South African producers are demanding an “urgent all-industry response” to the threat posed by coronavirus, with a leading industry body calling for a coordinated plan from broadcasters and government agencies to address the potential economic fallout of the global pandemic on the local film and TV biz. The Independent Producers Organization (IPO) sounded the alarm
Movies
Australian director Baz Luhrmann says that now is not the moment to be resuming production on his untitled “Elvis” project. The film was halted since last week, when actor Tom Hanks was diagnosed with the corovavirus. In a tweet on Friday afternoon Luhrmann said: “I’m sure it will come as no surprise that this is
March 19, 2020 11:57PM PT The Taiwan International Documentary Festival, one of the leading documentary film festivals in East Asia has been called off for this year. Organizers blamed the coronavirus outbreak. Its 12th edition had been scheduled to take place May 1-10, 2020. Organizers said that it would be “Postponed to Spring 2021.” “Under
SAG-AFTRA’s national headquarters in Los Angeles has been closed due to minimize the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Gabrielle Cartereis, president of SAG-AFTRA, notified the 160,000 members of the performers union of the closure of the offices in the mid-Wilshire district in a message sent Friday night. “The safety of our members and staff
March 19, 2020 11:37PM PT An innovative veterinarian practicing integrative care sets out to revolutionize his industry’s practices in this satisfying documentary. Terminally ill pets and their desperate, distressed caretakers are those that seek Dr. Marty Goldstein’s miraculous help. Yet his unconventional philosophies and radical therapeutic methods are shown in a fairly conventional, albeit deeply
Longtime TV and film editor Susan Kesler died Thursday, March 19, following a brief battle with ovarian peritoneal cancer. She was 60. Kesler started out in the business as an apprentice editor on “The Love Boat” and “Dynasty,” two of the most popular TV shows in the late 1980s. Her career blossomed to include working
When it comes to film festivals, everyone follows Cannes’ lead, which is why it’s curious that the influential French event, originally scheduled to unspool from May 12-23 this year, waited more than a full week after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic — and two weeks after the French government banned
In today’s film news roundup, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Kino Lorber are offering digital viewing alternatives in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the DGA Health Plan has announced that participants won’t be charged for telemedicine/telepsychology visits. DIGITAL VIEWING Oscilloscope Laboratories has unveiled a 10-film promotion — dubbed Circle of Quarantine — in order to offer
As the nation’s movie theaters continue to shutter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Warner Bros. has given Ben Affleck’s drama “The Way Back” an early video on demand release on March 24. The studio announced the move late Thursday afternoon with a $19.99 price. “The Way Back” is the seventh title that was in current
Over the last 73 years, the Cannes Film Festival has often been billed as the world’s biggest and most glamorous celebration of the movies. But this year, it was poised to make history. Director and activist Spike Lee had been selected as the first black president of the festival’s jury. Several of Lee’s films —
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hunkering down to figure out what’s next for the Oscars in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. “The Academy is focused on helping our staff, our members, and the industry safely navigate through this global health and economic crisis,” an Academy spokesperson said in a statement
U.K. media businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic can expect no relief from insurance companies unless the disease is specifically covered in their contracts. The U.K. government’s failure to issue a diktat to businesses — including cinemas and theaters — to shut down, and instead advising people to simply “avoid” social venues, has caused widespread
March 19, 2020 2:00PM PT As movie theaters continue to shutter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company will release the faith-based drama “I Still Believe” on premium VOD early, beginning on March 27. “The theatrical experience is core to our business, and exhibitors are our integral partners and allies,” Lionsgate Motion
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the United States, the entertainment industry is entering uncharted waters. On Tuesday, AMC Theatres, the largest cinema chain in the United States, announced that it would be closing its doors for the next six to 12 weeks, joining Regal Cinemas in its decision to cease operations in response to
The coronavirus crisis is expected to delay the start of contract negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that were originally scheduled to begin next week. Insiders at the WGA and AMPTP have been trying to sort out how to adjust the negotiations schedule in light of
“Mulan” star Tzi Ma is frequently recognized for his many film and television roles, including in last year’s indie hit “The Farewell” and the “Rush Hour” films. But it was an encounter weeks ago that has stayed with him. Ma had visited a Whole Foods grocery store in Pasadena, Calif., when a car approached him
The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed. Organizers confirmed Thursday evening that the film festival will no longer take place during the scheduled dates of May 12-23, and several options are now being considered, including postponing the event until the end of June through to the beginning of July. The festival press conference, originally scheduled
Evangeline Lily is refusing to self-quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic, despite the advice from health professionals and organizations to stay home and practice social distancing. The “Ant-Man and the Wasp” actress took to Instagram three days ago, where she posted a photo of her morning tea and shared that for her and her family, it’s
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Alamo Drafthouse has put together a $2 million emergency relief fund for staff members who were furloughed, Variety has learned exclusively. The reserve extends to those who work in company headquarters and corporate-owned venues. Alamo Drafthouse closed 40 locations earlier this week, over half of which are corporate-owned.
Emerging careers are on hold because the covid-19 pandemic has forced the closure of SXSW and other spring festivals. So it’s worth talking to artists for whom particular festivals have been vital. One is Judd Apatow, who spoke to Variety prior to the cancellation of SXSW. Whether he was at SXSW to unspool projects he
U.K. association Directors UK has joined a chorus of industry voices calling for emergency measures for the freelance workforce as it battles through a pandemic that has ground the local film and TV industry to a halt. In a letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, Andrew Chowns, CEO of Directors UK, which represents
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, regional VOD players, platforms and festivals from continental Europe to the Middle East and beyond are serving up a wide range of free movies and TV shows to market their product or simply reach captive audiences. Dubai-based broadcaster MBC Group on Thursday became the latest operator to launch a pandemic special,
China’s main state-owned distributor plans to issue a batch of half a dozen films, from which cinemas will keep all income, in order to get the country’s exhibition sector back on its feet after long closures due to coronavirus, it has said. China Film Group on Tuesday detailed its selection of titles in a statement
As cinemas shutter for the foreseeable future across the U.S. and Europe in a historically unprecedented wave of closures to lower risks of exposure to coronavirus, a handful of cinemas in China have already re-opened and all signs indicate that many more will soon follow in their wake. “Our cinema is preparing to re-open, but
An estimated 120,000 below-the-line entertainment industry jobs have been lost due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That number represents about 80% of the 150,000 members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, according to the IATSE. Leaders of the International Cinematographers Guild, which has about 9,000 members and operates as IATSE Local
In today’s film news roundup, “Phoenix, Oregon” is being offered at a discount, Fantastic Fungi Day is set for March 26, and the opening of Methodfest has been shifted to May. RELEASE STRATEGY Dark comedy “Phoenix, Oregon” will launch Friday simultaneously in theaters that are still open and at home for a “matinee” discount price
March 18, 2020 4:30PM PT David Osit’s witty, sharply attentive portrait of Ramallah’s magnetic mayor offers up a new perspective on the region’s political conflicts. Mayor Musa Hadid is a celebrity of sorts in Ramallah, the historic Palestinian capital in the central West Bank, situated just a few miles north of Jerusalem. But it’s hard
The Beijing Municipal Film Bureau has opened up applications for a first round of “specialized film industry development funding” to support local cinemas affected by coronavirus. As its citizens trickle back to work, China is attempting to kickstart its economy again after measures to prevent the spread of the virus brought many sectors to a
An office building on Los Angeles’ Sony Pictures lot has been shut down after the studio was informed that a recent visitor tested positive for coronavirus, multiple insiders told Variety exclusively. On Tuesday, the studio sent out a wide memo informing staff that an unidentified person who attended a March 3 meeting inside the lot’s Astaire
March 18, 2020 1:46PM PT Movie theater owners are calling on Congress and President Donald Trump to take emergency measures to provide financial relief for an industry that’s been hit hard by the impact of coronavirus. Cinemas have shuttered and new releases have been delayed as the world grapples with an unprecedented global health crisis.