Fair Pay backlog in film and audiovisual sector largest of all creative industries

Substantial interventions are needed to enable fair payment in the Dutch film and audiovisual sector. This is according to the report Additional costs in the film and audiovisual sector by PPMC Economic Advice, commissioned by Kunsten '92. The costs of realising Fair Pay amount to an average of 42% of total remuneration and 23% of total production costs. As such, the film and audiovisual sector has the largest deficit of all nationally surveyed sectors in the cultural and creative industries.

The researchers took a close look at six representative productions: four completed feature films and two documentaries. The conclusion: substantial catching up is needed to tackle underpayment and unpaid overtime. Especially directing, executive production and the art department (design and decoration on set) are structurally lagging behind. For documentaries, the backlog amounts to 67% of total pay; for feature films, it is 40%.

The cause is a sum of structural bottlenecks:
- A remuneration guideline was lacking for years, and indexation failed to materialise;
- Film productions, due to the project-based nature and nature of work, work largely with self-employed workers - the most vulnerable group when it comes to Fair Pay;
- Overtime is rarely compensated, as funding contracts are fixed before production and leave little room for adjustment during the creative process.

First steps taken - follow-up requires commitment from industry, funders and government

From 2025, Fair Pay will apply as the standard for applicants for grants within the cultural and creative sector from governments and state cultural funds. Sectors must demonstrate that they pay 'fair' by adhering to a collective agreement or a fee guideline.

In a constantly changing media landscape, this is an urgent task for the film and audiovisual sector, which requires cooperation.

The first step has been taken. At the Film/AV Production Chain Table - part of the fairPACCT programme of Platform ACCT - contractors (such as directors, script, cast and crew) and clients (producers and public broadcasters) reached agreement on a set of Fair Pay practice tools for self-employed workers late last year. Since 1 January 2025, these include a guide to safe and healthy working and an annually indexed fee guideline available for use in practice. For more information on the chain table Film/AV production, see here.

The next step is for these guidelines to be widely applied and structurally embedded in working practices. Every production should start with a realistic budget and clear agreements on pay and commitment.

Fair Pay requires structural funding and joint efforts from all financiers involved. The Netherlands Film Fund already took a step in this direction by increasing its contributions and earmarking an average of 25% for Fair Pay. Other funds, institutions and market players - such as public and commercial broadcasters, distributors and streamers - must also take their responsibility and index their contributions annually in line with rising wages and production costs.

Finally, broadening the range of financing instruments is crucial - for example, through tax incentives such as a tax rebate or tax shelter, following the example of neighbouring countries. If catching up is not possible all at once, the researchers recommend starting with documentaries and the departments where the backlog is greatest.

Jeroen Bartelse, chairman Kunsten '92: "This research confirms what has been felt in the sector for some time: the film and AV sector lags distressingly behind when it comes to fair pay. We now have both the figures and the sector agreements on fairer work and better pay in our hands to change this."

Doreen Boonekamp, chairman of the Chain Table Film/AV Production: "Sector, financiers and government: make the difference together to make fair pay possible. Apply the guidelines and, through cooperation, strengthen the financial basis per production. Accelerate this development with additional incentives, like those already in place in neighbouring countries."

The report Additional cost Fair Pay in the film audiovisual sector is a follow-up to the report Fair Pay closer (November 2023). The recommendations are in line with the sector plan Strengthening position of Dutch cultural audiovisual production (2022). Kunsten '92 - as the penpal of the Fair Practice Code - client of the study. The research was co-sponsored by the Netherlands Film Fund.

Read the full report here.

During the NFF Extended in May 2025, the research will be explained and discussed. Also shared there will be the results of additional research into the gender pay gap, conducted by Utrecht University in cooperation with the Stichting Vrouwen in Beeld and the Dutch Academy For Film.