TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Thursday 15 August 2024
2024 EFAs contenders, Seven West’s revenue dip, WGA’s Steve Small strike, City of God series, streamers' profit struggle, Shōgun’s cultural impact, and Shah Rukh Khan’s career reflections.
Today’s Highlights:
2024 European Film Awards Contenders Announced: The European Film Academy revealed the first 29 films running for the 2024 European Film Awards, including festival standouts like Emilia Pérez and Kneecap.
Seven West Media Faces Revenue Decline: Australia's Seven West Media reported a 5% revenue drop, driven by a contraction in TV advertising, prompting strategic cost-cutting efforts.
BFI Grants New UK Global Screen Fund Awards: The British Film Institute awarded 11 new projects through the UK Global Screen Fund, including Rosebushpruning starring Kristen Stewart.
WGA Adds Steve Small to Strike/Unfair List: The Writers Guild of America added producer Steve Small to its Strike/Unfair List due to financial concerns on several films, including Cash Out.
City of God: The Fight Rages On Premieres on HBO Latino: The series revisits the Brazilian favelas 20 years after the original film, continuing the story of residents amidst ongoing conflicts.
Midpoint Institute's Initiative on Central and Eastern European History: The Midpoint Institute encourages filmmakers to address the complex history of Central and Eastern Europe collaboratively.
Streamers Struggle to Achieve Consistent Profitability: Legacy media sees mixed progress in streaming, with Disney posting its first combined streaming profit, though consistent profitability remains elusive.
Bhutanese Director Khyentse Norbu Embraces Virtual Screening: Khyentse Norbu opts for virtual screenings of Pig At The Crossing after rejection from over 30 film festivals.
Hiroyuki Sanada on Shōgun and Japanese Cultural Representation: Hiroyuki Sanada discusses his role in Shōgun and the importance of accurately depicting Japanese culture in the FX drama.
Shah Rukh Khan Reflects on Career and Indian Cinema's Evolution: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan shares insights on his evolving career and the changing landscape of Indian cinema, emphasising emotional engagement over adrenaline.
Plus: News, Festivals, Insights, In Development, Deals, Renewals and Jobs with ITV, Fifth Season, BBC, Hello Sunshine, Sony, UTA, DreamWorks Animation, NBCUniversal & Netflix.
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NEWS
‘Kinds of Kindness,’ ‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Kneecap’ Among First Productions in the Running for 2024 European Film Awards
The European Film Academy has announced the first 29 films in contention for the 2024 European Film Awards. This initial selection includes festival standouts like Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, and Rich Peppiatt’s Sundance hit Kneecap. Berlinale favourites Crossing by Levan Akin, The Devil’s Bath by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, and Matthias Glasner’s Dying are also on the list. Paola Cortellesi’s Italian dramedy There’s Still Tomorrow is the most commercially successful entry, which outperformed Barbie at the Italian box office. To qualify for the 2024 EFAs, films must have had their first official screening between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, and be directed by a European or a director with European refugee status. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, now based in Berlin, is also eligible with his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
From: The Hollywood Reporter
Seven West Media Tightens Belt Amid Tough Market, Sees Success in Global TV Sales
Australia’s Seven West Media (SWM) reported a challenging year, with a 5% revenue decline to A$1.415bn and a 33% drop in EBITDA to A$187m, driven by an 8.2% contraction in TV advertising. CEO Jeff Howard emphasised the need for strategic cost-cutting and revenue growth.
From: C21
'Saipan' and 'Rosebushpruning' Among Latest UK Global Screen Fund Recipients
The British Film Institute (BFI) has granted 11 new awards through the UK Global Screen Fund, including Karim Aïnouz’s Rosebushpruning starring Kristen Stewart, Saipan featuring Steve Coogan, and the Moroccan co-production Behind The Palm Trees. Rosebushpruning, a contemporary adaptation of Fists In The Pocket, will star Kristen Stewart, Josh O’Connor, and Elle Fanning, produced by Kavac Film, The Match Factory, Surfilm, and CryBaby as the UK producer.
From: Screen Daily
WGA Puts Producer Steve Small On Strike/Unfair List Over Financial Concerns On Films Including John Travolta’s ‘Cash Out’
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has added producer Steve Small and his company Fifty Feet Movie, LLC to its Strike/Unfair List due to financial concerns related to several films, including Cash Out and two Sylvester Stallone projects. The WGA determined Fifty Feet is financially irresponsible, failing to post a required bond. Small's other company, Convergence Entertainment Group, LLC, is also considered struck, prohibiting members from working with them.
From: Deadline
FESTIVALS
Movies by Jacques Audiard, Pablo Larraín, R.J. Cutler to Play at New York Film Fest
The 62nd New York Film Festival's Spotlight section will feature new films by Jacques Audiard, Pablo Larraín, Jesse Eisenberg, R.J. Cutler, Petra Costa, Walter Salles, and Leos Carax. This lineup includes Jean-Luc Godard's final film and a documentary about him. Audiard’s musical Emilia Pérez, which won the Cannes Jury Prize, will screen, along with Larraín’s Maria, starring Angelina Jolie as opera legend Maria Callas.
From: The Wrap
Australian Producer Mat Govoni Wins Top Prize at Melbourne’s 37° South Market
Producer Mat Govoni of Australia's Future Pictures won the top prize of A$3,000 at the 37º South Market, part of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). Govoni, alongside Adam White, pitched two projects: the Cairnes brothers' horror-comedy One Summer Dark, a co-production with Major International Pictures and developed with VicScreen, and The Long Ride.
From: Screen Daily
Locarno’s Open Doors Program to Reduce Activities Due to Budget Cuts
Open Doors, the talent development program of Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, will significantly scale back its year-round activities due to a 25% budget cut starting January 2025. The program’s primary funder, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is reducing its annual budget for strategic cultural partnerships by 45%, from $4.3 million (CHF 3.7 million) to $2.3 million (CHF 2 million) for 2025-2028.
From: Screen Daily
Daisy Ridley to Receive Deauville Festival’s Hollywood Rising Star Award
Daisy Ridley will receive the Hollywood Rising Star Award at the Deauville Film Festival, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Ridley, best known for her role as Rey in the Star Wars trilogy, will join past recipients like Emilia Clarke, Ana de Armas, and Robert Pattinson.
From: Variety
Locarno 2024: Industry Attendance Soars Amid Sales Agent Feeding Frenzy
The 2024 Locarno industry days were a record-breaking success. Attendance at Locarno Pro, the festival's industry arm, reached an all-time high of 1,884 delegates, a 23% increase from last year. Sales agents snapped up 13 of the 28 titles without sales representation by the festival's start, contributing to a record 16 sales deals. Amidst the sweltering 36ºC heat, the industry buzz centred on the growing success of commercially viable arthouse films addressing pressing issues.
From: Variety
Pedro Almodóvar to Receive San Sebastian Film Festival Honour
Spanish directing legend Pedro Almodóvar will be honoured with the Donostia Award for “extraordinary contributions to cinema” at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival. Almodóvar has a long history with the festival, where he premiered his second feature, Pepi, Luci, Bom, in 1980. He gained international acclaim with films like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), All About My Mother (1999), and Talk to Her (2002), earning multiple awards and Oscar nominations.
From: The Hollywood Reporter
Prison-Set Documentary ‘Daughters’ To Close Inaugural San Quentin Film Festival, First Cinematic Festival Ever Held Behind Bars
Daughters, the award-winning Netflix documentary set inside a Washington DC prison, will close the inaugural San Quentin Film Festival at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. The film, which won both the Festival Favorite Award and the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, focuses on a "Daddy-Daughter Dance" where incarcerated men and their daughters share an emotional bonding experience. Daughters will screen on October 11 during the two-day festival at the facility, which houses over 4,000 men across various security levels.
From: Deadline
‘The Quiet Ones’ Trailer: The Biggest Robbery in Denmark’s History Is Now a TIFF Heist Thriller
The Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) Discovery sidebar is known for spotlighting emerging directors, with past alumni including Alfonso Cuarón, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Christopher Nolan. This year, Danish director Frederik Louis Hviid is a filmmaker to watch with his debut solo feature, The Quiet Ones, a true-story heist thriller. The film, set during Europe’s 2008 financial crisis, is inspired by a real crime that netted over $10 million and led to lengthy prison sentences for 14 men. The Quiet Ones follows Kasper, a boxer turned professional thief, as he navigates the intense planning and execution of Denmark's largest robbery. TIFF compares Hviid’s work to crime thrillers by Jules Dassin, William Friedkin, and Michael Mann, emphasizing the film's suspenseful and ambitious portrayal of the robbers' quest for wealth at any cost.
From: IndieWire
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INSIGHTS
Back to the City
City of God: The Fight Rages On, the highly anticipated Max series that revisits the Brazilian favelas 20 years after the iconic film. Produced by O2 Filmes in collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery Latin America, the six-episode series premieres on HBO Latino on August 25 and will be available globally on Max. The story picks up in the early 2000s, focusing on the struggles of residents caught between drug traffickers, militias, and corrupt authorities. Alexandre Rodrigues, who starred in the original film, returns to lead the series.
From: Drama Quarterly
Midpoint Institute Examines Collective Ownership of Central and Eastern Europe’s Past
The Midpoint Institute is addressing the turbulent history of Central and Eastern Europe through a collaborative approach to storytelling. The initiative encourages filmmakers to own their region's complex past collectively, fostering a deeper understanding and representation in film and television projects.
From: C21
How the Major Streamers Stack Up in Subscribers, Revenue
After years of Wall Street scepticism about the profitability of streaming, legacy media is beginning to see positive returns in online ventures through cost-cutting, bundling, ad tiers, and price hikes. However, consistent profitability remains elusive, and major studios still lag behind Netflix. Recent earnings reports show mixed progress, with Disney posting its first combined streaming profit of $47 million on $6.38 billion in revenue for Q3 2024.
From: The Wrap
Bhutanese Director Khyentse Norbu Embraces Virtual Screening for 'Pig At The Crossing'
Renowned Bhutanese filmmaker Khyentse Norbu is taking his latest film, Pig At The Crossing, to online audiences through self-organized virtual screenings after over 30 film festivals rejected it. Known for his previous selections at Toronto, Venice, Locarno, and Busan, Norbu shot the film entirely in Bhutan. The story explores the complexities of death, following a young YouTube creator who, after dying in an accident, must choose between letting go of his past self or being trapped in a dream-like limbo.
From: Screen Daily
Eric Stackpole Discusses the Making of 'OceanXplorers'
From National Geographic, OceanXplorers is a new natural history series created by Nat Geo Explorer at Large James Cameron, the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, and OceanX. The series explores the world’s oceans aboard a cutting-edge research vessel, utilizing advanced technology and a team of elite explorers and scientists. OceanXplorers premieres on August 18 on National Geographic, with all episodes streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Ocean technology innovator Eric Stackpole shares insights about working with Cameron and the groundbreaking innovations featured in the series.
From: TV Real
Once a Cash Cow, Cable TV Is Now Roadkill. Is a Fire Sale Next?
The long-anticipated decline of cable TV has accelerated into what some describe as a near-total collapse. Bank of America's Jessica Reif Ehrlich notes that while Bob Iger first warned of cable's peak in 2015, the decline has been more severe and rapid than expected. Cord-cutting has driven subscriber losses, but recent quarters have seen an additional blow: advertising dollars are increasingly shifting to ad-supported streaming platforms, exacerbating cable's downturn.
From: The Hollywood Reporter
A Cartel killed Sofia Vergara’s Brother. She Still Found Empathy in ‘Psychopath’ Drug Lord Griselda Blanco
Sofía Vergara's journey to bringing the story of "Griselda" to life is deeply personal. Her passion for the project extends beyond expanding her acting career after Modern Family. In 1996, her older brother, Rafael, was tragically murdered by a Colombian cartel in a botched kidnapping attempt, an event that devastated her family and changed their lives forever. Moving to the U.S. with her young son, Manolo, Vergara took on supporting her family. A decade later, inspired by the documentary Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami, which featured Griselda Blanco, Vergara knew she had to portray Blanco's story but waited until it was safe to do so.
From: Variety
Noah Hawley on the Visual Language That Sets ‘Fargo’ Apart from Most TV
As Fargo evolved, its visual style became more varied and sophisticated, with creator Noah Hawley blending his preferences with the Coen brothers' motifs. Season 5, which concluded in January 2024, is the most relatable, using dramatic camera movements to immerse viewers in the characters' perspectives. It's also the funniest, scariest, most tragic, and uplifting season. Hawley emphasised relying on the camera to tell the story, striving for a cinematic feel in television by minimising cuts and focusing on behaviour and action over dialogue.
From: IndieWire
‘Skincare’s Elizabeth Banks Talks Noir Film’s “Ripped From The Headlines” Inspiration & ‘Bling Ring’ Connection
Elizabeth Banks consistently excels across genres; her latest role in IFC Films' Skincare is no exception. Premiering Friday, the film is a true crime-inspired character study about Hope Goldman, a celebrity aesthetician in Los Angeles who goes to dangerous lengths to protect her career. Banks, who felt deeply connected to the character, relates to the struggle of staying relevant in a rapidly changing industry. Directed by Austin Peters, who calls Banks the final puzzle piece for his "sunshine noir" debut, the film explores the spiralling descent of its lead character. Banks, known for tackling stranger-than-fiction roles, brings her trademark intensity and authenticity to the project following her recent directorial success with Cocaine Bear.
From: Deadline
‘Shōgun’ Star Hiroyuki Sanada On Season 2 & Bringing An Accurate Japanese Story To Life: “I Want To Break The Wall” Between East And West
In Shōgun, the epic FX drama based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, veteran Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada delivers a powerful performance as Lord Toranaga, earning the series a worldwide following and 25 Emmy nominations. Sanada, who had previously portrayed Tokugawa Ieyasu, the real-life inspiration for Toranaga, seamlessly brings this complex strategist to life, uniting 17th-century Japan. Known for films like The Last Samurai and Bullet Train and shows like Lost and Westworld, Sanada also debuted as a producer with Shōgun, finding deep meaning in ensuring the series accurately depicted Japanese culture.
From: Deadline
Joaquin Phoenix’s Last-Minute Exit Sparks “Huge Amount of Outrage” Among Hollywood Producers
The push for legal action against Phoenix has intensified within the producing community, drawing parallels to past Hollywood cases where actors faced consequences for abandoning films. In 1993, Kim Basinger was found to have breached a verbal contract to star in Boxing Helena, resulting in an initial $8.92 million damages ruling, later reduced to a $3.8 million settlement. Similarly, Bruce Willis exited Disney's Broadway Brawler mid-production, leading him to complete three films for Disney at reduced rates, two of which, Armageddon and The Sixth Sense, became hits.
From: The Hollywood Reporter
U.K. Entertainment and Media Market to Hit $155 Billion by 2028, PwC Forecasts
Streaming services and cinema are set to be key drivers in the U.K.'s entertainment and media (E&M) market, which is projected to become Europe’s largest by 2025, surpassing Germany, according to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2024-2028. The report forecasts U.K. E&M revenue to exceed £100 billion ($128 billion) this year, reaching £121 billion ($155 billion) by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 4%. As the largest streaming market in Western Europe and third globally, the U.K. is seeing slower subscription growth, prompting platforms to explore new revenue avenues.
From: Variety
Shah Rukh Khan on Evolving From Romantic Hero to Action Star and Why He Hasn’t Gone Hollywood: ‘I Just Want an Indian Story to Be Accepted Worldwide’
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, renowned for his charismatic screen presence and versatility in action and romantic roles over three decades, recently reflected on his motivation and passion for film. Speaking about the "generational change" in Indian cinema, Khan noted that the thrill for audiences has shifted from an adrenaline rush to an emotional one, emphasizing the need for continuous emotional engagement. Khan, who has starred in 65 films, received a career achievement award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, a place significant to his breakout roles in Darr (1993) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1996), making the honour a "full circle" moment for him.
From: Variety
Inside the Art of Letterboxd’s ‘Four Favorites’
When planning the promotion of a new movie, publicists and clients have various strategies to consider. For a celebrity aiming to appear relatable, appearing on Hot Ones to tackle fiery chicken wings is a popular choice, showcasing their down-to-earth side. For those seeking a more serious image, a trip to the Criterion Closet allows them to discuss the artistic merits of classic films. Meanwhile, Letterboxd’s viral “Four Favorites” offers a quick and effective way for stars to demonstrate their cinematic knowledge and relatability, with recent participants like Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Lawrence, and Keanu Reeves struggling to narrow down their top movie picks.
From: IndieWire
Mike Birbiglia Reveals New Project “In The Vein Of ‘Don’t Think Twice’,” The Genesis Of ‘The Old Man and the Pool’ & Why He Isn’t Looking For A Sitcom
In his Emmy-nominated Netflix special The Old Man and the Pool, Mike Birbiglia delves into themes of mortality and meaning, embodying his confessional comedic style by literally lying on the stage and going out with a 'bang.' Birbiglia's career is built on deep honesty and the power of "sharing secrets," tackling topics like reluctant fatherhood and health scares. Reflecting on his journey, Birbiglia discusses his reluctance to do sitcoms, his collaboration with This American Life producer Ira Glass on Don’t Think Twice and Sleepwalk With Me, and how an SNL star pushed him in college, emphasizing the importance of paying it forward.
From: Deadline
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