22/04/2013 - A very large number of European directors are launching a petition against cinema being included in EU-US trade negotiations

Haneke, Almodovar, the Dardenne brothers, Loach, Mungiu, Hazanavicius, Sorrentino, Vinterberg, Frears, Kaurismäki,  Bellocchio, Tarr, Leigh, Tavernier, Belvaux, Crialese, Trueba, Trier, Lafosse, Coixet, Breillat, Porumboiu, Kalev, Puiu, Schlöndorff, Bartas, Mihaileanu, Jaoui, Meier and Costa Gavras (see the list of the first signatories at the end of the article) : over 80 European directors (joined in particular by Jane Campion, Walter Salles and David Lynch) have already signed a petition calling for "European heads of state to declare themselves in favour of excluding audiovisual and film services from negotiations between Europe and the United States."

Denouncing the adoption by the European Commission of a "draft negotiation mandate which includes audiovisual and film services in EU-US trade discussions to commence this summer" as a "major and scandalous about-turn", the petition sees it as a "a renunciation, a capitulation and a rupture". Recalling that: "20 years ago, it was on European soil that this common desire was forged to support creation and promote its diversity", the text emphasizes its positive result: "a vector for exchange and mutual understanding, which also generates jobs and growth".

Directors who have signed the petition are not hiding their very deep concern: "Confronted by the United States, whose entertainment industry is its second largest source of exports, liberalisation of the audiovisual and cinema industry would imply the dismantling of everything which has protected, promoted and helped to develop European culture. This policy, paired with the granting of excessive fiscal advantages to American digital giants, looks strikingly like a conscious desire to bring European culture to its knees (…). Cultural diversity cannot be used as a simple bargaining tool, it must remain an ambition, a legitimate demand and a commitment".

Michael Haneke (Director - Austria)

Lucas Belvaux (Director - Belgium)

Stijn Coninx (Director - Belgium)

Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Director - Belgium)

Luc Dardenne (Director - Belgium)

Jaco van Domael (Director - Belgium)

Joachim Lafosse (Director - Belgium)

Olivier Masset-Depasse (Director - Belgium)

Frédéric Sojcher (Director - Belgium)

Michal Wald (Director - Belgium)

Walter Salles (Director - Brazil)

Kamen Kalev (Director - Bulgaria)

Thomas Vinterberg (Director - Denmark)

Aki Kaurismäki (Director - Finland)

Jean-Jacques Beineix (Director - France)

Catherine Breillat (Director - France)  

Jacques Fansten (Director - France)

Costa Gavras (Director - France)

Michel Hazanavicius (Director - France)

Laurent Heynemann (Director - France)

Agnès Jaoui (Director - France)

Pierre Jolivet (Director - France)

Radu Mihaileanu (Director - France)

Olivier Nakache (Director - France)

Bertrand Tavernier (Director - France)

Eric Tolédano (Director - France)

Fred Breinersdorfer (Screenwriter - Germany)

Jochen Greve (Screenwriter - Germany)

Volker Schlöndorff (Director - Germany)

 Margarethe von Trotta (Director - Germany)

Tassos Boulmetis (Director - Greece)

Bela Tarr (Director - Hungary)

Marco Bellocchio (Director - Italy)

Leonardo di Costanzo (Director - Italy)

Emanuele Crialese (Director - Italy)

Giorgio Diritti (Director - Italy)

Sabina Guzzanti (Director - Italy)

Daniele Luchetti (Director - Italy)

Ivano de Matteo (Director - Italy)

Silvio Soldini (Director - Italy)

Paolo Sorrentino (Director - Italy)

Marco Tullio Giordana (Director - Italy)

Paolo Virzi (Director - Italy)

Šarūnas Bartas (Director - Lithuania)

Arunas Matelis (Director - Lithuania)

Robert Alberdingk Thijm (Screenwriter – Netherlands)

Jane Campion (Director – New Zealand)

Eva Sørhaug (Director - Norway)

Joachim Trier (Director - Norway)

Marian Crisan (Director - Romania)

Tudor Giurgiu (Director - Romania)

Catalin Mitulescu (Director - Romania)

Cristian Mungiu (Director - Romania)

Radu Muntean (Director - Romania)

Calin Netzer (Director - Romania)

Corneliu Porumboiu (Director - Romania)

Cristi Puiu (Director - Romania)

Razvan Radulescu (Director - Romania)

Adrian Sitaru (Director - Romania)

Ada Solomon (Director - Romania)

Pedro Almodovar (Director – Spain)

Montxo Armendariz (Director – Spain)

Pablo Berger (Director – Spain)

Isabel Coixet (Director – Spain)

Angeles González-Sinde (Director – Spain)

Fernando León de Aranoa (Director – Spain)

Loles León (Actress – Spain)

Joaquim Oristrell (Director – Spain)

Rosa María Sardá (Actress – Spain)  

Santiago Tabernero (Director – Spain)

Fernando Trueba (Director – Spain)

Enrique Urbizu (Director – Spain)

Felix Viscarret (Director – Spain)

Lionel Baier (Director – Switzerland)

Ursula Meier (Director – Switzerland)

Stephen Frears (Director – United Kingdom)

Mike Leigh (Director – United Kingdom)

Ken Loach (Director – United Kingdom)

Roger Michell (Director – United Kingdom)

Rebecca O’Brien (Producer – United Kingdom)

Hugh Stoddart (Screenwriter – United Kingdom)

Susanna White (Director – United Kingdom) 

David Lynch (Director – United States)

(Translated from French)