🎬 Following in the footsteps of the music industry, the film sector is taking a new step forward in regulating relations between creators and producers

Following the progress made in the music sector regarding minimum remuneration guarantees and the structuring of professional agreements, the French film industry is now following suit with the signing of the inter-professional agreement of 15 October 2025 on relations between authors/screenwriters and producers of feature-length fiction films.

🔍 Key contributions

1.    Unprecedented framework for remuneration

– Introduction of a guaranteed minimum writing fee (MGEP)

– A structured payment schedule from the moment the contract is signed,

– An indexation mechanism allowing remuneration to be adjusted to the scale of the project,

– As well as additional remuneration in the event of the work’s success after amortisation.

2.    Enhanced transparency

– Mandatory creation of a writing credits sheet designed to trace all contributions to the work, as well as greater visibility for screenwriters in the credits and promotional materials.

🔄 Quick comparison with previous agreements

Historically, several agreements have governed author-producer relations, including the July 2017 agreement, which focused on transparency in authors’ remuneration and defined Net Producer Revenue (NPR).

This agreement organises remuneration around a fixed portion and a proportional portion, the latter being calculated on the basis of RNPP-A (net revenue attributable to producers and chargeable to authors), for which it sets out the basis of calculation in order to improve transparency and predictability.

However, whilst this mechanism partly secures the basis for calculation, it does not guarantee a minimum level of remuneration, as this remains dependent on the revenue generated by the exploitation of the work.

👉 The 2025 agreement goes further: it builds on this approach by introducing a guaranteed minimum remuneration (MGEP), a structured payment schedule and adjustment mechanisms, thereby ensuring financial security at an early stage, independent of the work’s success alone.

👥 Who is affected?

✔️ Feature-length fiction films subject to French law and intended for their first commercial release in cinemas in France.

❌ The following are excluded:

– feature-length films in the documentary and animation genres

– authors paid a lump sum,

– so-called ‘emerging’ producers who have not yet produced a feature-length film,

– as well as certain international co-productions with a majority foreign share.

📅 This agreement, extended by ministerial decree, came into force on 15 January 2026 and is now binding on the entire sector concerned. It has been concluded for a period of three years, with a tacit renewal mechanism, and is subject to regular monitoring by a dedicated committee.

The agreement was signed by the main organisations representing producers (API, SPI, UPC), authors (SCA, SRF, ARP) and the SACD, under the auspices of the CNC.

💡 This agreement thus represents a landmark step for the sector, although its effectiveness will largely depend on its implementation and future contractual practices.

📩 Producers, authors, agents: do you need to adapt your contracts?

MARS-IP can assist you in securing and ensuring the compliance of your practices.

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