Film and TV Briefing: Friday 31 May 2024
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
New Independent Film Tax Credit becomes law ahead of General Election (ScreenDaily)
Winners List: Cannes Film Festival 2024 (The Hollywood Reporter)
Bectu research finds that high-profile sexual harassment cases have failed to “shift the dial” (Deadline)
Sony Pictures’ CEO avoids discussions about potential Paramount deal (Deadline)
ITV to host first General Election debate (BBC)
Nelson Peltz believed to have sold his shares in Disney for a reported $1bn in profit (Deadline)
David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, hints at future M&A opportunities (Deadline)
EU announces €141m in financing guarantees for the European creative sectors (ScreenDaily)
Will.i.am, Warren Littlefield and Andy Wilman set to speak at Edinburgh TV Festival (Deadline)
‘The Garfield Movie’ and ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ battle for top spot at UK box office (Variety)
Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy dies (ScreenDaily)
Bafta and Ofcom veterans to chair review of the BBC’s portrayal of diversity (Broadcast)
New study finds the entertainment industry is “undergoing once-in-a-generation changes” (Deadline)
Features and commentary
Cannes 2024: critics’ survey (IndieWire)
Netflix co-CEO says AI will not “take your job” but a “person who uses AI well might take your job” (Deadline)
Why did ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ underperform at the box office? (Variety)
The biggest buyers at Cannes 2024 (IndieWire)
Industry announcements
CAA’s Moebius Film Festival to include student films from the UK and Ireland (The Hollywood Reporter)
The Muslim International Film Festival begins in the UK (BBC)
BBC Comedy Sitcom Project to fund six writers’ rooms (BBC)
Resources
Key takeaways from Pact’s ‘Beyond the Box: Maximising Multiplatform’ event (Pact)
Impact of the General Election on independent production companies (Pact)
Ofcom’s role during the General Election (Ofcom)
Legal updates
Media Bill completes its remaining stages in House of Lords (Broadcast)
Cannes best actress winner sues French politician over a “sexist insult” (The Guardian)
Alec Baldwin to face trial in July over ‘Rust’ involuntary manslaughter charges (The Hollywood Reporter)
Cease and desist letter sent by Trump’s lawyers in relation to ‘The Apprentice’ film (The Hollywood Reporter)
Threatened end to the use of loan-outs quickly reversed by California Employment Development Department (IndieWire)
