La Casa de Papel screenwriter denounces lack of remuneration for creators in Brazil

Javier Gómez Santander, screenwriter and creator of La Casa by Papel, addressed the precarious salaries of Brazilian authors during a panel at Rio2C this Wednesday, May 27th. Segundo he, the audiovisual industry completely ignores the subsequent remuneration of creators, regardless of the scope of the work. “In audiovisual, it doesn’t matter if your work is seen by millions. Não pay a penny more”, he stated in a conversation with Estadão.

Santander compared the situation of Brasil with other global markets. Ele highlighted that outside of Estados Unidos, no country has a film industry as robust as Brazil’s. The Spaniard harshly criticized the current business model. “You build a story that comes out of your gut, it’s part of you, and the industry doesn’t give anything back. It’s a historical injustice,” he added.

Dados alarming about the category

Conforme survey of Gestão of Direitos of Autores Roteiristas (Gedar), 85.1% of screenwriters never received subsequent remuneration for showing their works in the country. Essa reality is directly reflected in professional sustainability: only 27.5% live exclusively from screenwriting. The rest need to look for other sources of income to support themselves.

André Mielnik, president of Gedar Brasil, proposes a compensation model based on views, similar to the system adopted by YouTube with influencers. “You see how it is something that transforms people’s lives, especially here at País, where people really make a living from being an influencer”, explained Mielnik after the panel.

Diferenças between music and audiovisual

Mielnik argues that Brazilian music was consolidated thanks to copyright protection. Dados proves: Brazilians listen to more Brazilian music than international music. Porém, the same does not happen with films and series. “In cinema, we still haven’t managed to make or have an Ivete Sangalo”, exemplified the president of Gedar. Ele emphasizes that, without rights protection, audiovisual artists will never achieve the status of eternal icons in the collective memory like established musicians.

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International Perspectivas and industry challenges

The panel O Valor da Criação also brought together the French screenwriter Noémie Saglio and the Brazilian Cauê Laratta, author of Pico da Neblina. Luisa Luna, creator relations manager for Confederação Internacional, Sociedades, Autores and Compositores (Cisac), mediated the discussion. Ambos scriptwriters criticized the discrepancy between remuneration in the international versus Brazilian market.

Cauê Laratta pointed out a structural problem: “The people who can afford to be screenwriters are often those who can go about six months without receiving any money, because there is no mechanism that compensates for the works shown.” Isso creates an invisible barrier that limits access to the profession only to those who have prior financial resources.

Noémie Saglio brought the European perspective, quoting Virginia Woolf: “Para to be a writer, you need your own room and a little money.” For her, copyright transcends monetary gain. “I understand copyright not just to make money, but because projects take time. Meus longest projects took 10 years. Copyright allows you to survive, continue doing what you love and not accept work just for money. Isso improves work,” said the French screenwriter.

Cenário of mobilization and hope

The panelists converge on one point: the urgent need for reforms in remuneration policies in the Brazilian audiovisual sector. The debate occurs at a time when the creative industry gains relevance in País. Profissionais organized through entities such as Gedar Brasil seek to establish new regulatory frameworks that bring financial sustainability to creators. The comparison with the success of the Brazilian music industry serves as proof that copyright protection models work and stimulate cultural production.