European film community calls for continued support for cinema

Thousands of filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals have signed an open letter urging the European Union to safeguard the future of European cinema. Among the signatories are directors Joachim Trier, Ruben Östlund, Yorgos Lanthimos and Francis Ford Coppola, alongside actors Juliette Binoche, Sandra Hüller and Stellan Skarsgård.

The letter, Cinema needs Europe, Europe needs cinema, has gathered more than 4,500 signatures and highlights the impact of the EU’s Creative Europe Media program, which has supported European filmmaking for over three decades. Despite accounting for just 0.2% of the EU budget, the program is described as “a European success story with an invaluable impact”—enabling films to travel across borders and strengthening a diverse cinematic landscape. “Without the Creative Europe Media program, we would all be a little less European,” the letter states.

At a time when the European Union is preparing its new AgoraEU program—set to replace Creative Europe from 2028—the signatories warn that the position of cinema within this broader framework remains uncertain. While AgoraEU proposes a larger overall budget, it also expands its scope to include sectors such as news media and video games, raising concerns about how much support will remain dedicated to film.

The letter also points to mounting pressures on the sector, from the dominance of global platforms to shifting viewing habits and the rise of artificial intelligence. “Europe’s ability to tell its own stories is under strain,” the signatories write, calling for renewed political commitment to ensure that European voices continue to be heard.

IDFA supports the message of the letter and its call to reinforce the Creative Europe Media program. As the letter concludes: “There are no shared values, no democracy, and no European soft power without artistic creation.”