EPC Presents Ten-Point Strategy to Support European Audiovisual Sector During Corona Crisis

Amidst the ongoing Corona pandemic, the European Producer's Club (EPC) has presented a proposal to the European Commission with the aim to support the European audiovisual sector over the course of the pandemic.

The strategy, published on the website of the EPC, opens with emphazising the importance of the European audiovisual sector for the EU's economic situation, its mission to promote cultural diversity and pointing to the fragility of the sector in the face of the pandemic. The EPC further lists a summary of immediate consequences of the current situation: "The spreading lockdown has resulted in closing of cinemas and shootings cancelled or interrupted across all of Europe. This lockdown results in immediate cancellation of hundreds of productions in shootings phases, disruption in cashflow and the to-be-expected bankruptcies of production companies."

This will lead to a domino-effect impacting the industry as a whole with freelancers and employees of the creative sector potentially having no job tomorrow nor any social security. Among the affected parties are technical suppliers, advertisement agencies, publicity agents, theatres, altogether millions of employees.

And further it is stated that "all this will happen very fast and will cause an irreversible breach in European audiovisual creativity with dramatic consequences that are difficult to overestimate, especially since the duration of the suspension period is yet unknown." As Cineuropa reports, this proposal (addressing the EU and member state governments alike) has been presented to Margrethe Vestager, Vice-president of the European Commission, the European Union's administration and the European Digital Competence Framework. An overview of cancelled events in the audiovisual sector can be found here.

 

Below, you will find an overview of the ten-point stategy proposed by the EPC.

█ Projects in distribution:

Hundreds of finished European films and series are facing release cancellations or release delays, despite already having incurred considerable expenditures on these releases.

We propose therefore:

1. To set up a European and state scheme to compensate all stakeholders of impacted releases of European Audiovisual content including producers and distributors, for losses from reduced Box Office revenues, presales not fulfilled, as well as promotion campaigns spent fully or partially;

2. To enhance the release of cinema films through online platforms allowing for fair economic compensation to the producers and distributors of the film through liberalization of all regulations pertaining to media chronology and all other requirements needed to access public funding based on box office revenues and numbers of cinemas. This is particularly relevant as online distribution and consumption can greatly benefit the millions of people who are in isolation.

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█ Projects in preproduction and production:

Aimed at European films and series already in preproduction or already shooting:

3. That national governments emergency Funds will be established and free interest loans will be provided to cover the costs of the payment of freelance personnel, cast, crew and suppliers.

4. That European and state guarantees will be provided for insurance companies to cash back insurance claims due to suspension of production and to cover all producers’ coronavirus related risks forthwith so that productions can start as soon as it was possible.

5. That financiers, broadcasters and platforms shall release producers from contractual deadlines and extend the validity of their financing decisions until the suspension period is over and where broadcasters or platforms are the main funders, for them to cover the costs of the suspension period from their obligatory production contribution quota;

6. That authorities shall delay tax, social security and other direct or indirect taxes both related to the shooting and to the production company; and shall cause the suspension of repayment of loans taken by producers in state and commercial banks.

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█ Projects in development:

7. To organise for public funding systems to maintain business as usual, without interruption, online if needed, and to provide increased development funding that secures stability for the project development teams;

8. To encourage both public and commercial broadcasters and OTT platforms enjoying our audiovisual creativity to continue and increase development activities in solidarity with the industry to be ready for a quick and efficient getting back on track.

9. To promote valuable content productions (positive, educational, health, optimistic) in commensurate variety to help audience cope with the confinement and stress.

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█ Sustainability of creative works:

10. To promote the acquisition by broadcasters and platforms of library productions of all European producers with a fair economic compensation to fill the gaps that the lockdown of cinemas, lockdown of productions combined with the increased online use will generate.

 

 

 

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