FERA (Federation of European Film Directors)
The European federation representing national associations of film and television directors, advocating for directors' creative rights, remuneration, and status across Europe.
Overview
FERA (Federation of European Film Directors) is the European federation representing national associations of film and television directors across Europe. Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Brussels, FERA brings together national directors' organizations from more than 35 European countries to advocate collectively for directors' creative rights, appropriate remuneration, and professional status in the European legislative and cultural policy environment.
FERA's primary arena is European Union cultural and copyright policy. The federation engages continuously with the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU on legislation affecting directors' rights -- including the Copyright Directive, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, and the regulation of streaming platforms operating in Europe. This advocacy work directly affects the legal framework within which every director working in European film and television operates.
Creative Rights Advocacy
FERA's most significant ongoing advocacy concern is the protection and strengthening of directors' authorship rights under European copyright law. The federation advocates for the principle that directors are the primary authors of audiovisual works, that this authorship generates economic rights (including proportional remuneration from exploitation of the work), and that these rights should be unwaivable -- meaning directors cannot be pressured into signing away their authorship rights as a condition of employment.
The application of this principle varies across European countries. In France and Germany, strong moral rights and unwaivable remuneration rights provide directors with economic participation in the exploitation of their films throughout the film's commercial life. In other European countries, director rights are weaker and more easily contracted away. FERA advocates for the stronger French and German model to apply consistently across the EU.
Member Organizations
FERA's member organizations include the Société des Réalisateurs de Films (SRF) in France, the Bundesverband Regie (BVR) in Germany, the Association of Directors (DGA equivalent organizations) in the UK, Italy, Spain, the Nordic countries, and Eastern European countries. This membership gives FERA both the legitimacy to speak on behalf of European directors collectively and the diverse national perspectives needed to understand how policy changes affect directors in different production contexts.
What Filmmakers Should Know
For directors working in European co-productions, FERA's advocacy work shapes the contractual and legal framework they operate within. Understanding that European copyright law provides stronger director rights than US work-for-hire frameworks -- and that FERA is actively working to strengthen and harmonize these rights across the EU -- provides useful context for negotiations over creative rights in European co-productions.
For directors engaging with European cultural policy debates -- particularly around streaming platform obligations, content quotas, and copyright reform -- FERA provides the information and advocacy resources to understand and participate in these discussions.
See Also
For FERA's cinematographers equivalent, see IMAGO in this directory. For the US directors guild with parallel advocacy functions, see Directors Guild of America in this directory.
