Film and TV Briefing: Friday 21 November 2025
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
Creative industries minister pledges improved access to British Business Bank for producers (ScreenDaily)
Prime Video announces GenAI video recaps (Deadline)
‘The Outrun’ wins Best Director and Actress at the BAFTA Scotland Awards (ScreenDaily)
UK cities invited to bid to host Edinburgh TV festival from 2027 (Deadline)
Culture secretary highlights issues with political appointees on BBC’s board (BBC)
2025 Grierson Awards – Winners List (Grierson Trust)
Creator of AI actor Tilly Norwood announces AI-led series (Variety)
SAG Awards set for a rebrand to Actor Awards in 2026 (BBC)
YouTube TV and Disney announce multi-year agreement (Variety)
Spielberg working to keep films like 'Hamnet' in cinemas (Hollywood Reporter)
Daniel Radcliffe pens letter to new Harry Potter (The Guardian)
'Wicked: For Good' eyes 2025's largest opening weekend (Hollywood Reporter)
Tom Cruise receives honorary Oscar (BBC)
Netflix reported to make bid for Warner Bros Discovery (ScreenDaily)
‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t' takes first place on the global box office charts (Variety)
Features and commentary
Crowdfunding in 2025 - why it matters now (IndieWire)
The future of the BBC licensing fee (BBC)
Christopher Nolan discusses filming techniques for 'The Odyssey' (Variety)
Richard Curtis and Damon Gameau on impact producers (BAFTA)
James Cameron on 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' (Hollywood Reporter)
Industry announcements
Pact releases annual UK TV report showing exports have broken £2bn (Pact)
Resources
Hollywood Commission releases anti-harassment resources as part of “Respect on Set” initiative (Variety)
Legal updates
FCC to look at relationships between networks and their affiliates (Deadline)
Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Vin Diesel of sexual assault (Variety)
BBC’s Samir Shah dismisses Trump's lawsuit saying there is "no basis for a defamation case" (Broadcast Now)
