Excerpt from the Open Letter: „The European Union is currently revising the rules that enable European cinema to flourish, to travel, and to carry our common voice. It includes the future of MEDIA in the new AGORA EU programme.

It is now the time to write the next chapter of the European Cinema story, with even greater ambition, commensurate with the challenges we face. We must not fail to see that the destiny of democracy and that of cinema, both born in Europe, are intimately linked. Because every time a cinema opens, democratic life reasserts itself.

We, European cinema professionals and citizens – all cinema lovers – call upon the European Commission, European Parliament and Member States to future-proof the success and integrity of the vital and precious MEDIA programme and reinforce its resources. There are no shared values, no democracy, and no European soft power, without artistic creation.”

Please find the OPEN LETTER here

Background Note to the Open Letter

Policy context: the future of the MEDIA programme

As part of the negotiations on the European Union’s Multiannual Financing Framework for the period 2028–2034, the European Commission is proposing to merge the MEDIA strand of the the Creative Europe programme, which has successfully supported European cinema for 35 years, into a new mega-programme, AgoraEU, which will combine film and audiovisual industry, video games and newsmedia/journalism.

Whilst the overall budget is set to significantly increase, no specific funding is guaranteed for the film and audiovisual sector leaving the various players in the value chain without visibility or clarity. The proposal remains vague with no assurance that the key actions that made MEDIA successful will continue: support for independent production, theatrical distribution, training, and more.

The MEDIA Programme is a great success story that promoted Europe’s culture on a global scale, encouraging cultural exchange, artistic freedom, and is part of Europe’s soft and economic power. The AgoraEU Programme must build on this proven success of MEDIA and its consistent and meaningful objectives, not retreat from it, especially in the global geopolitical context.
The text is currently being discussed by the EU Member States – a Council first position being expected to be adopted on 12 May. The European Parliament is working in parallel on its amendments to be voted in plenary session in October/November.

Genesis of the Open Letter

In complement to the institutional Joint Statements published by the stakeholders mid-April, a  group of European professional associations, representing all sectors of the film value chain, from creators, actors and producers to distributors, sales agents, cinemas operators, academies and festivals, have written an Open Letter Europe needs cinema, Cinema needs Europe with the intention to celebrate MEDIA and call the decision-makers to safeguard what made the success of the programme and reinforce its financial means.

Signatories

The call for support to the Open Letter Europe needs cinema, Cinema needs Europe, was launched end of April. Early May, it already gathered the signatures of more than 4,500 European film professionals and talents, sometimes even beyond the continent including more than 100 prominent directors and actors, some of them selected in Cannes this year, such as Juliette Binoche, Costa-Gavras, Joachim Trier, Ruben Östlund, Stellan Skarsgård, Sandra Hüller, Vicky Krieps, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Rebecca Zlotowski, Yorgos Lanthimos, Oliver Laxe, İlker Çatak, Francis Ford Coppola, Michel Hazanavicius, Agnieszka Holland, Lukas Dhont, Pawel Pawlikowski, Nadav Lapid, Laura Wandel, Ariane Labed, Agnès Jaoui, Clémence Poésy, Arnaud Desplechin, Cedric Klapisch, Arthur Harari, Danis Tanovic, Margarethe Von Trotta.

Other prominent signatories:

Aida Begic, Athina Tsangari, Belen Funes, Sébastien Betbeder, Carla Simon, Chiara Malta, Chie Hayakawa, Chloé Mazlo, Claire Simon, Corneliu Porumboiu, Daniele Segre, Davy Chou, Dominik Moll, Elie Grappe, Emily Atef, Emmanuel Marre, Eric Lartigau, Eskil Vogt, Fabien Gorgeart, Fabrice du Welz, Fien Troch, Guslagie Malanda, Hany Abu-Assad, Hlynur Palmason, Iciar Bollain, Ildiko Enyedi, Jaco Van Dormael, Jan Kounen, Joachim Lafosse, Jonathan Pryce, Jorge Thielen Armand, Juho Kuosmanen, Julie Delpy, Karin Viard, Laszlo Nemes, Laura Ferrés, Lina Soualem, Lionel David Baier, Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Mar Coll, Maria Schrader, Marina Foïs, Marrakchi Laïla, Marta Nieto, Mathieu Amalric, Matthias Glasner, Max Richter, Michel Leclerc, Miguel Gomes, Mohamed Siam, Neil Pearson, Nicolas Philibert, Nicole Garcia, Olivier Masset-Depasse, Panos H. Koutras, Paola Cortellesi, Pascale Ferran, Patric Chiha, Patricia Mazuy, Pia Marais, Pierfrancesco Favino, Pierre Schoeller, Radu Jude, Rúnar Rúnarsson, Sepideh Farsi, Sharunas Bartas, Stéphane Demoustier, Tatiana Delaunay, Teona Mitevska, Thomas Cailley, Ulrich Seidl, Ursula Meier, Victoria Musiedlak, Visar Morina, Volker Schlöndorff, Yvo Muller, Ziad Bakri.

The petition remains open, please see the full signatories list here.