Film and TV Briefing: Friday 28 May 2021
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
Amazon agrees to buy MGM for $8.45bn (BBC)
UK delegates to Cannes may be hampered by new French quarantine rules (Guardian)
Lindsey Lohan set to return in Netflix Christmas film (Variety)
Mother and son from West Midlands star in award winning short film (BBC)
Amazon partners with the National Theatre to stream live-recorded stage shows (Guardian)
Chief Executive of WFTV calls for mandatory exit interviews for freelancers (Broadcast)
UK public film funds highlight their unique commissioning processes (ScreenDaily)
Timothée Chalamet cast as young Willy Wonka in upcoming origin story (IndieWire)
Amazon Prime picks up British remake of “Call My Agent” (Televisual)
“Saw” franchise earns over $1bn in global ticket sales (BBC)
US TV studios discuss the broadcast landscape in 2021 (Deadline)
BBC’s governing body to investigate the culture of its news operation (Guardian)
Culture Secretary discusses the Bashir scandal and the UK press (gov.uk – article originally published in The Times)
Features and commentary
The link between the allure of cinema and darkness (BAFTA)
Kevin Spacey’s return and “uncancel culture”? (Guardian)
John McVay reflects on two decades as Pact’s CEO (Royal Television Society)
On-set bullying: can the UK film and TV industry bring an end to it? (Guardian)
Industry announcements
Winners of the British Academy Television Craft Awards (BAFTA)
BFI Southbank line-up for July 2021 (BFI)
New ‘Innovate UK Fund’ available to micro and small businesses in the creative sector (Pact)
Resources
Covid-19 guidance (updated) (British Film Commission)
Update for indies (Pact)
Legal Updates
Furlough and ‘Self-Employment Income Support Scheme’ updates (Simkins)
IP Enterprise Court considers IMDb credits for joint author (Practical Law – subscription required)
