French cinema guilds L’Arp and La SRF, which represent authors, directors and producers, have released a joint letter pledging their “full solidarity” with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA double strike. “This double social movement, a first since 1960 in Hollywood, is the sign of a major turning point, where the issues of value sharing, the integration of new models and artificial intelligence are central,” the bodies said.
“At the heart of these demands, is the future of our sector. To guarantee that authors and artists continue to emerge and renew creation, we must on the one hand adapt value-sharing to new distribution models, so that the transition from linear does not lead to a weakening of creators. Artificial intelligence must also be regulated. This can only present opportunities for our sector if the central place of authors and artists is preserved,” the statement added.
“This fight that shapes the industry of tomorrow crosses borders and is also ours. We will continue our action for a fair sector, where the diversity of creation can flourish,” L’Arp and La SRF concluded in their joint statement.
While French unions for writers and actors have not joined the strike, they share the same negotiating points on royalties from streamers and AI. Actors in France working with streamers feel they are not receiving royalties like local screenwriters and composers, who are covered by an agreement signed with the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD), the country’s collective management society for authors and composers.
L’Arp was founded in 1987 by late filmmaker and producer Claude Berri with the support of iconic French cinema names such as Agnès Varda, Patrice Chéreau and Costa Gavras, to represent the interests of writers, directors and producers. Meanwhile, La SRF (La Société des réalisatrices et réalisateurs de films) has its roots in France’s social protests of 1968, and it represents 500 filmmakers.
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