Bad contracts, no royalties for screenwriters, and AI in focus at historic writers' guild meet: ‘Modern-day colonialism’

The Screenwriters Association of India hosted the three-day annual general body meeting of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds in Mumbai this week.

Screenwriting associations across the world assembled under one roof for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) in Mumbai this week. Hosted by the Screenwriters Association (SWA) of India, the meeting came in the backdrop of increased demands for rights, better work, and pay by screenwriters globally. And these demands were at the front and centre of the AGM too.

Anjum Rajabali, Peter Matessi, Jennifer Davidson, and Laura Blum-Smith at the IAWG AGM.

The AGM's agenda

The AGM covered pressing points of the community, ranging from lack of royalties and faulty contracts to undignified pay and interference of powerful producers to discourage the union from fighting for writers. The members also discussed the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on screenwriting and discussed how to form clear policies and safeguards around its ethical, legal, and practical use in the industry.

Screenwriters lament the state of global industry

A special panel discussion—moderated by critic Baradwaj Rangan saw him joined by Laura Blum-Smith (Assistant Executive Director, Writers Guild of America West), Jennifer Davidson (Chair of IAWG and of the Writers’ Guild of Ireland), Anjum Rajabali (screenwriter, senior activist of SWA) and Peter Matessi (President, Australian Writers Guild, Television Producer).

Rajabali, who has been at the forefront of the SWA’s fight for their rights, said everything is stacked against writers today. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) had pulled off the historic 2023 strike in Hollywood, but Rajabali highlighted the bias of the streamers when it comes to Indian screenwriters. “It’s modern-day colonialism, because you (streamers) are treating them (international creators) differently than you are treating us. If they deserve those rights, so do we. The same companies that give them residuals, mandated by law, are resisting royalties to us, again mandated by law.”

Blum-Smith, who was part of the historic WGA strike, didn’t mince words when they stressed the state of screenwriters: “The companies have taken the transition to streaming as a means of exploitation and erosion of the sustainability of screenwriting jobs. We are getting to do more work for less pay.”

About the IAWG

The three-day mega event was joined by delegates from European, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Africa and Asian guilds, held for the first time in India. Along with Rajabali, Zaman Habib, and Tumbbad writer Mitesh Shah represented the SWA at this AGM.

The International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) is a global coalition of guilds and unions representing screenwriters in film, television, radio, and digital media. Founded to protect and advance the rights of writers worldwide, the IAWG unites guilds across continents in pursuit of fair contracts, fair pay, and fair credit.