Hollywood strike: Joe Biden demands 'fair' deal for screenwriters

Europe 1 with AFP 13:11 p.m., May 09, 2023

Joe Biden "hopes" that striking screenwriters in Hollywood will be quickly offered a "fair" deal, he said at the White House.

Failed negotiations with major studios

"I sincerely hope that the writers' strike in Hollywood will find a way out and that the writers will be offered the fair deal they deserve as soon as possible," he said Monday before a screening honoring the Asian community in the United States. The 80-year-old democrat, candidate for a second term, had so far not spoken on this social conflict, he who never misses an opportunity to support union demands.

Thousands of American television and film screenwriters began a strike movement on May 2 because of the failure of negotiations with the main studios and platforms including an increase in their remuneration.

An immediate impact on certain TV shows

They are also calling for minimum guarantees for stable employment and a greater share of the profits generated by the rise of streaming. This social movement has an immediate impact on some television shows, and in the longer term on series and movies scheduled for release this year.

The last major social movement in Hollywood dates back to the writers' strike that paralyzed the American audiovisual sector in 2007-2008. The 100-day conflict had cost the sector two billion dollars.