14 June Action Day Screenwriters Everywhere: Dutch screenwriters and directors in solidarity with striking US colleagues

On 14 June 2023, the Authors' Association's Screenwriters Network and the Dutch Directors Guild are joining the global day of action Screenwriters Everywhere. In doing so, we support the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East, who have been on strike since 2 May. Actions are planned in more than 20 countries.

Screenwriters in the United States are striking because streaming services like Disney, Netflix and Amazon, do not offer them fair compensation. Media companies earn billions from the work of writers and all other creators of films and series, but they refuse to share those profits with the creators. The fight for fair fees and protection from these global streaming companies affects us all.

Dutch creators also fail to benefit from streaming service profits

By 2022, more streaming viewing than linear for the first time. Creators supply their right to digital exploitation to producers and operators in the hope of profiting from the biggest growth market for audiovisual creators. To date, little, and indeed ZERO, money has come out of this for creators in recent years.

Screenwriters and directors are entitled to fair remuneration for their work. After all, without them, there are no films and series and streaming services cannot exist.