On Wednesday, 16 October 2024, the long-awaited Round Table on Royalty Payments with the participation of leading film organisations was held at the Kultura Cinema in Warsaw.
The meeting began with an introduction by the President of the Polish Film Society, Grzegorz Łoszewski, and the Director of the Polish Film Society-ZAPA, Dominik Skoczek. Then, the Deputy Director, Sylwia Biaduń, and the Head of the Distribution and Author Services Department, Cezary Piekarczyk, presented to the audience how royalties are awarded to film co-creators in Poland and worldwide.
During the event, representatives of numerous organisations of creators and producers took turns to present the positions of their professional groups. These included representatives of: Polish Directors Guild, Polish Screenwriters Guild, PSC, Polish Filmmakers Association, Polish Guild of Documentary Filmmakers, Polish Society of Cinematographers, Polish Guild of Casting Directors, Polish Guild of Make-Up Artists, Polish Guild of Film Television and Theatre Make-Up Artists, Polish Guild of Producers, Polish Guild of Scriptwriters, Polish Guild of Directors,
Polish Guild of Directors and Casting Directors, Polish Guild of Film, Television and Theatre Make-Up Artists, Polish Guild of Film, Television and Theatre Make-Up Artists, Guild of Polish Make-up Artists, Television and Theatre, ZZTD, Association of Film Colourists, KIPA, Polish Guild of Producers, SPPA, as well as SFP Circles and Sections (including the Directors‘ Circle, Screenwriters’ Circle and SFP Youth Circle)..
As the CEO of SFP, Grzegorz Łoszewski said:
I strongly urge you not to be guided by your emotions – they are never a good advisor. Here, you must at least try to slow them down and seek agreement. This agreement is always realistic and possible when we are able to put our emotions and arguments aside and look at the matter through the eyes of the other person. Otherwise, it will not be possible to work anything out.
But we hope - and I am speaking here on behalf of the members of the SFP-ZAPA Council - that this Round Table will bring results and give us a methodology for the future. Because we have to remember that the market is changing incredibly dynamically, new fields of exploitation are constantly emerging, others are dying out. And this situation will probably accompany us for a long time to come, because the development of technology is so rapid that this meeting with the spectator is shifting to more and more new - let's call them - exploitation platforms. Therefore, we will have to find our way in these new situations every time. So we need a methodology of action in which we are able to communicate, otherwise we will fall into traps. And the biggest trap is that if we cannot agree, someone will solve our problems for us.
With regard to the arguments presented at the meeting, we kindly ask you to send your positions, taking into account the demands of individual professional groups, in writing to the SFP-ZAPA office.
Thank you very much for coming. We will keep you informed about further meetings on the distribution of royalties.
Fot. Adam Burakowski/East News
