TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Tuesday 16 July 2024

London TV expands; ‘Kneecap’ wins; Tasveer Fund opens; ITV ReLoved launches; The Twelve returns; Baby Reindeer legal woes; Ted Hope critique; Birthistle debuts; AFM Las Vegas; Marvel at SDCC.

Today’s Highlights:

• London TV Screenings 2025 Expansion: The London TV Screenings (LTVS) has been extended to six days, from February 23 to 28, 2025, to coincide with the inaugural Mip London.

• Rich Peppiatt’s ‘Kneecap’ Wins at Galway Film Fleadh 2024: Rich Peppiatt's film, Kneecap, won the Best Irish Film award, Inaugural Audience award, and the Irish Language Film award at the Galway Film Fleadh.

• Tasveer Film Fund Returns With Netflix Support: Tasveer Film Fund has opened applications for its fifth edition, which is supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity and focuses on South Asian filmmakers in North America.

• ITV Launches eBay Marketplace: ITV ReLoved: ITV has partnered with eBay and the PropUp Project to launch ITV ReLoved, a marketplace offering props, costumes, and items from popular ITV shows.

• The Twelve’s Second Season: The award-winning drama The Twelve returns with a new cast and location. It features a central courtroom drama set in remote Western Australia.

• Netflix’s Baby Reindeer Legal Issues: Netflix’s drama Baby Reindeer faces potential legal challenges and a $170 million payout over claims of character inspiration by lawyer Fiona Harvey.

• Ted Hope Criticizes Filmmaking Practices: Indie champion Ted Hope criticized US streaming platforms' filmmaking practices in a keynote address at the Galway Film Fleadh.

• Eva Birthistle’s Directorial Debut: Irish actor Eva Birthistle debuts as a director with her feature debuting at the Raindance Film Festival. She discusses Ken Loach’s support and her future plans.

• American Film Market’s Las Vegas Edition: The American Film Market’s debut in Las Vegas has seen registrations surpass previous years, with 145 exhibitors signed up for the event in November 2024.

• Marvel Studios at San Diego Comic-Con: Marvel Studios plans a significant presence at San Diego Comic-Con, coinciding with the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, marking a new era for the MCU.

Plus: News, Insights, In Development, Deals, Events & Jobs with ILM, Endevor, SBS, Hulu, Netflix, Prime, Red Bull & WMD.

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NEWS

London TV Screenings announces extra day for 2025 as it goes head-to-head with Mip London

The London TV Screenings (LTVS) has been extended to six days, from Sunday, February 23 to Friday, February 28, 2025, coinciding with the inaugural Mip London. The expansion, likely in response to Mipcom organisers RX, ensures LTVS remains prominent. Highlights include StudioCanal’s showcase at Ham Yard Hotel, Banijay screenings at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, and events at Odeon Luxe. Buyers will preview content from over 30 companies in Leicester Square, Soho, and Covent Garden.

From: C21

Rich Peppiatt’s ‘Kneecap’ wins big at Galway Film Fleadh 2024

Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap won the best Irish film award at the Galway Film Fleadh last night (July 14) and took home the inaugural audience and Irish language film awards.

From: Screen Daily

Tasveer Film Fund Returns With Netflix Support

Tasveer has opened applications for the fifth edition of the Tasveer Film Fund (TFF), part of the Tasveer Film Market Initiative. Supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity for the fourth consecutive year, TFF grants empower South Asian filmmakers in North America. Applicants must have over three years of industry experience and at least three short films. The TFF invites narrative short scripts on Diaspora/Immigrant Stories, LGBTQIA+, and South Asian Narratives. Nine pitches will be shortlisted, with the top three awarded $25,000 each to produce their short film.

From: Señal News

ITV Launches Official eBay Marketplace: ITV Reloved

ITV has partnered with eBay and the PropUp Project to launch ITV ReLoved, an official eBay marketplace. ITV ReLoved offers fans the chance to buy props, costumes, furniture, and other behind-the-scenes items from popular ITV shows like Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. The marketplace aims to reduce waste and raise money for charitable causes. Items include Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories desk, Mandy Dingle’s jumper from Emmerdale’s 10,000th episode, and signed stars from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, with more items added regularly.

From: Señal News

INSIGHTS

The Twelve is back with a new cast, new crime, and old Trojan horse tactics

The location and most of the cast are new for the second season of Foxtel’s award-winning drama The Twelve (three AACTAs and three Logies for 2022’s first season). The central premise of multiple micro-plots revolves around a central courtroom drama, and Sam Neill remains as criminal defence barrister Brett Colby. This season takes place in remote Western Australia, where Colby defends Patrick Harrows (Erroll Shand), an itinerant farmworker accused of murdering his employer, Bernice Price (Kris McQuade), a landholder with many enemies in the town of Tunkwell.

From: The Sydney Morning Herald

Why the next Baby Reindeer may be too afraid to step into the spotlight

The Netflix drama Baby Reindeer was expected to be the platform’s breakout hit of 2024 but has become a legal headache, with a potential $170 million payout to English-born Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the real-life inspiration for one of its characters. This case challenges the boundaries between documentary, docudrama, and "true story" dramas. British producer Steve Anderson remarked at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival that this could lead to more robust compliance departments across the industry to avoid similar legal issues.

From: The Sydney Morning Herald

“There’s a lack of leadership across the global cinema ecosystem,” says indie champion Ted Hope

Ted Hope's career has seen many acts, from indie producer at Good Machine, making films like Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman and Todd Solondz’s Happiness, to San Francisco Film Society executive director and Amazon Studios film co-head from 2015 to 2020. Now back as an indie producer, Hope criticised many filmmaking practices of US streaming platforms in a passionate keynote address at the Galway Film Fleadh this weekend.

From: Screen Daily

‘Kneecap’ filmmakers on navigating Northern Ireland’s politics and bringing more significant budget films to Belfast

Rich Peppiatt’s film won audience awards at Sundance and Galway and is being released next month in UK-Ireland.

From: Screen Daily

Eva Birthistle on her directorial debut, Ken Loach’s support and the future of ‘Bad Sisters’

The Irish actor’s directorial debut feature is world premiering at Raindance Film Festival.

From: Screen Daily

Seinfeld in a kitchen: Beef Creator on why The Bear is ‘comfort’ viewing

The Bear is essentially Seinfeld in a kitchen, and Beef is a Trojan horse, according to the creators of two of Hollywood’s most successful streaming hits. They are in Australia to share secrets of making “elevated drama” for the global market. “The Bear is like a workplace comedy,” says Joanna Calo, co-writer/producer/director of the Disney+ hit.

From: The Age

The darkness that drove one of Hollywood’s brightest stars

Faye Dunaway's powerful acting came from her ability to keep her emotions inside and release them when needed for a scene, says her son Liam Dunaway O’Neill in the documentary Faye. This approach won her an Oscar for Network in 1977 and earned nominations for Chinatown in 1975 and Bonnie and Clyde in 1968. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, Faye addresses her "difficult" reputation and reveals her struggles with mental illness.

From: The Sydney Morning Herald

'Kinds of Kindness' DP Robbie Ryan Shares Set Life With Yorgos

For Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan, collaborating with Yorgos Lanthimos means embracing unpredictability: “You know there's going to be some crazy shit going on," Ryan says about their third project, Kinds of Kindness. Fourteen years after Lanthimos' breakthrough Dogtooth, Poor Things won four Oscars, yet Lanthimos retains his indie filmmaking approach. Ryan highlights their use of practical lights and eschewing video village to maintain an intimate set, allowing for filming from any angle without moving lighting gear.

From: No Film School

‘We had $0 in the bank account’: How a little Australian thriller went from zero to hero

Sydney filmmakers Jack Clark and Jim Weir, both 27, relate to Francis Ford Coppola's famous quote about the madness of filmmaking but from the opposite perspective: insufficient money, equipment, or crew. Filming their debut psychological thriller, Birdeater, in rural NSW, they faced challenges, including La Nina washing out their set. Despite sleeping on set and working in their pyjamas, their determination paid off. Birdeater, which won the audience award at last year’s Sydney Film Festival, is now in cinemas, highlighting the struggles of independent filmmaking in Australia.

From: The Sydney Morning Herald

Maybe the future of TV isn’t something for everyone

MeTV Toons shows old cartoons, and only old cartoons—and succeeds better at its appointed task than streaming services with budgets in the billions.

From: Fast Company

S4C & Media Cymru Execs Discuss Format Development Scheme

Historically overlooked for creative content, Wales is gaining recognition with the help of Welsh-language public broadcaster S4C and Media Cymru's format development funding scheme. “We realised that Wales has had great success in the scripted arena in recent years, and we wanted to build on the back of that global success and global visibility in the unscripted arena,” says Iwan England, head of unscripted at S4C. The scheme's initial phase provided applicants with market insights via training from the University of South Wales and Grand Scheme Media. Selected concepts then moved to a funded development phase, with one idea advancing to the pilot stage for S4C.

From: TV Formats

Carrie on crime-fighting

Elsbeth star Carrie Preston reflects on leading a TV series for the first time, spotlighting her character from The Good Fight. She considers the revival of case-of-the-week dramas and adjusting to public recognition. Preston admits she's content with supporting roles. Still, she has always wondered about leading a show with a career spanning almost four decades, including True Blood, Happyish, Person of Interest, and Claws. Now, with Elsbeth, she is finally number one on the call sheet after her character from The Good Wife and The Good Fight landed its series.

From: Drama Quarterly

AFM Says 145 Exhibitors Have Already Signed Up for Debut Las Vegas Edition

The American Film Market’s debut in Las Vegas has been well received, with registrations surpassing previous years, according to organisers. The Independent Film & Television Alliance announced the event's relocation from Santa Monica to the Palm Casino Resort in Las Vegas for its 45th edition, scheduled for Nov. 5-10, 2024. With four months to go, early sign-ups include 145 sales, production, distribution companies, international trade organisations, film commissions, and national umbrella stands from 25 countries, indicating participation levels will exceed recent years.

From: Variety

Five Questions With Marvel Studios Boss Kevin Feige: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Superhero Pic Renaissance; Hall H Comic-Con Panel Planned With Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, More

Not only is it a week and a half until San Diego Comic-Con kicks off on July 24, but the event coincides with another pivotal moment: the massive opening weekend of Marvel Studios' "Deadpool & Wolverine," poised to be the biggest R-rated debut ever, surpassing "Deadpool's" $132.4M. Directed by Shawn Levy, this film marks a new era for Disney’s MCU with edgier fare and integrates 20th Century Fox’s Marvel characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige tells Deadline about what’s in store at Comic-Con, including two nights of the MCU in Hall H.

From: Deadline

Why Lee Isaac Chung Went from ‘Minari’ to ‘Twisters’: Big-Screen ‘Filmmakers Have a Responsibility to Prove This Art Form Is Good’

Watching an actual barn burn to the ground while filming "Minari," Lee Isaac Chung realised he wanted to make a disaster movie. The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker is now directing "Twisters," an expansion of the 1996 tornado blockbuster, not a reboot or sequel. The film follows science-loving storm chasers led by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, who become rivals to a group of scrappier thrill seekers led by Glen Powell. This summer's ultimate blockbuster spectacle makes a compelling case for the big-screen experience.

From: IndieWire