Film and TV Briefing: Friday 21 April 2023
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
Filming begins for series two of the Game of Thrones prequel (Royal Television Society)
Dialogue Boost: New AI-powered feature from Amazon (Indiewire)
Netflix CEO: "We are prepared for WGA strike action" (Indiewire)
Filming resumes 18 months after the fatal on-set shooting of Halyna Hutchins (BBC)
Depiction of Queen Cleopatra VII in new Netflix docudrama series sparks debate (BBC)
Netflix to enforce new password sharing restrictions (BBC)
HBO Max's three-part docu-series on Finland's historic female cabinet (Variety)
Pixar to return to Cannes on closing night with 'Elemental' (Variety)
'Partygate' to be made into docudrama for Channel 4 (The Guardian)
Features and commentary
Pact responds to Government's proposals for the future of Channel 4 (Pact)
Independent assessment into the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme (Pact)
UK streaming subscriptions down, but ITVX and Apple TV bucking the trend (Variety)
AI a threat to local broadcasters? (The Hollywood Reporter)
Industry announcements
BFI announces National Lottery funding to support screen production and training across the UK (BFI)
Unscripted TV fund USF unveils plan for upcoming year (Screenskills)
Italian government announces discounted cinema ticket scheme (Screen Daily)
Cineworld abandons plan to sell Eastern Europe businesses (Reuters)
WGA: Nearly 98% of eligible members voted in support of a strike (The Hollywood Reporter)
Resources
DCMS release report surrounding the contribution of DCMS Sectors to the UK economy (Gov.uk)
Legal updates
Ofcom publishes changes on how it regulates BBC's impact on competition (Ofcom)
Netflix accused of defamation over documentary (Hollywood Reporter)
