CEPI Adds Canadian Bodies as First International Members of European Production Association

Canada and Europe are drawing nearer politically, and their production communities are following that trend.

The European Audiovisual Production Association (CEPI) has accepted the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Association Québécoise de la Production Médiatique (AQPM) as its inaugural international observer members.

CEPI, which speaks for roughly 3,000 independent producers across 17 countries via 19 national groups plus one European association, now includes the two Canadian organizations among its partners.

Over the course of the Trump administration, ties between the European Union and Canada strengthened, and media organizations have mirrored that shift. This summer, CBC/Radio-Canada became the first non-European broadcaster to join the European Broadcasting Union as a full member, and Canada will be participating in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

Through this observer arrangement, CEPI and the CMPA and AQPM plan to deepen their conversations and coordinate advocacy on shared priorities such as the regulation of streaming platforms, local-content rules, intellectual property and rights issues, and co-production frameworks.

The announcement follows a joint declaration signed at the Toronto International Film Festival in which these three organizations, together with producer groups from Australia and Europe, urged governments to safeguard national production industries and local storytelling.

Anthony Muldoon, CEPI’s president, said the decision to welcome the CMPA and AQPM as the association’s first international observers underscores how global the audiovisual sector has become. He noted that although Europe and Canada are separated by an ocean, their independent production communities face many of the same opportunities and pressures, and that both are committed to backing independent producers and championing original works that reflect their cultures.

Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO of the CMPA, added that Canadian and European independent producers contend with similar issues—from updating regulations for the streaming era to preserving the ability to tell local stories and ensuring creators can fairly retain ownership of their work—and that collaboration makes them stronger in addressing those challenges.

Hélène Messier, President and Executive Director of AQPM, described joining CEPI as an important honor, highlighting concerns such as the impact of generative AI, the need to preserve cultural diversity, and protecting cultural sovereignty.