Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock here with you today. Cannes is nearly here, and we’ve got you covered there, along with the rest of the noise from the international film and TV worlds.
Cannes Looms Large
The build-up: The 81st Cannes Film Festival kicks off in less than a week but all the early talk surrounding the fest is about events away from the big screen. The French industry is currently in a state of paralysis as speculation continues to mount in the local film industry over rumors that a bombshell #MeToo exposé will drop on the festival’s first day. There has been talk in the French film industry for weeks that a raft of accusations is due to break in the lead-up and during the upcoming edition. The rumors come amid a fresh #MeToo wave in France, sparked by actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche’s decision to speak up about sexual abuse she says she suffered as a teenager at the hands of director Benoît Jacquot. He has denied the allegations. Godrèche will bring her campaign to Cannes with the world premiere of her short film Moi Aussi, which highlights stories of sexual violence. The speculation may come to nothing but an article by the French newspaper Le Figaro last weekend headlined ‘#MeToo: before the Cannes Film Festival, the cinema industry is in a cold sweat’ has sent the local rumor mill into overdrive. Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch addressed the speculation in a French celeb magazine on Thursday, revealing the festival is paying close attention to the evolving #MeToo situation in France.
Strike, cameras, action: Alongside the brewing #MeToo expose, Cannes Film Festival workers confirmed late last week that they are moving forward with strike action over a pay dispute. Announcing their plans, the protest group Collectif des précaires des festivals de cinéma (which translates to The Collective of Precarious Workers at Film Festivals), said: “In a context of extreme vulnerability and absolute emergency to protect our work, and after consultation and vote of the members of the collective, we call for a strike of all employees of the Cannes Film Festival and its sidebars.” The group has yet to confirm how long or when their strike action will happen, but we understand they are consulting CGT Spectacle, the French Federation of Entertainment, Cinema, Audiovisual and Cultural Action Unions, on strategy. The festival said it is “aware of the difficulties faced by some of their staff” in its first public statement about the action in a statement sent to us Tuesday. The statement continued to urge for a “collective” approach and talks with the potential strikers and the labor unions.
Packages unwrapped: As the two potential uprisings grow, the only real film-focused section of the festival that appears to be heating up is the Cannes Market. This week we broke a slew of hot-ticket projects heading for the Croisette. Select packages include Tenzing, a biopic about the inspirational life of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and his climb to the summit of Mount Everest in 1953 alongside fellow outsider New Zealander Edmund Hillary, with Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe set to star. Andrea Riseborough will star in Isabella Blow biopic The Queen of Fashion from Alex Marx, and Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell have been confirmed to star in Andrew Haigh’s true crime story Belly of the Beast as mk2 films, UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance and Village Roadshow Pictures board sales for a Cannes launch. Find a full list of exclusives, packages and projects here.
BAFTA Build Up
“The power of storytelling”: The BAFTA TV Awards, held on Sunday (May 12), will see the likes of Slow Horses, The Crown, Top Boy, Black Mirror, Dreaming Whilst Black and Squid Game: The Challenge fighting it out for prizes. The event, the biggest on the British TV calendar, will be held at the Royal Albert Hall and is set to attract the top names in the industry. We’ll be on the ground to provide you with up-to-the-minute news on the winners and the breakout moments, along with red carpet video and more. It’s shaping up to be a big one, and comes during a tough period for British TV, whose scripted producers have felt the pinch of reduced budgets the U.S. writers’ strikes. The unscripted market has never felt worse to many we speak to, and the brutal state of play was outlined this morning when Stewart broke the news Objective Media Group indies Betty and Triple Brew would be consolidated, with job losses likely. However, the awards will give everyone the chance to remind themselves of the truly exceptional work the UK produces. As BAFTA Chair Sara Putt told us in an exclusive interview, they can act as a tonic and “allow the community to come together, network and be creative and support each other.” With BAFTA research last year showing a third of its members were considering leaving the business, she acknowledged it had been a “challenging year for many in the industry” and cited the “power of storytelling” as a reminder of the role her organization can take in aiding a turnaround. Check your inboxes over the weekend for the latest.
Royal address: Two people who won’t be in attendance at the event are Prince William and his wide Kate. As Max revealed, the Duke of Cambridge, who has been BAFTA President since 2010, will record a video message that will play during the ceremony. The prince had attended the BAFTA Film Awards alone in February as Kate recovers from cancer and undergoes chemotherapy. As Max’s story notes, it’s not unusual for the pair to only attend one of the BAFTA awards ceremonies in a calendar year, but with recent events chatter about their plans has been intense. The actors who play Princess Diana, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret and Mohamed Al-Fayed in The Crown are up for awards, though the Netflix drama series has now concluded.
Olympic Flame Arrives In France
Test run: The hottest ticket in town (literally) this week was the Olympic flame touching down in France ahead of the Paris games later this year. The global sporting event will dominate television schedules around the world over the European summer, so Mel’s report on the torch touching down in the port town of Marseilles was a timely reminder. With the world in such a precarious state, security is among the biggest issues for the organizers and the torch ceremony was seen a dry run in terms of crowd control. Around 5,500 security staff were mobilized, with 2,400 of them police officers. Local media have been speculating as to whether France will be ready for the Games, which are being held between July 26 and August 11. French President Emmanuel Macron believes the arrival of the flame will galvanize popular support. There’s going to be much on the Olympics as we get closer to the opening ceremony, but you can start by reading this.
Taking It Seriesly
Buzz from Berlin: Germany is adding another series-focused festival to its busy schedule. On Wednesday, Zac had a news about Seriesly Berlin, a two-day event in the German capital that is being billed as an “international festival for series culture.” Held at the Fotografiska Berlin and supported by the likes of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the German Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, the event will compete with the likes of the European Film Market’s Berlinale Series and Cologne’s Seriencamp, both of which have attracted international attention. Seriesly will offer a competitive festival strand, conferences, panels, masterclasses and networks sessions over two days, with screenings open to the public. “Attending the festival should inspire, create long-term networks, and establish Berlin as a powerhouse of the creative industry in Europe,” said Seriesly Berlin Managing Director Eike Faecks in an exclusive interview with Deadline. The challenge for the event will be standing out in an increasingly busy scripted television schedule in Europe, where the likes of Series Mania, Iberseries, Canneseries and MIA are present and successful. Read on.
Eurovision’s Unprecedented Challenges
“Never seen on TV before”: This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is arguably the biggest — and most controversial — in its history. The huge event, held in Malmö, Sweden, has been ongoing all week through a series of semi-finals, with the final running on Saturday. Millions across the world will tune in. On the fun side, organizers are preparing “something never seen on TV before” during its planned ABBA celebration, after ‘Waterloo’ was voted the greatest Eurovision song of all time. Some speculation is the group might appear in virtual form like they do in their ABBA Voyage concerts. However, the events have been held against the backdrop of pro-Palestinian protests over Israel’s participation despite its ongoing military action in Gaza. An estimated 12,000 people, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, attended the protest. Israeli entrant Eden Golan was booed during the rehearsal of her song on Wednesday, though met with muted cheer during the semi-final yesterday. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly sent Golan a good luck video, something that is only likely to further inflame tensions. Security around Malmö remains tight amid an unprecedented politically-charged event.
The Essentials
🌶️ Hot One: The Crown writer Peter Morgan is planning to adapt his stage play Patriots as a film, sources told Jake.
🌶️ Another: Lionsgate, Abundantia Entertainment and EFAR Films teamed to make a pair of features in India.
🌶️ Fiery: An Australian version of groundbreaking interview format The Assembly (aka The A Talks) is headed for the ABC.
👓 Excelsior!: Kartoon Studios and GFM Animation are together developing animated films from the Stan Lee Universe, I revealed yesterday.
🗣️ Q&A: Zac had this fascinating interview with Mati Diop from Senegalese production house Fanta Sy.
🚪 Exiting: Initial Creative Director Caroline Roseman, who is relocating to New York for a new role.
🤝 New job… for former BBC sales exec Isabelle Helle at Banijay Rights, per Max.
🍁 Strike off: The Writers Guild of Canada and Canadian Media Producers Association struck a new agreement, fending off fears of a strike.
⛺ Fest: Saoirse Ronan drama The Outrun will open the 77th Edinburgh International Television Festival.
🦌 Reindeer: The world remained obsessed with Baby Reindeer. Find the latest here.
💰 Done deal: Vuelta Group bought Germany’s Telepool off Will Smith’s Westbrook Inc.
📉 Financials: RTL and ITV both posted revenue hits, but are predicting better things for the second half of the year.
🍿 Box office: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was set to post $50M+ domestic and $130M worldwide following its opening weekend.
🕯️ Legal: Kevin Spacey will face another trial in the UK after being sued by man who alleges the actor sexually assaulted him.
Zac Ntim contributed to this week’s Insider