The Berlinale ’s European Film Market was the last major physical market to take place in 2020 as the world began shutting down because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus would force the event online in 2021 and 2022. The EFM’s traditional home of the Gropius Bau looked strangely empty last February, playing host to an exhibition by South African artist Zanele Muholi, as the event unfolded online alongside a scaled-down physical festival. Its vast atrium and halls are set to be packed with hundreds of stands and thousands of professionals once again this year for EFM’s 2023 edition, running February 16-22. Both the Gropius Bau and the market’s other key exhibition space of the Marriott Hotel are already fully booked. “The good news for us is that we are completely at the same level in terms of accreditations as we were at this time of the year in 2020. This means that we are forecast to reach the same amount of market participants,” EFM director Dennis Ruh . As … [Read more...] about Berlin’s EFM Boss Reveals Size Of U.S. & Asia Contingents, Talks Growing Importance Of TV
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‘Gossip Girl’ Boss Josh Safran Explains How He Re-Shaped The Season 2 Closer As A Series Finale & What He Had Planned For Season 3
SPOILER ALERT! This story contains details from the Season 2 finale of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl . It was never supposed to end this way. HBO Max ‘s Gossip Girl took its final bow on Thursday as the Season 2 finale hit the streamer. Since news of the show’s cancellation broke last week, the episode now also serves as a series finale. Showrunner Josh Safran told Deadline that he’s holding on to a glimmer of hope that the series might land at a new home, but he’s had an inkling for months that this might happen, considering the growing number of streaming cancellations and Gossip Girl ‘s hefty price tag. “I asked HBO Max if I actually could go back in [to the episode]. I had the idea to take some of the cliffhangers out, because there were a lot of cliffhangers,” Safran said. “We got the editorial team back together. I went in and I lifted a bunch of stuff, I changed as much as I could. I couldn’t do as much as I wanted, because I couldn’t re-shoot anything, … [Read more...] about ‘Gossip Girl’ Boss Josh Safran Explains How He Re-Shaped The Season 2 Closer As A Series Finale & What He Had Planned For Season 3
Jafar Panahi’s Wife Issues Fresh Appeal For Imprisoned Iranian Director As Release Hopes Dashed
Jafar Panahi ’s wife Tahereh Saeedi issued a fresh appeal for her imprisoned husband to be released as his period of captivity entered 200 days, in an Instagram post on Thursday. Her statement follows the news at the weekend that Panahi was possibly on the verge of being released on bail after his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht successfully challenged his detention in the Supreme Court last October. “Last week, the news came that Jafar will be released within the week. We were happy again and felt better. Today, a week has passed, and Jafar hasn’t come. Exactly 200 days have passed since Jafar was imprisoned. We are disappointed,” she wrote. Panahi was arrested in early July amid a crackdown on freedom of expression, after going to a prosecutor’s office in Tehran to enquire the about whereabouts of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad following their detention a few days previously. It was announced a few days later that the Iranian authorities had decided to … [Read more...] about Jafar Panahi’s Wife Issues Fresh Appeal For Imprisoned Iranian Director As Release Hopes Dashed
Unscripted TV Exec Kevin Fortson To Retire After 30 Years With Warner Bros.
Kevin Fortson, the Executive Vice President of Production & Administration for Warner Bros . Unscripted Television, will retire this summer after three decades with the studio. “For the past 30 years, Kevin has been an indelible part of Warner Bros,” said Mike Darnell , President, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television. “His name has literally become synonymous with the company and the lot itself. Personally, I will miss him for his counsel, his friendship and his endless string of dad jokes. He truly is one in a million … although he would probably try to cut that budget down! He is as important to the studio as any movie or television show ever produced here, and if I had the power to do it, there would be a stage with his name on it, right next to Friends and The Big Bang Theory. He is known as the unofficial Mayor of the lot, and his constituents will miss him dearly… and no one will ever be re-elected to that position.” Fortson has been leading all aspects of … [Read more...] about Unscripted TV Exec Kevin Fortson To Retire After 30 Years With Warner Bros.
Iranian Filmmakers Ali Abbasi, Shirin Neshat and Bahman Ghobadi Pen Open Letter Following Death Of Mahsa Amini In Iran
Iranian filmmakers have united in penning an open letter to their friends and colleagues across the film industry, requesting their support in defending the rights of Iran’s people. The letter comes after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody, allegedly by police brutality, after her arrest for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards. Their letter reads: Dear Friends and Colleagues Brave Iranians have taken to the streets across the country shouting “woman, life, liberty” for an entire week now while facing persistent, violent, and often deadly attacks from the oppressive forces. The Iranian government has restricted internet usage and blocked access to social media platforms in order to further suppress people’s voices. Last time such measures were implemented in 2019, the Iranian government murdered 1500 people. Independent Iranian filmmakers are standing by these fearless Iranian women and men and are trying hard to … [Read more...] about Iranian Filmmakers Ali Abbasi, Shirin Neshat and Bahman Ghobadi Pen Open Letter Following Death Of Mahsa Amini In Iran
MBC Studios Boss Peter Smith Exiting Saudi-Owned Media Group
EXCLUSIVE: Peter Smith is leaving MBC Studios after four years as Managing Director. We’ve learned the international industry veteran is stepping down from the premium production arm of Middle Eastern and North African network MBC, though he’ll continue to advise on production and distribution. In a statement to Deadline, MBC CEO Sam Barnett confirmed the exit and said a successor would be named “in due course, in coming days.” Smith is a former NBCUniversal International President and was CEO of Cineflix Studios and Greece-based broadcaster Antenna Group. He joined MBC Studios in 2018 as it launched as the production arm of free-to-air network MBC, which is the largest media company in the MENA region. He was tasked with increasing MBC’s original film and TV output and and he has gone on to overseen the launch of shows such as Rashash , Rise of the Witches and The Devil’s Promise . “Peter Smith is stepping aside as Managing Director of MBC Studios,” said … [Read more...] about MBC Studios Boss Peter Smith Exiting Saudi-Owned Media Group
Eleven Oscar Noms For ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once:’ It All Started With Admiration For A Dead, Flatulating Harry Potter
Everything Everywhere All At Once announced itself this morning as a serious Oscar threat with 11 nominations , topping off with Best Picture. That includes performing noms for Michelle Yeoh , Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan . The film also drew noms for Original Screenplay, Costume, Original Score, Original Song, Film Editing and Directing for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The overachieving journey of the film is almost as absurd as its parallel universe storyline. It goes far beyond being the rare film to premiere at the SXSW festival and find its way to Oscar almost a year later. The film began with AGBO partners Joe and Anthony Russo seeing Kwan & Scheinert’s Swiss Army Man , the film that starred Paul Dano as a man stranded on a desert island who befriends a dead body — played with flatulent gusto by Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe — as they join forces to return to civilization. The AGBO partners gave a blind deal to “The Daniels,” as the … [Read more...] about Eleven Oscar Noms For ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once:’ It All Started With Admiration For A Dead, Flatulating Harry Potter
NBCUniversal Expects $2.5B In Peacock Revenue, Break-Even By 2024
Executives at NBCUniversal and Comcast took the stage at Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center on Thursday and offered their first financial projections for streaming service Peacock during an investor presentation. Four years after it launches, first to some Comcast subscribers in April and then nationally by July, the service will be bringing in $2.5 billion in revenue and breaking even. There will be 30 million to 35 million “active users” by that point, the company said. “We are creating the equivalent of a 21 st century broadcast business, delivered on the internet,” NBCU chairman Steve Burke said. While cord-cutting is a reality, counting on-demand and digital viewing, he continued, “More people are watching more video today than ever.” Peacock Investors Day: Deadline’s Complete Coverage While subscriptions ranging from $5 a month to $10 a month will be sold to non-Comcast subscribers, the company is counting on advertising revenue being a mainstay … [Read more...] about NBCUniversal Expects $2.5B In Peacock Revenue, Break-Even By 2024
Peabody Awards: The Complete List Of 2022 Winners
UPDATED with final winners: The Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul , Bo Burnham’s Emmy-winning musical comedy special Inside , Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Raoul Peck’s Exterminate All the Brutes are among the final list of winners of 2022 Peabody Awards . The Peabodys, in their 82nd year, honor the year’s most powerful content across the fields of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service programming. The organization based at the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia wrapped up a a weeklong rollout of all 30 winners Thursday. This year’s awards were presented by the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, H.E.R., Ethan Hawke, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed, LeVar Burton, Jenny Slate, Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Scott. Newsman Dan Rather and Fresh Air ‘s Terry Gross have already won this year’s Career Achievement Award and … [Read more...] about Peabody Awards: The Complete List Of 2022 Winners
Peabody Awards Moving To Los Angeles For First Time In 80 Years
The Peabody Awards will be held for the first time in Southern California, the Peabody organization said today. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Thursday, June 18, 2020. The awards honor stories from broadcasting, digital media, entertainment, the documentary world and news programming. “As the country struggles to find its footing in challenging times, the power of media narratives becomes paramount. Peabody provides a much-needed role as curator of the best stories that should be watched and heard, especially as the media landscape continues to evolve and becomes even more crowded with content and distribution platforms,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Moving the ceremony to Los Angeles reflects the evolution of Peabody’s commitment to celebrating the meaningful and significant narratives about pressing social issues, right in the world’s capital of content creation.” The Peabody program is based at … [Read more...] about Peabody Awards Moving To Los Angeles For First Time In 80 Years