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"We need legal regulations for dealing with AI"

In the current interview we ask 4 questions to Leslie Malton from the BFFS.

The GVL represents around 12,000 actors and dubbing actors. The Bundesverband Schauspiel (BFFS) is one of the four associates of the GVL. We spoke to BFFS chair Leslie Malton about the current situation of her fellow actors and the challenges facing the industry.

GVL: First we had the Corona pandemic, second inflation due to the outbreak of war and now is AI threatening to turn the entire creative industry upside down. How are German actors and dubbing actors doing right now?

 

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Leslie Malton: The last few years have been tough and there is a certain restlessness among all actors in all fields. In television, we are now confronted with low special salaries that are far below the usual salaries. The broadcasters justify these with budget cuts or the pandemic. The BFFS will try to reach collective agreements with its collective bargaining and social partners. 

In the stage sector, we have already succeeded recently: With the collective agreement "NV Bühne 2022", we have achieved a very important increase in the minimum wage and, together with our partner unions, we have even been able to achieve inflation compensation for employees in German theatres.

We need appropriate legal regulations for dealing with AI: compulsory labelling, rights regulation in connection with AI or remuneration regulations in relation to AI use, these are all topics that we need to address.

The regulation of AI will have a similar importance for your members as the EU Copyright Directive. How will associations like the BFFS be called upon in the future?

Here, too, it is essential that the BFFS, together with its social and collective bargaining partners, draws up collective agreements that protect our work, copyrights and remuneration - for example, in the negotiations on the collective agreement on film television (TV FFS) and the collective agreement on acting. In addition, it also requires an important political commitment. Because we need appropriate legal regulations for dealing with AI: compulsory labelling, rights regulation in connection with AI or remuneration regulations in relation to AI use, these are all issues that we need to address.

In the USA, the entire film industry recently went on strike. Are such scenarios also conceivable in Germany? How can political decision-making processes in this country be determined constructively and fairly in the interest of all those involved?

In 2011, the BFFS organised warning strikes at 14 German film locations to introduce an entry-level fee. As a result, the stalled negotiations on the part of the Producers' Alliance were resumed and the BFFS was able to successfully push through its demand for a wage floor. 

Of course, the BFFS will always have the option of industrial action in mind in future collective bargaining negotiations, if we consider a strike to be necessary under the specific circumstances. But of course we are more interested in constructive talks at eye level. Because everyone is now aware of the challenges that AI brings with it. We just have to look across the Atlantic. The results of the strike in the USA will certainly also be groundbreaking in Germany. We look forward to lively discussions on this topic!

Of course, the BFFS will always have the option of industrial action in mind in future collective bargaining if we consider a strike to be necessary after weighing up the concrete circumstances.

The GVL has been sponsoring the German Actors' Prize for several years and is happy to acknowledge this commitment. You renamed the various categories in which the prize is awarded last year. How did the decision come about?

We are very grateful that the GVL has been sponsoring the Schauspielpreis for so many years. This shows the solidarity of the GVL as a collecting society with the acting industry.

With the renaming, it was important for us to react to the developments within the industry and the society. Instead of reducing the awards for the "best leading actor" and the "best leading actress" to one "best leading actress", as the Berlinale has done, we have opened up the award to two winners. This means that the German Actors' Prize will still be awarded to two actors - but both can now be female, male or non-binary - it's all about performance and not about gender. 

Another new feature is that actors playing a leading role in an episode will be considered. This category is an essential part of our range of roles and closes the gap between the supporting role and the "strong performance". The category "Duo" is also a new addition. We received very clear approval from our members at last year's awards when the new categories were first introduced. We are of course very pleased with this approval.

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Fotos: Joachim Gern

Leslie Malton has been involved with the Bundesverband Schauspiel (BFFS) since the very beginning and has been its chairperson since 2019. The US-German actress and dubbing actress began her career at the Burgtheater in Vienna. She became known to a wide audience in 1993 in Dieter Wedel's "Der große Bellheim". Since then she has appeared in over 140 film and television productions. Since 2015 she has been an ambassador for children with Rett syndrome.