Author: SD

US independent distributors have a lot on their minds heading into the 50th anniversary edition of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, September 4-14), when their early fall festival appetite will come under scrutiny. The theatrical space remains challenging. Few buyers have the wherewithal to compete with Hollywood majors and streamers, especially as platforms are said to be low-balling pay 1 and pay 2 licence fees that can help theatrical distributors afford minimum guarantees and robust release commitments. Yet there are grounds for cautious optimism. Resourceful distributors continue to adapt and board projects earlier in the lifecycle to better compete with…

Jean Prewitt will step down as president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) at the end of 2025 after a 25-year tenure at the organisation. IFTA has retained the firm McCormack + Kristel to support its search for Prewitt’s successor. Prewitt and the IFTA board have been planning the transition for several months, and she will work with her successor during the transition. The highly regarded Prewitt recently ensured the return to Los Angeles of the American Film Market (November 11-16) after a single edition in Las Vegas. The ultimately unpopular move to the Nevada desert followed…

Global media powerhouse Canal+ said on Tuesday (September 2) it has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire a 34% stake in French cinema group UGC. The deal would further expand the Paris-based media and telecommunications group’s reach with a major move into theatrical exhibition. If the minority acquisition is completed, Canal+ would hold the option for full control of UGC from 2028. UGC is a leading French cinema and audiovisual production group with one of France’s most robust cinema chains that includes 55 cinemas (48 in France and seven in Belgium) and millions of admissions each year. It owns several multiplexes…

UK-Ireland top five, August 29-31 Rank   Film (origin) Distributor   August 29-31 Total   Week 1 The Roses (UK-US)  Disney £2.2m  £2.2m 1 2  Jaws  (US) Universal £1.1m £1.1m 1 3  Weapons (US)  Warner Bros  £838,351 £10.4m 4 4  The Bad Guys 2  (US) Universal  £807,222  £11.9m 6 5  Freakier Friday (US) Disney  £744,302 £7.4m 4 GBP to USD conversion rate: 1.35 Disney’s The Roses was the pick of the bunch this weekend at the UK-Ireland box office, opening to £2.2m from 694 sites, for a location average of…

Jim Jarmusch says he was “disappointed and disconcerted” by the funding Mubi, distributor of his new film Father Mother Sister Brother, is receiving from Sequoia Capital, the investment firm which also backs an Israeli defence technology firm. “I have spoken to Mubi about it,” said Jarmusch in response to a question from Screen about his views on the topic at the press conference for his Venice Competition title. “I have a very good relationship with Jason Ropell at Mubi particularly. He called me immediately.  “He had not been aware when this relationship was made. My relationship with Mubi started much…

The Venice Film Festival was the focus of a huge demonstration on Saturday (August 30) against Israel’s war in Gaza. In the biggest demonstration to date at a film festival, thousands of protestors marched on the Lido towards the festival’s Palazzo del Cinema. However, amid a heavy police presence with helicopters flying overhead, the protestors were prevented from accessing the festival’s main red carpet area. The protest took place just before the world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, starring Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac, but did not disrupt the red carpet. The protest, which was noisy but…

Disney’s romantic comedy The Roses leads the openers in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend as Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing also starts for Sony. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman star in The Roses which opens in 694 locations. Jay Roach directs the feature about a couple whose loving marriage takes a nosedive when roles are reversed. It is based on the same novel that inspired the 1989 dark comedy starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Roach’s last directorial effort was 2019 #MeToo drama Bombshell which opened on £686,050. The US director has had more success in the comedy field including…

Yorgos Lanthimos has issued a warning for the independent film sector, saying “it is getting more and more difficult” for independent films with “different themes” to get made.  “It has been a trend for a long time,” said Lanthimos, speaking at the press conference for his Venice Competition title Bugonia. “The weird and complicated thing about cinema is that it’s both art and entertainment. Because of the cost to make films, it becomes very challenging to choose which films are going to be made.” “There are films that are both [art and entertainment], so it’s a very complicated landscape. I…

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera says guests will not be disinvited from the festival because of their political views, as the topic of the ongoing war in Gaza takes hold on the festival’s first day.  “The position of the Biennale is at one hand we are an Italian cultural institution, a place of openness and debate that does not censor anybody,” said Barbera at the press conference for the heads of the official competition juries. “We’ve been asked to turn down invitations to artists – we will not do that, if they want to be here, they will be here.”…

UK-Ireland top five, August 22-24 Rank  Film (origin)Distributor  August 22-24Total  Week 1  Weapons (US)  Warner Bros  £1.1m   £8.9m  3 2   Freakier Friday (US)  Disney   £740,432  £6m  3  3   Materialists (US)  Sony   £554,097  £2.7m  2  4   The Bad Guys 2 (US)  Universal   £510,810  £10.4m  5  5   The Fantastic Four: First Steps (US)  Disney   £507,819  £22.2m  5  GBP to USD conversion rate: 1.35 Warner Bros’ Weapons topped the UK-Ireland box office for a third successive weekend, as the top five titles remained the same as last weekend and dropped to a lowest cumulative total since 2022.…