Photo: Alex Litvin In recent years, the Film Festivals Sector Table within fairPACCT has developed two fair pay practice instruments for workers: a Job Classification Register for Film Festivals, including salary tables and starting rates for freelancers, and a Standard Basic Regulation for Secondary Terms of Employment.

A clearer picture of the organization

In relation to the position of workers, the sector table now also aims to gain a clearer picture of the situation of organizations through further research. The launch of the chain table in 2023 was preceded by two preliminary studies conducted by the Berenschot consultancy. These involved a collective labor agreement (CAO) benchmark and insight into the terms of employment policies at what were then 7 (now 11) film festivals receiving multi-year state subsidies. Furthermore, in 2023, the firms PPMC/HTH/SiRM conducted research into the additional costs of fair pay across all types of multi-year subsidized festivals, totaling 93 in the reference year 2022. However, there are an estimated 141 film festivals—130 of which do not receive multi-year state subsidies—that are essential for the accessible presentation of film/AV throughout the country.

Explanation of the two types of research. The sector table considers two types of research to be relevant at this time. The firms PPMC/HTH will conduct these. The following serves as an explanation. 1. Field research among all estimated 141 film festivals The field research consists of two phases: phase 1 with 12 qualitative interviews and phase 2 with a quantitative assessment of the findings across all festivals via an online survey. The field research is commissioned by Platform ACCT/fairPACCT. 2. Fair pay additional cost research among 11 multi-year subsidized film festivals The sector table wants this study to answer the following question: What are the additional costs of fair pay for the 11 multi-year state-subsidized film festivals when the new practice instruments are fully applied? The specific additional cost study is related to more general research by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Field research has started with in-depth interviews Phase 1 of the broad field research has now started with 12 in-depth interviews, with the primary target group being film festivals that are not multi-year state-subsidized. This concerns their substantive and financial situation, including the method of funding. It covers the current state of affairs regarding working conditions and the feasibility of applying the sector table’s fair pay practice instruments for employees and freelancers respectively. It also examines whether and what the difference is between film festivals that are independent organizations and film festivals linked to a cinema. Based on the interview findings, phase 2 of the field research will include a survey among all film festivals. Based on all of this, the position of the field will be clarified, along with the policy needed to safeguard substantive variety and regional accessibility, including fair pay, at film festivals. Would you like to share or receive relevant information now? Please send an email to the lead researcher at PPMC: richard.geukema@ppmc.nl