Latest news with #screenwriters
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Australian production companies may have to pay millions in alleged unpaid super after ATO ruling
Major Australian production companies, including those that produce Neighbours and Home and Away, may be ordered to pay workers millions of dollars in alleged unpaid superannuation after a 2024 tax office ruling. The Australian Writers Guild (AWG) is gearing up for a challenge against Screen Producers Australia (SPA), after a ruling by the Australian Tax Office last December found that screenwriters in most cases were providing a service to an employer, not selling a product, and therefore must be paid super. The ruling, which was in line with the Superannuation Guarantee Act, means that for long-running television shows, decades of super backpay could apply, although the statute of limitations for an individual employee in Australia is six years. Both parties are now seeking legal advice, while the AWG said it has not ruled out a class action or a strike to challenge what it describes as SPA's 'legally dubious' position. The 2023 screenwriters strike in the US lasted 148 days and after the actors union Sag-Aftra joined the strike, film production in Hollywood and abroad – including some shoots in Australia – was stalled for months. That strike was largely about unfair compensation and the unchecked use of AI. The AWG is a guild, not a union, and therefore is under no legally binding obligation to seek protected action. While the Australian guild's chief executive, Claire Pullen, said the possibility of a wildcat strike further down the road had not been ruled out, she was acutely aware of the financial stress this would place its members under. Screenwriter Peter Mattessi, the president of the guild, said many Australian production houses continue to treat legally mandated employer contributions as optional extras in industry contracts. 'It's not negotiable. You're not bartering over a clause in a contract,' said Mattessi, a writer on EastEnders, Return to Paradise and The Heights. 'This is legislation. It's meant to protect workers. Yet some producers treat it like it's an option … it's as though legal compliance is discretionary. 'It's not just a contract quirk – it's sustained denial and it amounts to wage theft.' Mattessi said earlier in his career he had written for Neighbours, produced by Fremantle, and Home and Away, produced by Seven Productions, and alleged neither company had paid super to their writers. The Guardian is aware of at least two former scriptwriters on Home and Away who took their complaints to the ATO, which ruled in the writers' favour. But the AWG said it was not reasonable to expect every screenwriter in the country to individually apply to the ATO to assert their superannuation rights. 'Our members are engaged in such a precarious way as it is, contract to contract,' Pullen said. 'If it's put to you as a choice between enforcing your right to superannuation or not getting the job, it's pretty obvious which choice creative workers are going to make.' Attempts to convince the ATO that it needed to tackle industry-wide non-compliance had hit a bureaucratic roadblock, she said. 'Essentially, what we got back from the ATO was: 'if any individual wants to raise a matter, we'll look into it'. But they won't deal with systemic non-compliance.' In information circulated by SPA to its members last year (Fremantle is a SPA member but Seven Productions is not), it advised that while some services from scriptwriters do attract super, standard contracts show that writers who are commissioned to write a script are paid for the acquisition of their intellectual property rights of that work. 'The fee is not paying for services; the fee is paying for the assignment of copyright and various usage of the work,' the advice said. In a statement provided to the Guardian, SPA's chief executive, Matthew Deaner, said: 'While we can't comment on any specific matter, nor has this issue been formally raised by the writers guild, we note that the industry framework agreements with the guild envisage writers being paid under different fee types depending on what has been contracted. Superannuation obligations are then determined in accordance with the relevant legislation.' The Superannuation Act states that 'who is paid to perform services in, or in connection with, the making of any film, tape or disc or of any television or radio broadcast is an employee of the person liable to make the payment.' The AWG argues this includes film and television scriptwriters, and in a December 2024 clarifying ruling, the ATO went on to emphasise 'a person engaged to write a script is performing services', and therefore owed super – as opposed to a writer who takes their existing script to a producer who buys it, in which case 'they are merely selling property.' An ATO spokesperson said application of the relevant subsection of the act needed to be made on a payment-by-payment basisand its review and audit program into the non-payment of super did enable it to focus on 'particular industries or employer groups as part of their compliance actions'. The assistant treasurer, Fremantle and Seven Productions have not responded to the Guardian.
South China Morning Post
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Is Stephen King happy with The Institute TV adaptation? Yes, very much so
Stephen King has a rule for anyone wanting to adapt one of his books for the big or small screen. It is basically the Hippocratic Oath for intellectual property: first, do no harm. 'When you deviate from the story that I wrote, you do so at your own risk,' he says in an interview from his home in the US state of Maine. 'I know what I'm doing and I'm not sure that screenwriters always do or that producers and directors always do.' Not everyone has listened to King, who has enjoyed hit adaptations (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, Misery, It, The Shining) as well as flops (Salem's Lot, Graveyard Shift, The Lawnmower Man). The industrious novelist has lately watched as a wave of adaptations of his work has been crafted for cinemas or streaming platforms, a list that includes The Life of Chuck and the upcoming The Long Walk, The Running Man and It: Welcome to Derry. It also includes the eight-episode series The Institute, which debuts on July 13 on American network MGM+ and will also be available on Amazon Prime Video. Stephen King attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on May 22, 2018. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP The Institute is about a secret government facility where children with special talents – telekinesis and telepathy – are imprisoned and put to dark geopolitical uses. Their bedrooms are faithfully re-created, and creepy posters – 'Your Gift is Important' and 'I Choose to be Happy' – line the halls.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
iQIYI celebrates fifth annual Golden Screenwriters' Night, advancing stronger industry ecosystem for screenwriting talent
BEIJING, June 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 11, iQIYI, China's leading online entertainment platform, hosted the annual Golden Screenwriters' Night, honoring 62 screenwriters and 20 outstanding works spanning films, drama series, and animation. Now in its fifth year, the event has become a signature initiative that highlights iQIYI's leadership in cultivating China's screenwriting ecosystem, champions emerging talent, and reinforces the platform's long-term commitment to premium storytelling. This year's event showcased a wide spectrum of screenwriting voices and styles. For example, iQIYI's acclaimed drama series "We Are Criminal Police" and "To the Wonder" received "Most Influential Screenplay" and "Most Innovative Screenplay," respectively, for their resonant storytelling. The emotionally charged film "Like a Rolling Stone" was awarded "Best Female-Centered Screenplay," while the heartwarming theatrical release "Viva La Vida" earned "Best Adapted Screenplay for Theatrical Film." In animation, the creative comedy "Oh My School Season 5" received "Best Original Screenplay for Chinese Comics." Xiaohui WANG, Chief Content Officer of iQIYI, highlighted the evolving role of screenwriters in a rapidly changing industry. He shared that creators are being innovative in their understanding, expression and the emotional depth in their works. He added, "What we saw in this year's works shows both a relentless pursuit of quality and a willingness to push boundaries." Newly introduced honors this year also spotlighted outstanding writing in both modern and period drama adaptations, alongside female-centered narratives. These additions reflect iQIYI's continued refinement in celebrating genre-specific storytelling and its growing efforts to create space for a broader range of creative voices. Since its launch in 2020, Golden Screenwriters' Night has made meaningful strides in raising the visibility of screenwriters across the industry. Reinforcing the event's reputation for professionalism, this year's honorees were selected by a distinguished panel of film directors, actors, scholars, and industry experts through a rigorous evaluation process based on criteria including thematic depth, artistic merit, originality, and audience impact. Beyond recognition, iQIYI actively supports emerging talent through long-term programs such as the Online Film Young Creators Project, which offers funding, mentorship, and comprehensive support for promising new filmmakers. By fostering innovation and championing original ideas, iQIYI remains committed to cultivating an inclusive environment that nurtures content excellence and contributes to the sustainable growth of the broader creative industry. CONTACT: iQIYI Press, press@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE iQIYI
Condé Nast Traveler
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Condé Nast Traveler
How We Pulled It Off: A Big, Fat Gay Wedding in Bogotá, Colombia
The love shared between Priscila Garcia-Jacquier and Lio Sigerson, two screenwriters who are now based in Los Angeles, was undeniably fated—though they tried to ignore it as long as they possibly could. They were introduced by a mutual friend at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, when Lio was a student and Priscila a high-school senior visiting the campus. Jetting off for a Colombia destination wedding was just as meant to be. 'He was just like, 'Oh God, you're both these mean, pretty girls who are bossy [theater] directors from big cities. You guys need to meet,' says Priscila, who was born in Bogotá, Colombia. 'We pretty much fell in love instantly,' says Lio, who is from New York City. Over the course of many years—and a lot of flirting, kissing, tears, estrangements, and semi-serious marriage proposals written on class notes—the pair finally got together for good in 2021, and were engaged in April 2022. '[Colombia] is where I feel the most at home, of anywhere in the world,' says Priscila. 'I wanted to be able to, for the first time, bring all of my American people there to understand me a little better.' Jillian Mitchell After visiting Bogotá herself and seeing how her fiancée lit up there, Lio was completely on board. 'Of course everybody who loves you deserves to have this experience that I'm having—getting to see you be your fullest self, in your home,' she says. Even with Priscila's connection to the place and her grasp of the culture and language, planning a wedding there from their home in Los Angeles was not without its hurdles. Ahead, the couple explain how they plotted an immersive, rowdy, utterly romantic celebration for 90 guests in Bogotá last August. Find an LGBTQ+ advocate The couple's first stop was finding a planner, which sadly proved more difficult than anticipated. 'While gay marriage is completely legal in Colombia, and even has more protections than in the States, I will say it's still not totally accepted culturally. I actually got shut down a lot,' Priscila says. 'People would say, 'Oh, we're so happy for you. Unfortunately, we do not perform or plan any 'egalitarian' weddings.'' Only more determined, Lio dug further into internet research and found Juanita Suzunaga, who founded the LGBT-focused wedding-planning firm Proudly Weds. 'I think I manifested her. There was not a corny rainbow to be found [in her portfolio], so chic,' says Lio. 'She jumped right in right away and was horrified that anybody had rejected us. She made us feel so taken care of, instantly.' Jillian Mitchell Jillian Mitchell Locate a venue with just the right look Juanita was quickly tasked with venue options, though the couple's vision once again brushed up against the realities of Bogotá. 'I wanted to get married some place that felt like a hacienda, that old Spanish vibe, but it's a very modern city, with very modern architecture,' says Lio. Their new planner gently pointed out that the only way to nail down that look was by seeking bigger houses in more rural areas, but the pair were dead-set on staying within the city limits.
