Freedom to Create: Unevenly Defended

Freedom to create is vital to the diversity of the moving image — universally affirmed, but unevenly defended. Creators worldwide face censorship, intimidation, retaliation, imprisonment and exile. Threats come not only from authoritarian states: access to financing, distribution and major markets can carry unspoken conditions on what stories may be told, and by whom. Protections remain fragmented and reactive, often mobilized only once a creator is already in danger. This session asks what genuine protection requires: early-warning networks that act before exile becomes the only option; safe havens that preserve the ability to work, not merely survive; financial and legal support that sustains visibility and independence; and safeguards against protection becoming exposure when advocacy itself increases risk.

Speakers

Ms. Rima Mismar
General Director for Media
and Cultural Industries,
Arab Fund for Arts and
Culture (AFAC), Lebanon

Mr. Charles Gillibert
CEO, CG Cinéma, France

Mr. Darren Walker
President and CEO,
Anonymous Content,
United States

Mr. Nabil Ayouch
Director, Producer, Morocco

Ms. Vanja Kaludjercic
Festival Director,
International Film Festival
Rotterdam (IFFR),
Netherlands

Moderator:
Ms. Eva Nguyen Binh
President, Institut Français,
France