But how many of us in the film industry even know who are the MEPs that represent us in Strasbourg and Brussels or the MEPs from our countries that sit on the Culture Committee of the EU?

Well here you can find them.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/cult/members.html

The "cultural exception" means that culture will not be included in the EU-US trade talks. If culture is allowed to be included in these talks then negotiators are free to bargin away support for European film and culture during the talks. This will impact everyone who works in film or culture at all levels. 

As filmmakers we are often too busy and too caught up in our own projects to take the time to get involved in the wider issues of film and cultural policy. But these very issues will determine if our next project will get funded or if we even have a European film industry to work in.

As filmmakers at every level we all have a responsibility to make sure that those in government who represent us know our views about this issue. 

If we do not take the time to make our views known then we deserve the conditions that will be imposed upon us by those from outside our industry.