CISAC awards China Film Directors Guild at opening of Pingyao International Film Festival
Renowned Chinese film director and CISAC Vice President Jia Zhang-ke has placed the issue of audiovisual creators rights front and centre of the inaugural Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival (PYIFF), handing over a new award to the China Film Directors Guild for its outstanding work in this area.
The Guild was honoured by CISAC during the opening ceremony of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival on October 28th.
China’s leading film director Feng XiaoGang received the inaugural Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Protection of Audiovisual Copyright on behalf of the guild. The award credits an organisation or individual who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to protecting copyright of audiovisual works and their creators. It was presented by CISAC Repertoires and Creators Relations Director Silvina Munich and CISAC Regional Director for Asia-Pacific Benjamin Ng.
Coordinated by Jia Zhang-ke, PYIFF has sought to place copyright as one of its key priorities. This is the first time in the world that a film festival has put copyright forward this way.
China Film Directors Guild is the leading organisation in China representing film directors. The new award recognises its efforts over recent years to step up cooperation with European audiovisual collective management organisations. This has resulted in Chinese film directors receiving payment for the use of their works for the first time. The guild and its members have also made progress in pushing for a change of audiovisual works authorship to screenwriters and directors as well as for a remuneration right during the latest Copyright Act amendment in China.
Writers & Directors Worldwide President Yves Nilly stated:
Jia Zhang-ke places copyright at the forefront of the first edition of her Pingyao International Film Festival and this is to be welcomed. China will soon be the major actor in world cinema, Jia is sending a strong signal to the young generations of filmmakers, to whom the festival is giving pride of place, and his total commitment to the international campaign for the right to remuneration should also challenge the legislators of our countries who refuse scriptwriters and directors this right, which is essential for the survival and growth of audiovisual creation throughout the world.”
The award selection committee members include: CISAC Director General Gadi Oron, W&DW President Yves Nilly, former National Copyright Administration of the People's Republic of China Legislative Affairs Department Director General Wang Ziqiang and East China University of Political Science and Law Professor Wan Qian.
The opening ceremony can be viewed in its entirety here. The award ceremony begins at 3:42:11.
Following the opening on the next day, a seminar on "Copyright Protection of Creators of Film" took place with Benjamin Ng, Wang Ziqiang, Yves Nilly, Jia Zhang-ke and Silvina Munich participating. The well-attended event was sponsored by CISAC.
