Senator Dodd Urges Berlin Film Festival Audience to Stand United in Protecting Creators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2014
SENATOR CHRIS DODD URGES BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE AND GERMAN FILM COMMUNITY TO STAND UNITED IN PROTECTING CREATORS
Calls for Global Commitment to Effective Copyright Protection
BERLIN –Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), today called on the global film community to stand up for effective copyright protection to encourage cultural and technological innovation, job production and economic development.
“The film and television industry stands at a crossroads today which will determine its future for years to come,” Dodd said. In his first appearance at the Berlinale, Dodd spoke yesterday before the Produzenten Allianz (German film producers) and today during a keynote address to a group of filmmakers, legislators and policy makers gathered for a panel discussion on cooperation between the German and American film industries.
Dodd added: “We owe it to future creators and filmmakers to ensure they have the same opportunities as those who came before to be part of this remarkable industry.”
In addition to his remarks about the importance of copyright, Dodd also discussed how globalization and new technological developments are helping to bring the world together as information and culture are now more easily shared among people living in different regions of the world.
Dodd told the audiences that “new technology has made the international exchange of cultural and entertainment content faster, easier, and increasingly, a two-way street,” and he highlighted the fact that “there are more than 400 legal online global distribution services available in countries around the world for watching many of the world’s best films and television shows.”
Dodd also touched upon the growing global nature of film production during his remarks, highlighting films such as Monuments Men and The Grand Budapest Hotel which are showing at this year’s festival, and the lasting power of movies on cultures around the world:
“We remember the stories that tackle the important social, international, or moral questions of the day, leaving an indelible impression long after their theatrical run – reminding us all, once again, that regardless of race, religion, or nationality, we all live on this small planet together.”
For a copy of Senator Dodd’s remarks as prepared for delivery, click here.
About the MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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For more information, contact:
MPA Brussels, Belgium
Sabine Henssler, Communications Director, EMEA
+32 (0)2 778 2701
Sabine_henssler@motionpictures.org
MPAA Washington, DC
Howard Gantman
(202) 293-1966
howard_gantman@motionpictures.org