AVACI - FESAAL in Japan: Expectations Build for the Upcoming Asia-Pacific Congress

A delegation from AVACI traveled to Tokyo to advance the organization of the 2026 Annual Congress of FESAAL. Over the course of two weeks, they held meetings with Japanese directors’ and screenwriters’ associations, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Unijapan, strengthening strategic ties for a key gathering in the global defense of audiovisual author’s rights.

In 2026, Tokyo will become the epicenter of the international discussion on audiovisual rights with the Annual Congress of AVACI and FESAAL. The event will bring together representatives of collective management organizations, leaders, authors, and key figures from the audiovisual industry from different regions of the world, in a meeting aimed at strengthening international cooperation and deepening the defense of author’s rights in a context of accelerated transformation for the sector. The selection of Japan as host country also marks a strategic step for AVACI in its international consolidation and in the expansion of its ties with the Asia-Pacific region, one of the most influential audiovisual and technological hubs in the world.

“An author from Brazil fights for visibility and fair remuneration just as an author from Japan or Spain does. The problems faced by audiovisual authors are the same everywhere in the world. We all suffer the same neglect and mistreatment. We all defend the same rights that are constantly being challenged or taken away from us,” said Miguel Ángel Diani, president of AVACI and ARGENTORES.

He added: “For that reason, I want to invite you to our next international AVACI congress, which will take place in Asia-Pacific, specifically in Tokyo, so that we can exchange information, experiences, and strategies that will help us move toward a fairer present for our collectives and reinforce the importance of author’s rights, which are nothing more and nothing less than our fair remuneration.”

Debating the Present and Future of Audiovisual Media

The Congress will take place in an especially significant setting. Japan has one of the most powerful and influential audiovisual industries on the planet, with an ecosystem that encompasses cinema, television, animation, digital platforms, and globally distributed transmedia content. The country’s technological innovation capacity and the enormous cultural impact of its productions make Tokyo an ideal space to discuss the present and future of audiovisual rights.

In March of this year, a delegation from AVACI carried out a working visit to Tokyo to advance the organization of the Congress and strengthen coordination with local institutions. During two weeks, the representatives held meetings with Japanese directors’ and screenwriters’ associations, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Unijapan, a key organization for the international promotion of Japanese audiovisual productions.

“The AVACI delegation was welcomed by representatives of Japanese directors’ and screenwriters’ associations, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Unijapan, all of whom showed excellent willingness and openness to collaborate. It was a very productive trip in which we were able to move forward on the organizational, logistical, and coordination aspects of the Congress,” highlighted Brenda Ferrer Pose, International Operations Director of AVACI.

The October gathering will also seek to create a space for collective reflection on challenges affecting the entire international audiovisual community: the concentration of global platforms, the need to guarantee fair remuneration for authors, the impact of artificial intelligence on protected works, and the updating of legislation in different countries.

In this sense, the annual Congress is envisioned as a platform for exchanging experiences among collective management organizations from different continents, promoting common strategies and strengthening international cooperation networks.

“The Congress will be a very important meeting point for audiovisual authors’ societies from all over the world and a key opportunity to continue consolidating the defense of audiovisual authors’ rights at a global level,” said Ferrer Pose.

With Tokyo as its host city and the participation of representatives from different regions, the AVACI and FESAAL Congress will seek to reaffirm a central idea: that the defense of audiovisual rights can no longer be conceived in isolation, but rather as a collective, global, and coordinated effort in the face of an increasingly interconnected industry.