmmakers and creative stakeholders in the implementation of the Democracy Shield to ensure it reflects on-the-ground realities and remains responsive to evolving threats. In conclusion, democracy relies not only on free elections and accurate information but also on artistic freedom, which enriches public discourse and cultural life. The European Democracy Shield is a critical opportunity to embed artistic freedom in the EUs democracy resilience framework, ensuring filmmakers can continue to challenge, entertain and inspire across Europe. FERA stands ready to contribute the experience and expertise of its European network in support of this initiative.
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Response to A Culture Compass for Europe

12 May 2025

The Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA), representing film, television, and streaming directors recognised as primary audiovisual authors, welcomes the European Commissions plan to develop a Culture Compass for Europe. Film and audiovisual works are central to Europes cultural identity and democracy, especially in the digital age. They are not just economic assets or entertainment products: they are cultural expressions that reflect, question, and shape our societies. As storytellers, screen directors craft narratives that embody Europes diversity and values. With creation at its heart, the audiovisual ecosystem including development, production, distribution, exhibition, and preservation is a cultural sector that must be clearly recognised as such in European policy. Without an explicit focus, cultural strategies risk overlooking this sector and failing to address its urgent challenges. 1. Film and audiovisual works, essential in the digital age Audiovisual works are among the most powerful and accessible forms of cultural expression today. The Culture Compass must fully integrate the sector as vital to EU culture not just for its economic contribution, but for its role in strengthening democratic values and cultural diversity. 2. Protecting Artistic Freedom Artistic freedom is increasingly under threat in our sector. In some Member States, rising political and ideological pressures have led to censorship, interference with the media and funding restrictions. Global platforms also shape creation through opaque algorithms and market dominance. The EU must reaffirm its commitment to both artistic freedom and media pluralism as core democratic values. 3. Addressing the impact of AI on human creation Generative AI presents both opportunities and risks. Without oversight, it could undermine human creativity, authorship and the value of original works. Transparency, consent and fair remuneration for use of creators works, as well as for the use of GenAI in creative work, remain unresolved. The Culture Compass must advocate for policies that promote human creativity and uphold authors rights. 4. Supporting cultural cooperation in the audiovisual sector EU support should include networking and peer exchange for audiovisual professionals, including creators. This would align the sector with others already supported under the Creative Europe Culture strand. Cross-border collaboration, mobility and knowledge-sharing are crucial for nurturing talent, especially for new entrants in a rapidly changing industry. 5. Promoting fairness and sustainability for AV authors Most European directors are freelancers with limited social protections, making them particularly vulnerable to economic instability from the pandemic to trade tensions affecting our sector. Even under stable conditions, working conditions and remuneration vary widely across Member States: transparency and collective representation remain vital for AV authors to build sustainable careers. The Culture Compass should back social conditionality in EU cultural funding and ensure consistent implementation of Title IV, Chapter 3 of the 2019 Copyright Directive. Culture is Democracy, Democracy is Culture Recent events highlight the fragility of democratic values. Culture, and particularly the audiovisual sector, play a key role in upholding free expression, fostering dialogue and building cohesion. We urge the Commission to: Explicitly include the film and audiovisual sector in the Culture Compass framework. Reinforce protections for artistic freedom as well as media pluralism. Support ethical, transparent AI practices that promote human authorship. Expand EU funding and cooperation opportunities for audiovisual creators. Promote transparency, fairness, and sustainability for audiovisual authors. A Culture Compass that reflects these realities will better position Europe to nurture its cultural vitality, diversity and democratic values.
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Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Google and

6 May 2025 · Copyright and generative AI

Meeting with Thomas Schmitz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

30 Apr 2025 · Audiovisual industry

Response to Evaluation of the Geo-blocking Regulation

10 Mar 2025

THE IMPORTANCE OF TERRITORIAL EXCLUSIVITY IN THE EUROPEAN FILM AND AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR: Geo-blocking technology is essential for maintaining territorial exclusivity in the licensing of cinematographic and audiovisual works. Key Reports on Territorial Exclusivity: European Audiovisual Observatory https://rm.coe.int/iris-plus-2023-02en/1680abd676 ; European Parliaments Research Service Implementation of the 2018 Geo-blocking Regulation in the digital single market https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2023/740255/EPRS_IDA(2023)740255_EN.pdf. Data from the European Audiovisual Observatory confirms that European audiences benefit from growing access to film and TV content, an expansion supported by the EU Portability Regulation and EU TV & Radio Programmes Directive. THE RISKS OF A GEO-BLOCKING BAN: Banning geo-blocking for audiovisual content would seriously threaten the creative and economic sustainability of the European film and audiovisual sector by: Undermining the financing, distribution, and investment recoupment for European films and audiovisual works across the value chain ; Reducing the number and diversity of productions, leading to a decline in linguistic variety of European audiovisual works ; Severely limiting distribution and circulation across the EU, benefiting global players at the expense of European companies ; Harming European audiences with fewer content choices, restricted access options, and higher prices. Economic impact assessments include: Oxera Study ; Oliver & Ohlbaum Report. WHY IT MATTERS TO EUROPEAN FILMMAKERS: As former FERA President Agnieszka Holland stated at a related event in 2024: "Without territorial exclusivity, there would be less coproduction. Without coproduction, film auteurs from smaller European countries would not have a voice.. FERA continues to advocate, alongside the wider audiovisual sector, for the continued exclusion of audiovisual services from Regulation (EU) 2018/302 banning unjustified geo-blocking. At stake are European filmmakers' artistic freedom and Europes rich cultural and linguistic diversity. ABOUT US: Founded in 1980, FERA is the independent voice of European screen directors recognized as primary audiovisual authors in Brussels. Representing over 20,000 active directors across film, television, and streaming, it brings together 46 member organizations from 31 countries. FERA advocates for their cultural, creative, and economic interests at both national and EU levels. screendirectors.eu
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Meeting with Laurence Farreng (Member of the European Parliament) and European Film Agency Directors

18 Sept 2024 · Politique audiovisuelle et nouveau mandat du Parlement européen

Meeting with Hannes Heide (Member of the European Parliament) and EUROCINEMA, Association de producteurs de cinéma et de télévision and European Film Agency Directors

18 Sept 2024 · Exchange of views on cultural policy

Meeting with Laurence Farreng (Member of the European Parliament) and EUROCINEMA, Association de producteurs de cinéma et de télévision and

20 May 2023 · Secteur du cinéma français et européen

Meeting with Marc Angel (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

27 Sept 2022 · Audiovisual Media Services Directive

Meeting with Agnieszka Skonieczna (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton) and Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe and

24 Aug 2020 · Impact of COVID-19 and recovery measures for the media and audiovisual ecosystem

Meeting with Mariya Gabriel (Commissioner) and Society of Audiovisual Authors and Federation of Screenwriters in Europe

23 Oct 2018 · Copyright

Meeting with Tibor Navracsics (Commissioner) and European Federation of Journalists and

2 May 2016 · Fair remuneration of authors

Meeting with Günther Oettinger (Commissioner) and European Federation of Journalists and

2 Mar 2016 · Copyright

Meeting with Stig Joergen Gren (Cabinet of Vice-President Andrus Ansip) and European Federation of Journalists and

18 Feb 2016 · copyright

Meeting with Stig Joergen Gren (Cabinet of Vice-President Andrus Ansip)

21 Dec 2015 · copyright

Meeting with Andrus Ansip (Vice-President) and

13 Nov 2015 · Meeting with filmmakers and film associations on copyright, fight against piracy, cross-border access and portability of online content services

Meeting with Pauline Rouch (Cabinet of President Jean-Claude Juncker)

22 Sept 2015 · Digital Single Market

Meeting with Pauline Rouch (Cabinet of President Jean-Claude Juncker)

14 Jul 2015 · Digital Single Market