wish in one hand...

European screenwriters issue manifesto... world yawns.

• The screenwriter is an author of the film, a primary creator of the audiovisual work.

• The indiscriminate use of the possessory credit is unacceptable.

• The moral rights of the screenwriter, especially the right to maintain the integrity of a work and to protect it from any distortion or misuse, should be inalienable and should be fully honored in practice.

"What we tried to do by naming it the 'manifesto' is to challenge the international film community and to start a discussion about what has gone wrong and how we could set it right," says Christina Kallas, president of the federation and a screenwriter, story editor, author, producer and teacher. "It is a step in our campaign to give the screenwriter her rightful place, as in the theater and, indeed, in any other form of writing. We hope that it will be an important tool in our efforts to develop and enhance the status of screenwriters."

this thing seems to be getting some real backing from certain film industry honchos. It seems a little caustic and reactionary to me but whatever makes screenwriters feel better about themselves I guess. I’ve personally always thought of a manifesto as that thing the Unabomber wrote.

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The Austin film festival is coming relatively soon so you better get those submissions in. I’ve never been to Austin but the Butthole Surfers have and any film festival they’d go to I’d go to too.

(please not that I have no idea if the butthole surfers will be there this year... I'm just saying is all.)