The Collecting Society of Authors, Performers and Producers of Audiovisual Works of Slovenia (AIPA) is asking cinema exhibitors to pay additional royalties for film actors and actresses, stemming from the 2022 legislation implemented by an EU directive. But Slovenian exhibitors have opted to just avoid screening domestic films to avoid paying the additional royalties.

Exhibitors claim that the actors are already paid through the film distributors. Jure Matičič, the director of Kulturnidom Franca Bernika Domžale, told FNE that nowhere in Europe, except in Poland and Spain, has this form of payment been implemented. He also highlighted the effect of the royalties on art house cinemas. “We are facing several potential burdens on cinema tickets, which proves time and again that the existing system does not support cinemas enough, especially art house venues, which are the main driving forces of film culture,” Matičič said.

“The amendment to the Article 122 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act introduced a problematic indent through a fast-track procedure, which gave AIPA the authority to collect royalties for actors directly from cinemas, even though they are already paid through film distributors' contributions,” Ivo Boscarol, the general director of a new multiplex Odiseja, told FNE.

The article of the legislation passed in late 2022, implementing the EU's Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, gives AIPA the authorisation to collect these levies from cinemas based on ticket sales in 2024.

“The Act on the Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights, which regulates the collective management of performers' rights to compensation, has been a topic of public debate for an exceptionally long time, so long that Slovenia was given a warning over delaying implementation. It was one of the last countries to update the law in this direction and adapt it to the new rules at the EU level,” reads an official statement issued by AIPA on 17 March 2025.

AIPA insists that it is not a new tax, but an appropriate compensation, and argues this ensures performers and authors to receive a share of the economic benefits generated by cinema screenings, calling the Slovenian system one of the most modern globally for protecting creators.

Screen Actors Guild of Slovenia (DSI) also states this is a legally recognised, non-transferable right for actors since 2022, separate from producer payments, and not a 'double payment' as some exhibitors claim.

Cinema operators view the levy as the final straw amid long-standing financial difficulties, compounded by a reported 12% drop in attendance in 2024. They argue they were not consulted during the legislation's drafting, which dates back to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the EU directive's intent was misinterpreted, as it was possibly even intended to protect cinemas from online competition.

Amid this dispute, the Slovenian Film Centre is hoping that both parties will show flexibility and will adapt to changes.

"Both ends of the AV chain are important, filmmakers and their fair remuneration, including actors, as well as cinemas with their quality programmes and good conditions. We expect the players in this dispute will sit together as soon as possible, and solve this problem. There are major changes going on globally in the AV sector, and we all need to remain flexible and be able to talk, exchange and adapt to changes quickly," Nataša Bučar, managing director of the Slovenian Film Centre told FNE.