Global Petition Calls for Support for Indie Content Creators

A global petition is calling on governments to support regulations that protect content creators and audiovisual incentives.

There have been more than 200 signatories from across the globe to the petition on Change.org. Its backers include the Canadian Media Producers Association.

“Today, the support for independent film and audiovisual storytelling is under growing threat,” the petition reads. “We are witnessing increasingly aggressive attempts by powerful political and corporate actors to dismantle the regulatory protections that have long supported diversity and accessibility of cultural expression. The latest announcement from U.S. President Trump regarding a plan to impose tariffs on film imports only adds to this threat. It underscores the importance of protecting our ability to tell stories rooted in local cultures, languages and identities—and to ensure that people everywhere can continue to access and enjoy them. Without these protections and incentives, we will lose a vibrant, diverse and culturally-rich film and audiovisual industry and everyone, everywhere will lose out.

“Films and audiovisual works do not just fuel economic growth and global talent circulation, they reflect who we are as societies and envision who we could become. More than enriching our cultural lives, they are essential to a healthy democracy: they support freedom of expression and give voice to the diverse stories and perspectives of humanity.

“These actions take place alongside wider attacks on pluralism and freedom of expression. If they succeed, it will become increasingly difficult for diverse voices to be heard, for the whole eco-system to create, produce, distribute, promote and exhibit films and audiovisual works successfully, and for local cultures to thrive.”

The signatories oppose “political, legal or economic initiative that seeks to undermine national or international rules designed to uphold artistic freedom and cultural diversity in the film and audiovisual sector.”

The petition continues, “This includes the right of countries to create and maintain their own cultural policies and regulatory systems, which recognise the importance to own, control, and monetize our works’ intellectual property. Such measures form the foundation of a healthy audiovisual ecosystem, allowing the economic value generated by creative works to benefit domestic right-holders, reinforcing the cultural sovereignty of local film and audiovisual sectors around the world, and supporting the international circulation of diverse, independent film and audiovisual works.”