Uncategorized

Film, TV, and video game production in Quebec is booming after COVID-19 pause (montreal.ctvnews.ca)

MONTREAL — In 2019, international film productions poured $360 million into the Quebec economy, and last year, it was almost half that as COVID-19 shut down sets and productions for five months.

Since reopening in July, film, tv and video game productions have been booming.

“Oeople have been consuming media so voraciously that I think we have an audience that craving new things to watch so this should all snowball into a really good summer,” said ACTRA president Simon Peacock.

Various productions are ongoing such as Roland Emmerlich’s end of the world epic Moonfall starring Halle Berry, which just wrapped.

Numerous productions are ongoing.

“We have a very strong start,” said Quebec Film and Television Council CEO Pierre Moreau.

By: Christine Long & Daniel J. Rowe

Continue Reading at montreal.ctvnews.ca

Savannah’s film industry is hoping to rebound in 2021 (wtoc.com)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Savannah’s film industry is rebounding after it lost millions of dollars this past year due to the pandemic.

The Savannah Film Alliance says seeing film crews come to the Hostess City is a sign the industry is making a comeback.

Charles Bowen, founder of the Savannah Film Alliance says 2020 was actually on pace to be their busiest year ever, but the pandemic changed everything.

“COVID-19′s impact on the industry was catastrophic,” said Bowen. “There’s no other word for it.”

Bowen says it left many out of work and the industry had to come together to find a way to safely make films. They have implemented protocols to keep everyone healthy.

Crews have implemented COVID-19 protocols like wearing masks and constant testing are taking place on movie sets, things are looking up.

Film production crews have been cautiously returning to the Hostess City.

By: Bria Bolden

Continue Reading at wtoc.com

Film studio planned for Marshall Field’s warehouse (realchicago.com)

Knickpoint Ventures, owner of the sprawling 22-acre former Marshall Field’s warehouse complex on the Northwest Side, plans to create a film production campus on the site.

Chicago Tribune has reported that real estate developer Knickpoint, who has owned the property at 4000 W. Diversey Ave. since 2018, are in preliminary discussions with members of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.

Zain Koita, Knickpoint founder and managing partner, believes there is city support for the project and if all goes as planned, it could help expand film industry jobs at a time when the city faces a long economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

By: Reel Chicago

Continue Reading at reelchicago.com

International Insider: The Big Production Bounceback; Oscar Contenders; Brits Blitz Golden Globes; India’s Cinema Recovery (deadline.com)

Hello, and welcome to International Insider, Jake Kanter here. In the week that Jeff Bezos announced that he is stepping down as the CEO of Amazon, scroll on for the biggest headlines from global film and TV. Want to get in touch? I’m on jkanter@deadline.com, or my DMs are open on Twitter. And sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox every Friday.

The Big Bounceback

Putting a price on the pandemic: £774 million ($1 billion). That’s how much less was spent on UK film and TV production last year compared with 2019, per the BFI. For a booming industry, that might seem like a gut punch, but zoom out, and it’s an utterly remarkable show of resilience. Remember, filming was basically shut down for around four months last year (there were zero high-end TV shoots in Q3). Running with this maths, spending should theoretically have fallen by a third or more. Instead, it was down by just a fifth to £2.8B.

By: Jake Kanter

Continue Reading at deadline.com

Hubert Bals Fund appoints interim manager (screendaily.com)

Veteran distribution executive Esther Bannenberg has spoken about her new role at International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), which supports projects by filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe.

Bannenberg will act as interim consultant on distribution and financing matters and will assist in developing and future-proofing the fund’s policy. Her appointment comes as Fay Breeman departs as manager of HBF after four years to take up a new role at regional talent hub The Machinerie in Utrecht.

Bannenberg has long experience in sales and distribution, having held positions at companies including Fortissimo Films, Lumiere and Cinemien. She also runs her own consultancy Toto Cinema, which she founded in 2006.

Alongside Jeske van der Slikke and Fraser White, Bannenberg will run the HBF at least until June when Rotterdam plans to hold the second part of its 50th edition. She will help the fund restructure its distribution activities and will be looking to further develop financing possibilities for the fund. 

Bannenberg couldn’t confirm whether she will be remain in the post beyond June. “It’s too early to tell,” she told Screen. “First, I am going to explore what can be done in terms of distribution and what can be done in terms of financing.”

By: Geoffrey Macnab

Continue Reading at screendaily.com