In a joint statement already signed by 500 French and international filmmakers, directors are claiming their rights in an industry in which they carry "the artistic dimension."
Modified scripts, imposed artistic collaborators and castings, films edited by distributors, prescribed music choices, and a shift in the role of the director from creator to executor—these are just a few of the practices "that contravene the fundamental principles of copyright and freedom of creation," as denounced by the signatories.
"These practices, which aim to circumvent the original spirit of the work—implicitly the finished work—by invoking commercial reasons, inevitably represent a form of censorship that distorts the entire creative process. They undermine the freedom to experiment and lead to the invisibility of the author, dangerously approaching the notion of copyright prevailing in the American market." Observing the same trend in the film and audiovisual sectors, filmmakers are thus demanding the protection of their authorship status and the reaffirmation of their moral rights.
Among the elements that must be decided upon by mutual agreement between the author and the producer, "the following cannot under any circumstances be added, removed, or changed without the explicit agreement of the filmmaker:
the final version of the script; the film's title; the final version of the film's editing; which includes the opening and closing credits of the film. The author's name must appear:
in the film's credits; on any physical or digital promotional materials; on any broadcasting channel or distribution platform, on the film's presentation page if applicable (television channels, video-on-demand platforms, whether transactional or subscription-based, etc.). Any violation of the aforementioned points and/or any pressure exerted could be considered an attempt to subordinate, which would open the possibility of reclassifying the rights transfer agreement as an employment contract. This could result in the loss of the rights to exploit the work.
Upon the filmmaker's request, any infringement related to these points, from writing to final editing, must be documented and sanctioned.
Through this joint statement, we commit to accepting no exceptions to these principles and to not signing any contracts or agreements that contradict them.
We call on all partners of our cultural exception to also commit to these principles."
This statement, supported by L'Arp and SRF, has already been signed by 500 French, European, and international filmmakers. Among the first signatories are Kev Adams, Jacques Audiard, Lucas Belvaux, Houda Benyamina, Thomas Bidegain, Bertrand Bonello, Lucie Borleteau, Rachid Bouchareb, Guillaume Brac, Stéphane Brizé, Thomas Cailley, Vincent Maël Cardona, Etienne Chatiliez, Romain Cogitore, Isabel Coixet, Costa-Gavras, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Loui-Do de Lencquesaing, Thierry de Peretti, Claire Denis, Stéphanie di Giusto, Cyril Dion, Maïmouna Doucouré, Albert Dupontel, Pascal Elbé, Philippe Faucon, Pascale Ferran, David Foenkinos, Nicole Garcia, Yann Gonzalez, Rachid Hami, Michel Hazanavicius, Jeanne Herry, Hafsia Herzi, Christophe Honoré, Pierre Jolivet, Gérard Jugnot, Gustave Kervern, Cédric Klapisch, Eric Lartigau, Sébastien Laudenbach, Philippe Le Gay, Michel Leclerc, Pascal Legitimus, Xavier Legrand, Claude Lelouch, Philippe Lioret, Aissa Maiga, Eric Métayer, Radu Mihaile
