Global Indie Producers Voice Concerns Of IP Retention When Working With Streamers — KVIFF Industry Panel
deadline.comA host of global independent producers attending the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival have voiced their concerns on the issue of IP retention when it comes to working with the streamers in their local territories and are urging more agreeable terms in partnerships.“You cannot run a company out of a producing fee, you have to run it based on exploiting the IP,” said Czech producer Filip Bobiñski, co-founder of Dramedy Productions and a board member of the European Association of Independent Producers.In a panel hosted by Deadline and Ace Producers at KVIFF’s Industry Days program, Bobiñski was joined by Birdman producer John Lesher from the U.S., Roma producer Nicolás Celis from Mexico and Polish producer Joanna Szymańska to discuss the opportunities and challenges of producing with the streamers in the post-pandemic ecosystem.While the last few years have gradually seen streamers ramp up investments in international projects, indie producers continue to navigate choppy waters when it comes to financing, production and distribution and there are often cases – especially in smaller territories – where bullish streaming deals are forcing the hand of indie producers to give up IP and lose any residual benefits long term.“In the Czech Republic we have a lot of content being produced here by the streamers but the added value and creative value is coming from somewhere else,” said Bobiñski, adding the territory is also facing a problem with incentives, given the government announced it would be suspending film production incentives this year.Lesher noted that the IP issue was not specific to European territories: “They’re trying to do this in the U.S.
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