D-UK to launch in May
Director Michael Apted has kick-started the process that will lead to the launch of a UK directors’ guild in May. The new organization, titled Directors UK (D-UK) will have Paul Greengrass as President and Charles Sturridge as Chairman of the board.
The organisation, which will have a 3000-strong membership and took 18 months to set up, is a direct offshoot of the Directors’ and Producers’ Rights Society. Simon Berthon and Tim Sullivan will be vice-chairmen while other board members are Peter Kosminsky, Simon Curtis and Brian Hill. Apted brings five years of experience as Directors Guild of America to the table, which will help D-UK be on par with the US.
Apted said, “I hadn’t realised how little protection there was in the UK. It motivated me to look into the situation of my fellow directors, and that was shocking news – underpaid, under-organised, with barely a voice at any negotiating table. D-UK will be this voice. People here have no discernible creative rights, and no real rights in the after-use of their work.”
Apted is no stranger in the field of campaigning for directors’ rights, having spearheaded the Dublin declaration in 2003, where seven directors’ organisations affiliated to protect the creative and economic rights of film and TV directors worldwide. At that time, the affiliated organisations agreed to a Code of Practice that affirmed the role of the Director as the primary creator of audiovisual works.
Sturridge said, “We are at a revolutionary moment in the dissemination of film programming and it is vital that the directors’ voice is articulate, unanimous and clear.”
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
