TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Friday 12 July 2024

Venice lab picks "Aisha"; Melbourne $94K prize; FrightFest's 69 films; Humanitas noms; "Silo" at Comic-Con; Coppola’s hotel; Bucheon AI; "Chlorophyll"; Madrid bombing series; US production down.

Today’s Highlights:

• Venice Final Cut Lab Selections: Morad Mostafa's "Aisha Can't Fly Away" is among seven projects chosen for the Venice Final Cut in Venice lab, focusing on work-in-progress titles from Africa and the Middle East.

• Melbourne International Film Festival Competition: Ten titles, including several Cannes selections, will compete for the $94,500 Bright Horizons prize at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

• FrightFest Line-Up: The UK's horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest will feature 69 films, including the world premiere of "Broken Bird" and the closing film "The Substance."

• Humanitas Prize 2024 Nominees: Nominations for the Humanitas Prize include popular shows like "Hacks," "The Sympathizer," and "The Crown," with awards presented in various TV, film, and documentary categories.

• Apple's 'Silo' at Comic-Con: Apple TV+'s sci-fi drama "Silo" will feature at San Diego Comic-Con, with stars like Rebecca Ferguson and Common in attendance for a panel discussion about the show's second season.

• Francis Ford Coppola's All-Movie Hotel: Coppola has opened the All-Movie Hotel in Peachtree City, Georgia, equipped with on-site post-production facilities to support filmmakers.

• Bucheon Film Festival and AI: The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has introduced a competition for AI-produced short films and hosted a conference on AI's impact on the film industry.

• 'Chlorophyll' at Karlovy Vary: Ivana Gloria's debut feature, "Chlorophyll," competed in the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, exploring themes of identity and nature.

• 'See You In Another Life': Jorge and Alberto Sánchez-Cabezudo's series "See You in Another Life" on Disney+ examines the 2004 Madrid train bombings, offering a deep dive into one of Spain's darkest periods.

• US Film and TV Production Down: A report from ProdPro indicates a 40% decrease in US film and TV production from pre-strike levels, highlighting the significant impact of Hollywood's spending cutbacks and the Writers Guild of America strike.

Plus: News, Insights, In Development, Deals, Renewals, Events, Opportunities & Jobs

---

Want to stay informed with the latest in TV, film, and media? 

Subscribe to our daily news roundup for exclusive insights, early access to industry news, and the convenience of having the latest updates in one place. 

Our subscribers include executives from: 

• Streamers: Netflix, Apple, Viaplay, SkyShowTime, Amazon Prime.

• Broadcasters: NBC Universal, France Televisions, Sky, ABC, Channel 4, ITV, A+E Networks, CBC, TV2, SVT, ARTE, RTBF, SBS Play.

• Producers: Fifth Season, Banijay, Fremantle, Endemol Shine, Gaumont, Pathé, Warner Bros Television Productions, UFA Fiction, Vivendi, Entertainment One, BBC Studios, Paramount Television International, Warner Bros Discovery, Talpa Studios, Tiger Aspect, Wild Bunch TV, Red Planet Pictures, Go Quest Media, Eureka Productions, The Ink Factory, Nordisk Film, Reel One Entertainment, Bunya Productions, Beach House Pictures, Beyond, The Global Agency, Esha Bargate Productions, blue Entertainment, Paper Plane Productions, Paprika Studios, Playmaker, Off the Fence, Goalpost Pictures.

• Also: Aarhus Series Festival, The Wit, Norwegian Film Commission, New Zealand Film Commission, IMDA, MIA, Getty Images, Ottawa Film Office, Simkins, Harbottle & Lewis, Screen Brussels, Sheffield DocFest, FilmChain, Documentary Business, Zero Gravity Management, SXSW.

NEWS

Venice Final Cut lab projects include Morad Mostafa’s ‘Aisha Can’t Fly Away’

Morad Mostafa’s "Aisha Can’t Fly Away" is one of seven projects selected for the Final Cut in Venice lab for work-in-progress titles from Africa and the Middle East. The film, set to shoot this summer, follows a Somali woman caring for her elderly parents while observing tensions among different groups within her city’s African society.

From: Screen Daily

Melbourne selects ten titles competing for the $94,500 Bright Horizons prize

The Melbourne International Film Festival has revealed the ten titles competing for its $94,500 prize. The Bright Horizons competition, introduced in 2022, is open to debut and second features. The lineup includes several Cannes titles: Leonardo Van Dijl’s tennis misconduct drama "Julie Keeps Quiet," winner of the Critics’ Week SACD award; Mo Harawe’s "The Village Next to Paradise," the first Somali film to screen at Cannes (in the Un Certain Regard section); and Un Certain Regard animation "Flow" from Gints Zilbalodis, a recent prizewinner at Annecy.

From: Screen Daily

FrightFest line-up includes ‘Broken Bird’ world premiere, ‘The Substance’

UK horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest (August 22-26) has selected 69 features for its 25th-anniversary edition, including the opening title “Broken Bird” and the closing film "The Substance." "Broken Bird," playing its world premiere, is the feature directorial debut of UK actress Joanne Mitchell. Based on Tracey Sheals’ short story and Mitchell’s short film "Sybil," it stars Rebecca Calder as a mortician whose dark desires become greedy and out of control.

From: Screen Daily

‘Hacks,’ ‘The Sympathizer,’ ‘The Crown’ Among Humanitas Prize 2024 Nominees

Humanitas has announced nominations for the 2024 Humanitas Prize in nine juried categories, including TV, film, and documentary fields. Comedy noms include “Hacks,” “The Simpsons,” “Girls5eva,” and “Act Your Age,” while drama entrants include “The Crown,” “The Morning Show,” “Station 19,” and “Black Cake.” June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer will host the event on September 12 at Avalon Hollywood. The New Voices Fellowship, David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award, Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award, and the new Starz #TakeTheLead Award will also be presented.

From: Variety

Apple’s Sci-Fi Drama ‘Silo’ Bound For Comic-Con With Rebecca Ferguson, Common & More Set To Attend

Apple TV+ announced that its hit sci-fi drama "Silo," based on Hugh Howey's New York Times bestselling trilogy, will debut at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 27. Executive producer and star Rebecca Ferguson, star Common, creator and showrunner Graham Yost, executive producer Howey, and special guests will discuss the anticipated second season. The panel, moderated by Adam Savage, Editor-in-Chief of Tested.com, will include insights from Yost, Michael Dinner, Nina Jack, Joanna Thapa, Ferguson, Morten Tyldum, Howey, Fred Golan, Rémi Aubuchon, and AMC Studios.

From: Deadline

Francis Ford Coppola Opens Hotel for Filmmakers and Public in Georgia With On-Site Post-Production Facilities

Francis Ford Coppola has unveiled the All-Movie Hotel in Peachtree City, Georgia. The 27-room hotel features state-of-the-art production facilities, including edit suites, ADR recording rooms, and a conference room. Inspired while filming "Megalopolis" in Atlanta, Coppola designed the hotel to offer hospitality and film production functionality. Formerly a Days Inn Motel, it includes special effects and rehearsal facilities, fitting rooms, a recording studio, and a 30-seat screening room.

From: Variety

INSIGHTS

Up all Night

Night Therapy writer Raanan Caspi discusses his decade-long journey to create his first TV series, how it evolved from the Israeli hit BeTipul (In Treatment), and why AI won't replace screenwriters. Caspi ran a tech business for ten years, writing and pitching ideas without success until Yes Studios greenlit Night Therapy. The series, which premiered on Yes TV last month, follows Arab psychologist Louie Mansur, who raises his two children alone after his wife's suicide. With his children facing school dropout and abandonment issues, Louie transfers his clinic hours to nighttime, meeting Tel Aviv's nocturnal figures in his sessions.

From: Drama Quarterly

Artificial Intelligence and Its Pitfalls Are at the Core of Bucheon Film Festival Revamp: ‘Author-Generated Cinema May Become Local and Niche’

At a film and artificial intelligence conference in South Korea's Bucheon, the sentiment toward the new technology was mixed, ranging from embrace to scepticism. Bucheon, a city with high-tech and cultural industry aspirations, has transformed a WWII bunker into a digital art hub featuring a comic book museum, a Webtoon convergence centre, and two film festivals. This year, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) introduced a competition for AI-produced short films, co-hosted a conference on AI, and offered a hands-on AI workshop, signalling a bold effort to innovate and stay relevant in the film industry.

From: Variety

Ivana Gloria talks about Karlovy Vary’s title ‘Chlorophyll’: “It’s about finding your own identity”

Italian director Ivana Gloria's feature debut, "Chlorophyll," played in the Proxima Competition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The film centres on Maia, a young woman with naturally green hair and blood who is constantly drawn to nature. Written by Marco Borromei, known for "Skam Italia," it stars Sarah Short and Michele Ragno. Italy’s Albedo Production produces the film and Do Consulting & Production.

From: Screen Daily

Behind The Scenes Of See You In Another Life

Jorge and Alberto Sánchez-Cabezudo discuss their Disney+ Spanish original "See You in Another Life" (Nos vemos en otra vida). The critically acclaimed series, available on Hulu in the U.S., tackles the devastating March 11, 2004, terrorist attack on the Madrid commuter train line. Known for high-profile series like "Gran Hotel," "Velvet," and "La Zona," the Sánchez-Cabezudo brothers explore one of Spain’s darkest periods, the attack that killed nearly 200 people and injured over 2,000.

From: World Screen

US Film and TV Production Down 40% From Pre-Strike Level, Report Says

Hollywood's production spending cutbacks have significantly impacted the industry, with global film and TV productions down 20% from 2022 and around 40% in the U.S., according to ProdPro. The report, first published by The Los Angeles Times, revealed that Hollywood studios spent $11.3 billion on productions in Q2 2024, down 20% from the same period in 2022. This figure is up 30% from 2023 due to the anticipation of and the start of the Writers Guild of America strike last May.

From: The Wrap

Action Maestro Baltasar Kormákur Returned Home and Leaned on His Family to Make the Sprawling Romantic Drama ‘Touch’

Icelandic actor/director Baltasar Kormákur is part of a growing group of international filmmakers working in their home countries and Hollywood. Best known for action adventures like "Contraband" (2012) and the $80-million "2 Guns" (2013) with Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, Kormákur has also directed survival films like "The Deep" (2013). For "Everest" (2015), starring Jake Gyllenhaal, he combined subzero soundstages, real snow, location footage, and CGI to create a realistic setting.

From: IndieWire