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IATSE Negotiations Resume With New Offer From Studios

(variety.com)

Negotiators from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the studios returned to the bargaining table on Tuesday in hopes of averting a TV and film production strike, but no deal was immediately in sight.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, presented its latest proposal. A union spokesperson said the offer was being reviewed.

But one union official said that the offer was little different, in substance, from the employer group’s previous proposal, and that no progress had been made.

“It’s a big nothingburger,” the official said.

Other union officials have been optimistic that a resounding strike authorization vote — with almost 99% voting in favor — would lead to enough concessions to reach a deal within the next few days.

More than 52,000 members voted to authorize a nationwide strike, which would be the first in the union’s 128-year history. The turnout was extraordinarily high, at 90 percent, showing that the membership is fully engaged on the fight for a new three-year contract.

The Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement, which cover about 60,000 below-the-line workers coast-to-coast, expired on Sept. 10. The unions are seeking greater rest periods and longer “turnaround” times between shifts. Crews also have focused on the issue of “Fraturdays” — late Friday shifts that end on Saturday morning. Union negotiators are seeking a minimum 54-hour weekend turnaround, which has been provided in other contracts.

Matthew D. Loeb, the international president, has the power to call a strike at any time, which would shut down most film and TV production across the country. There are a handful of separate contracts that would not be affected, including those that cover low-budget films and shows made for HBO, Starz, BET and Showtime.

By: Gene Maddaus

Continue Reading at variety.com

New Film Studio to be Built in Greece Already Attracting Hollywood

(greekreporter.com)

Hollywood A-listers Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham will be filming in Greece next month for the fourth movie of The Expendables franchise, Greek-American John Kalafatis, CEO and co-founder of York Films in New York City, revealed recently.

Speaking at the special forum “Hollywood in Greece”, organized by the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce and ICC Hellas in collaboration with the Greek National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), Kalafatis elaborated on his plans to build state-of-the-art soundstages and film studios on the outskirts of Thessaloniki.

The gigantic project, which is a joint venture with Millennium Media and Nu Boyana Studios Bulgaria, was first announced in 2019. Although still in construction, it has already attracted interest from major Hollywood productions to film in Greece.

Last summer, Thessaloniki doubled for Miami, Florida, in Millenium Media’s thriller The Enforcer, starring Antonio Banderas and Kate Bosworth. The star-fronted movie is currently in post-production, lined-up for a 2022 premiere.

“We are moving to producing films of high caliber,” Kalafatis asserted.

By: Paula Tsoni

Continue Reading at greekreporter.com

Golden Horse Film Finance Market Expands to Record 63 Projects

(variety.com)

A total of 44 film projects, including one executive produced by the Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett, have been selected shortlisted for this year’s Golden Horse Film Project Promotion, organizers announced on Monday. The Chinese-language project market takes place on the sidelines of the prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan.

Among the selections, 37 are works in development. Seven are works-in-progress that are still searching for finishing funds or partners for co-production. Together with the 19 TV series projects announced earlier, this year’s Golden Horse FPP boasts a total of 63 projects. Last year, the FPP counted 40. In pre-COVID 2019, it counted 39 development projects and 8 works in progress.

The majority of the projects originate from Taiwan and there are plenty of big names attached. Drama “I Feel You” directed by Hsiao Ya-chuan is executive produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Osaka Fumiko. “The Ancient Tree” is the latest narrative feature offering from multiple Golden Horse Award nominee Singing Chen, who is known for her highly stylized approach to documentaries and features. “Q & I” is a new romance from Yang Ya-che, director of the Golden Horse nominated “The Bold, the Corrupt and the Beautiful” and hit TV series “The Magician on the Skywalk.”

Seven projects hail from Hong Kong, including drama “Peaches,” written and directed by Jenny Suen and executive produced by Blanchett and Andrew Upton. “Today…Tomorrow…” is Ray Yeung’s follow-up to “Suk Suk,” his acclaimed feature about the life of elderly gay men in the city. Yan Yan Mak’s latest drama “Chungking Rosemary” is executive produced by award-winning auteur Stanley Kwan.

Six projects come from Singapore and Malaysia, including Yeo Siew-hua’s new offering “Stranger Eyes” following his 2018 Locarno-winner “A Land Imagined.” “A Good Child” by the Golden Horse-winning Ong Kuo Sin takes a plunge into the world of drag queens. The selection also features several international co-productions such as “My Madonna’s Night,” a Taiwan-France co-production by Kuo Cheng-chui (“Forêt Debussy”), and “A Year of Cold,” which revolves around a group of resilient women in the Himalayas. It is made by Nepalese director Min Bahadur Bham and backed by a Taiwan crew.

The Golden Horse FPP will take place from Nov. 22 to 24, 2021. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 24. The Golden Horse Film Festival runs Nov. 11-28.

By: Vivienne Chow

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Sundance Film Festival Sets Online Platform, Satellite Screens & Ticketing Details For Hybrid 2022 Edition

(deadline.com)

The Sundance Institute has launched the online platform for the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which is set to take place as a hybrid event from January 20-30, also naming theaters selected as its “Satellite Screens”, and unveiling ticketing information.

The platform for the upcoming festival can be found here. There, festival-goers can explore the program, purchase tickets, experience the full program of features, short films, episodic work, and New Frontier projects, and engage with the Sundance community.

Seven arthouse cinemas across the country were selected as this year’s Satellite Screen theaters, which will host a selection of Festival films during its closing weekend. These theaters are Amherst Cinema (in Amherst, MA), a/perture cinema (Winston-Salem,NC), Indie Memphis (Memphis, TN), mama.film (Lawrence, KS), Media Arts Center of San Diego/Digital Gym (San Diego, CA), Northwest Film Forum (Seattle, WA) and SNF Parkway Theatre (Baltimore, Maryland).

Ticket packages will be go on sale to select tiers of Sundance Institute members on December 15, opening to the public on the 17th. Individual ticket sales for Institute Members begin January 5, opening to the rest of the film-loving world the following day. Satellite Screen events will be independently ticketed.

Today’s Sundance announcement was made by Festival Director Tabitha Jackson. “Our programming team, led by the fearless Kim Yutani, is deep into screening the mountain of submissions we have already received this year,” she said. “As our press and industry offices open in preparation for the next edition of our festival we are excited to share what details we can today, anticipate sharing more as we know more, and can’t wait to meet audiences wherever they are, including in Utah, in January.”

Those attending the festival and Festival-sanctioned events in person will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with a vaccine that is approved by the World Health Organization, as was previously announced.

Masks will need to be worn at all times, both in interior spaces and in queuing lines (including those situated in outdoor areas such as tents, restrooms and temporary structures); the festival recommends that they be worn in all other outdoor settings, as well. More information on how to provide proof of vaccination will be shared closer to the Festival.

By: Matt Grobar

Continue Reading at deadline.com

Fears Australia’s film boom may ‘die out’ now Hollywood is back in action with fewer COVID-19 restrictions

(abc.net.au)

Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and big-budget productions have sought refuge in the COVID-free safe haven of Queensland to shoot blockbuster movies and keep the film industry alive amid the pandemic.

But now that Hollywood is back up and running thanks to fewer restrictions, will the Australian blockbuster boom continue?

Both the Australian and Queensland governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars luring international film productions to Australian shores, with the Commonwealth alone spending $400 million.

Since the beginning of 2020, Queensland has secured 39 international and domestic productions, which are worth an estimated $437 million to the local economy.

Some of the most recent blockbusters filmed in Australia include Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, Escape from Spiderhead starring Chris Hemsworth and Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, all shot on the Gold Coast.

The film Ticket To Paradise, starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, is due to start filming in Queensland, including on location in the Whitsundays, in November.

Lockdowns and tight border restrictions have been blamed for cancellations, postponements and even some major projects, such as Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction 2 that was supposed to be shot in New South Wales, heading back overseas.

By: Stephanie Smail

Continue Reading at abc.net.au