The Future of Audiovisual Rights: Global Perspectives at the 2024 AVACI Congress

The Annual Congress of the International Confederation of Audiovisual Authors (AVACI) was held in Mexico City on November 6 and 7, 2024. The Interim President of AVACI, Miguel Ángel Diani (ARGENTORES - Argentina) chaired the meeting, while Marcelo Piñeyro, Honorary President of DAC - Argentine Film Directors - Argentina, welcomed the attending societies worldwide through a video message.

Director and screenwriter Marcelo Piñeyro emphasized that “AVACI is working alongside other regional organizations and the WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization to achieve a recommendation for all countries to enact remuneration laws for public screenings. These laws exist in Italy, Poland, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia, among others.”

Manuel Rodríguez Ajenjo, President of SOGEM - Mexican Society of Directors and Audiovisual Works Realizers - Mexico, addressed “the situation of Mexican audiovisual authors regarding the one-time payment for commissioned works and urged other societies to unite against the transfer of rights.” This statement aligned with additional concerns raised during the Congress, including those linked to technology, the implications of streaming rights, and the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Teresa Saldarriaga, President of DASC - Audiovisual Directors Society of Colombia - Colombia, expressed during her speech: “One of our main concerns is the reduction of work. Technology, the way audiovisual content is consumed, and the world itself are changing at an incredible speed, and we depend on that. As a collective management society, as FESAAL and AVACI, we should create an analysis department to predict where this is heading. If production stops, what will creators live on? Colombia has 12 laws related to AI, but none address how to regulate them. AI will always copy us.”

Concrete Developments

The meeting also featured virtual participation from Sylvie Forbin, Deputy Director General of the Author’s Rights and Creative Industries Sector at WIPO and Barbara Hayes, President of the SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors. They discussed the progress of the global campaign for fair remuneration rights for audiovisual authors.

Yoon Jung Lee, President of the Copyright Committee of DGK - Directors Guild of Korea - South Korea, expressed the progress they have made toward being recognized as a collective management society and stated that their short-term goal is “to secure authorization to operate as a collective management society, which would allow us to gain more members delegating their copyrights to us.”

The screenwriter emphasized that “to achieve this, we need to streamline international collection processes. Therefore, we must work more closely to facilitate collections as a collective management society and ensure that the transfer of those rights to our local authors is communicated clearly and transparently.”

From India, Vinod Ranganath (SRAI - Screenwriters' Rights Association of India - India), explained that “the process of obtaining legal recognition was made possible thanks to an amendment in legislation in 2012.” India, as one of the world’s largest film producers, is close to achieving recognition after the government requested a minor amendment to their statutes for compliance.

As is well known, India is one of the largest producers of feature films in the world, and they are close to achieving recognition after the government's request to make a small amendment to their statutes to comply with the law. “India is the largest producer of feature films globally (between 1,200 and 1,300 annually). Nigeria is reportedly the largest overall producer, but in feature films, we lead. We produce films in 17 different languages. Hindi is our national language, but 300 films a year are in Hindi, and the rest are in other languages. India is almost a continent. We have 28 states, 25 of which have different languages,” detailed Ranganath to underscore the scale of India’s film production and the significance of obtaining legal recognition for their collective management society.

Tribute and AI Debate

At the conclusion of the final day, a video tribute was presented in honor of Colombian director Mario Mitrotti (DASC), known for series like Pandillas; guerra y paz and Los Victorinos. Mitrotti, who also discovered actress Sofía Vergara in his role as a commercial director, was a key figure in the establishment of FESAAL and AVACI. He passed away on May 20, 2024.

Attendees reflected on his legacy and significant contributions to the formation and advocacy of FESAAL. Director Camila Loboguerrero (DASC) highlighted that he “taught us to fight for the impossible. He was the first to believe and convince us that the struggle was long but achievable.” Meanwhile, director Gilberto Valderrama, also from DASC, remembered his colleague for “his strong commitment to securing the rights’ protections all authors longed for.”

The second day of the AVACI Congress included a presentation by German filmmaker and developer Christoph Behl, who has bridged traditional cinematic storytelling with the potential of AI-based tools. This sparked a captivating debate on authorship, rights, and the future of cinema.

Behl delivered a talk on “The Impact of New Technologies—like AI—on the Profession of Screenwriters and Directors,” sharing how he incorporates this technological tool into his creative process while discussing its potential and the concerns it raises.

This prompted questions and reflections from authorial leaders and attendees. Behl advocated for not demonizing the technology but instead focusing on the need for transparency regarding datasets—knowing the source training the AI—as well as proof of humanity and provenance to determine whether an image has been altered. These measures, he argued, are crucial to protecting the rights of authors involved in creative works.

Audiovisual authors from around the world, authorities, and guests

Representatives from their respective entities participated in the AVACI Congress held on November 6 and 7:

ADG - Association of Directors and Screenwriters of Ecuador: Manuel Sarmiento - Promoter / Yanara Guayasamin - Promoter

APASER - Pan-African Alliance of Screenwriters and Filmmakers: Laza Razanajatovo - President / Giuliana Fantoni - Coordinator

ARGENTORES - General Society of Authors of Argentina: Miguel Ángel Diani - President / María Laura Garateche - Head of International Relations

ATN - Society of Audiovisual Directors, Screenwriters, and Playwrights of Chile: Daniela Castagno - President / César Cuadra - General Director

AzDG - Guild of Professional Film Directors of Azerbaijan: Shahira Tajaddin - CEO

CREADORES PY - Management Entity of Audiovisual Authors of Paraguay: Claudia Zárate - Secretary and Treasurer / Dr. Vanella Barbieri - Legal Advisor

DAC - Argentine Film Directors: Carmen Guarini - Vice President / Victor Dinenzon - Treasurer / Marcelo Pineyro - Deputy Secretary of Social Action / Inés de Oliveira Cezar - Deputy Secretary / Dr. Luis Mangiavillano - Executive Director / Lic. Daniel Di Napoli - General Director of Systems

DASC - Colombian Audiovisual Directors Society: Teresa Saldarriaga - Vice President / Camila Loboguerrero - Secretary General / Gilberto Valderrama - Treasurer and Member / Yuldor Gutierrez - General Secretary / Dr. Adriana Saldarriaga - Legal Advisor

DBCA - Brazilian Film and Audiovisual Directors: Henrique de Freitas Lima - President / Malu de Martino - Vice President

DGK - Directors Guild of Korea: Yoon Jung Lee - Head of the Author's Rights Committee / Hyoeun Park - Member of the International Department

DGU - Directors and Screenwriters of Uruguay: Marcela Matta - Board Member

DHFA - Association of Croatian Film Authors and Producers: Danilo Serbedzija - President / Danko Stefanovic - Associate Manager of Business Affairs

EDAP - Writers, Screenwriters, Playwrights, and Audiovisual Directors of Panama: Ricardo Aguilar - President / Luis Romero - General Secretary

GEDAR - Management of Rights for Screenwriters, Brazil: Thiago Dottori - President / Sylvia Palma - Advisory Board Member

REDES - Colombian Network of Audiovisual Writers: Alexandra Cardona Restrepo - President / Carlos Gaviria - Vice President / Yuri Alvarado - Director of Work Declaration and Distribution

SGAE - General Society of Authors and Editors: Antonio Onetti - President

SOGEM - General Society of Writers of Mexico: Manuel Ajenjo - President / Gloria López - General Director

SOMEDIRE - Mexican Society of Directors of Audiovisual Works: José Antonio Medina Hernández - Vice President / Iván Orellana Mejía - Head of Data Analysis / Guillermo Solorzano Leilo - Legal Advisor / Raúl de Anda Sánchez - Heirs Member

SRAI - Screenwriters' Rights Association of India: Anjum Rajabali - President / Vinod Ranganath - CEO

M RIGHTS - Society for the Management and Protection of Authors' Rights in Italy: Gianluigi Chidaroli - CEO and President / Giovanna Burani - Head of International Relations

Directors UK: Andy Harrower - Executive Director

OMPI - World Intellectual Property Organization: Sylvie Forbin - Deputy Director General