Film Festivals Subsector
Do you work for a film festival, either as an employee or a freelancer? Do you ever hire freelancers? Then it is important to consider fair pay. Since 2025, several guidelines have been in place, including a job classification manual with reference positions for film festivals and a standard basic scheme for secondary employment conditions. Please consult the fair pay guidelines for film festivals.
Workers at film festivals and fair pay.
There are many film festivals in the Netherlands, four of which receive multi-year subsidies from the Minister of Education, Culture and Science within the basic infrastructure (BIS). As of 2025, seven film festivals receive structural subsidies from the Netherlands Film Fund.
Municipalities and provinces also provide contributions. Generally, ambitions are high and budgets are limited at film festivals. Fair pay for workers in this field is therefore an important point of attention.
About the chain table
The Film Festivals ‘ketentafel’ (sectoral consultation table) was established in February 2024 and, as of 2026, consists of fourteen representatives of workers, employers, and clients from both large and small film festivals. Under the leadership of independent chair Doreen Boonekamp, an expert and independent strategic advisor, they examine opportunities to stimulate fair pay within this field. The sectoral table conducts its own research or commissions studies, performs analyses, and develops guidelines and tools: concrete products for practical application.
Tools & downloads
Job Manual Reference Positions Film Festivals
This practical instrument includes reference positions that provide an overview of characteristic activities at film festivals and serves as a tool to correctly classify and value positions at the appropriate level of seniority.
Appendices:
Indicative list of synonyms
Overview of alternative titles also used for the seventeen reference positions.
Salary scales and guideline for freelancer starting rates for film festivals
The matrix with salary scales is based on the salary scales of the collective labor agreement for theater and dance as of January 1, 2025. The minimum rates for freelancers, which are also included, are derived from these salary scales.
- Practical Tool 2: The Job Manual Reference Functions Film Festivals. Berenschot, December 2025.
- Appendix 1 to Practical Tool 2: Indicative List of Synonyms for Film Festival Reference Positions. Supplement to the Film Festivals Reference Job Manual. January 2025.
- Appendix 2 to Practical Tool 2: Bureau Berenschot Grading Report. Supplement to the Film Festivals Reference Job Manual. January 2025.
Standard Basic Scheme for Secondary Employment Conditions
This scheme establishes the lower limit for secondary employment conditions for workers at film festivals. Film festivals must comply with these insofar as they are legally required and if they are subsidized by the state (even if ‘apply within sector’ is mentioned in the scheme). These concern provisions that come on top of the salary. Examples include insurance for pensions, disability, travel and study costs, as well as handling work outside regular hours and at varying locations.
Tables for freelancer starting rates and salaries for film festival workers
Here you will find the tables with fair pay salaries and freelancer rates for workers at film festivals up to and including 2026.