Like many film executives, Tamara Birkemoe spends much of the Cannes Film Festival sprinting from lunches to drinks to dinners, as she meets with potential distributors, financiers and filmmakers. Most nights, the Palisades Park CEO hosts a cocktail hour at the company’s temporary headquarters directly across from the Palais des Festivals, where Cannes’ biggest premieres are held.
“We are looking to dazzle people,” she says, noting that her office boasts a commanding view of the red carpet. “We want to entertain people in fancy places and impress them with our presentation. This is the entertainment business after all, so you might as well work hard, but have fun while you’re doing it.”
That glamour that Birkemoe and others seek in the south of France continues to be the defining feature of Cannes as it prepares to launch its 77th edition this month. But despite the parties on the sparkling Riviera,...
“We are looking to dazzle people,” she says, noting that her office boasts a commanding view of the red carpet. “We want to entertain people in fancy places and impress them with our presentation. This is the entertainment business after all, so you might as well work hard, but have fun while you’re doing it.”
That glamour that Birkemoe and others seek in the south of France continues to be the defining feature of Cannes as it prepares to launch its 77th edition this month. But despite the parties on the sparkling Riviera,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Sandra Hüller (a Best Actress nominee) and Christian Friedel, stars of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest — nominated for Best Picture, Best International Picture, Director, Sound, and Adapted Screenplay — are familiar with Shakespeare’s famous verse from Hamlet: ”All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players …” That’s because both thespians have been playing the Danish prince on stages around Germany for years.
Due to Germany’s repertory system in city and state theaters, an actor can revisit an assortment of plays time after time over a number of years.
Friedel tells me that he first played the Dane in 2012. It’s a sort of rock star Hamlet performed with his band, Woods of Birnam. “It can take years until the piece is really finished,” he explains.
He adds that “It changes as you’re getting older,” an experience he feels with movies as well.
Due to Germany’s repertory system in city and state theaters, an actor can revisit an assortment of plays time after time over a number of years.
Friedel tells me that he first played the Dane in 2012. It’s a sort of rock star Hamlet performed with his band, Woods of Birnam. “It can take years until the piece is really finished,” he explains.
He adds that “It changes as you’re getting older,” an experience he feels with movies as well.
- 3/9/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
It was back to business as usual at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, as this year’s strike-postponed Governors Awards finally unfolded January 9. With preparations for the March 10 Oscars under way with a new set of producers (and an hour earlier start time), the Governors Awards honored Mel Brooks, Angela Bassett, editor Carol Littleton, and Sundance veteran Michelle Satter while giving Oscar contenders a chance to work a room packed with AMPAS voters.
These awards used to be presented at the Oscars ceremony, but they demanded 45 minutes of screen time. Now it makes do with a montage of the Governors Awards presentation.
The Governors Awards usually take place in November and function as a black-tie starting gun to Oscar season. It also provides the Academy with a revenue-generating event as studios buy tables and pack them with that year’s Oscar-bound talent. The delay didn’t impact that energy.
These awards used to be presented at the Oscars ceremony, but they demanded 45 minutes of screen time. Now it makes do with a montage of the Governors Awards presentation.
The Governors Awards usually take place in November and function as a black-tie starting gun to Oscar season. It also provides the Academy with a revenue-generating event as studios buy tables and pack them with that year’s Oscar-bound talent. The delay didn’t impact that energy.
- 1/10/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Leonine Studios founder and CEO Fred Kogel has said he does not expect his Germany-focused content group to expand much more in the near future, after four years of rapid and continuous growth.
The veteran film and TV exec was talking about the journey around the creation of Leonine Studios in 2019 in an onstage conversation with CAA Media Finance Co-head Benjamin Kramer at the Zurich Film Festival’s finance and industry-focused Zurich Summit on Saturday.
Kogel will be feted with the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award on Sunday, following in the footsteps of Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger as well as Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
“There are many companies who drop by Leonine at the moment who say: ‘Can we be interesting for you in the German market?’,” said the veteran exec.
“There are always two questions for us: ‘Who is the talent and what kind of programs they do,...
The veteran film and TV exec was talking about the journey around the creation of Leonine Studios in 2019 in an onstage conversation with CAA Media Finance Co-head Benjamin Kramer at the Zurich Film Festival’s finance and industry-focused Zurich Summit on Saturday.
Kogel will be feted with the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award on Sunday, following in the footsteps of Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger as well as Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
“There are many companies who drop by Leonine at the moment who say: ‘Can we be interesting for you in the German market?’,” said the veteran exec.
“There are always two questions for us: ‘Who is the talent and what kind of programs they do,...
- 10/1/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan’s 40-year relationship with the Toronto International Film Festival helped put his movies on the map in Hollywood.
But that impressive trajectory out of Toronto of iconic Egoyan dramas like Next of Kin, Family Viewing, The Adjuster, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Guest of Honor — often psychodramas about families shattered by death, loss and betrayal, as parents and children grow apart — got off to an inauspicious start in 1982 with an early short film that screened from a sidewalk outside the Uptown Theatre on Yonge Street.
“It was the ultimate act of chutzpah,” Egoyan recalls of joining fellow rag-tag filmmaker Bruce McDonald, both of whom had shorts rejected by Toronto fest programmers that year, when a feature by a close friend did get an invite.
Feeling a prized Toronto fest berth just beyond their fingertips, years before becoming inescapable fixtures on the TIFF red carpet, Egoyan and...
But that impressive trajectory out of Toronto of iconic Egoyan dramas like Next of Kin, Family Viewing, The Adjuster, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Guest of Honor — often psychodramas about families shattered by death, loss and betrayal, as parents and children grow apart — got off to an inauspicious start in 1982 with an early short film that screened from a sidewalk outside the Uptown Theatre on Yonge Street.
“It was the ultimate act of chutzpah,” Egoyan recalls of joining fellow rag-tag filmmaker Bruce McDonald, both of whom had shorts rejected by Toronto fest programmers that year, when a feature by a close friend did get an invite.
Feeling a prized Toronto fest berth just beyond their fingertips, years before becoming inescapable fixtures on the TIFF red carpet, Egoyan and...
- 9/9/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SPC’s Tom Bernard calls new requirements a “very small step in what needs to change drastically in the qualification process”.
Members of the US independent and specialty distribution community have welcomed the Academy’s rule change mandating theatrical expansions for best picture contenders next season – but have also signalled concerns over the potential impact on the smallest companies and international films.
The Academy said this week that starting with the 97th Academy Awards films must expand their theatrical footprint after the one-week qualifying run in 2024 with a theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top...
Members of the US independent and specialty distribution community have welcomed the Academy’s rule change mandating theatrical expansions for best picture contenders next season – but have also signalled concerns over the potential impact on the smallest companies and international films.
The Academy said this week that starting with the 97th Academy Awards films must expand their theatrical footprint after the one-week qualifying run in 2024 with a theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top...
- 6/23/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Cate Blanchett kicked off her stilettos on Friday night as she took the stage a Cannes Film Festival party hosted by Variety and the Golden Globes. Because this is Cannes, where women are mandated to wear heels on the red carpet, shoes have become a political symbol on the French Riviera. And indeed, in this case, Blanchett went barefoot to make a statement — to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran. The A-list actor, on hand to present “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi with a breakthrough artists award, grabbed the trophy and joked, “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!”
In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country, which is “executing innocent people.” She said, “I always thought being an actress was a paradox: serving the emotions of your own and being a flag or mirror or light.
In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country, which is “executing innocent people.” She said, “I always thought being an actress was a paradox: serving the emotions of your own and being a flag or mirror or light.
- 5/20/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off Tuesday, six titles — not counting midnight screenings or the TV series The Idol — will screen “out of competition,” meaning with a big red carpet premiere and the heavy media coverage that accompanies one, but without eligibility for festival prizes.
They include fest opener Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp (following in the footsteps of star vehicles ranging from 2011’s The Beaver to 2018’s Gotti); fest closer Elemental, from Pixar (animated pics are almost never invited into competition); franchise flick Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (a 2008 Indiana Jones pic also screened out of competition, as have installments of Kill Bill, Matrix, Oceans, Star Wars and X-Men); and cineastes’ most highly anticipated title, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
Among those, Killers is a unique case, in that fest director Thierry Fremaux revealed in April that it was — and remains — invited to screen in competition.
They include fest opener Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp (following in the footsteps of star vehicles ranging from 2011’s The Beaver to 2018’s Gotti); fest closer Elemental, from Pixar (animated pics are almost never invited into competition); franchise flick Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (a 2008 Indiana Jones pic also screened out of competition, as have installments of Kill Bill, Matrix, Oceans, Star Wars and X-Men); and cineastes’ most highly anticipated title, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
Among those, Killers is a unique case, in that fest director Thierry Fremaux revealed in April that it was — and remains — invited to screen in competition.
- 5/14/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A beloved ballplayer and an iconic consumer device join a Hollywood satire by Charlie Day, an Emanuele Crialese film with Penelope Cruz and debuts from Sundance and Venice in a potentially strong specialty weekend that will test the appetite for indie film with no new franchise wide releases.
Sony Pictures Classics opens Sean Mullin’s Yogi Berra documentary It Ain’t Over on 100 screens in NY and LA with a big regional push for the legendary Yankee, including complimentary plus-one tickets on Thursday and Sunday at Regal, AMC and City Cinemas in the New York Tri-State area. The intimate portrait of a baseball genius, master of aphorism, pitchman and endearing human being, Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, premiered at Tribeca last year (100% Certified Fresh). Berra’s granddaughter Lindsay Berra, with Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Bob Costas, Vin Scully, Billy Crystal and others are loving guides to Berra’s unparalleled accomplishments...
Sony Pictures Classics opens Sean Mullin’s Yogi Berra documentary It Ain’t Over on 100 screens in NY and LA with a big regional push for the legendary Yankee, including complimentary plus-one tickets on Thursday and Sunday at Regal, AMC and City Cinemas in the New York Tri-State area. The intimate portrait of a baseball genius, master of aphorism, pitchman and endearing human being, Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, premiered at Tribeca last year (100% Certified Fresh). Berra’s granddaughter Lindsay Berra, with Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Bob Costas, Vin Scully, Billy Crystal and others are loving guides to Berra’s unparalleled accomplishments...
- 5/12/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Jennifer Hackett remembers the first time she took a tender boat out to Octopus, the superyacht owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that boasted two helipads and an onboard submarine and hosted one of the most exclusive parties at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2015, while vp special projects at Paradigm, where she was responsible for everything from corporate sponsorships and event planning to high-end gifting and ticketing, Hackett had signed with Allen (who died in 2018) and his Vulcan Productions to curate his Cannes experience, including film recommendations, liaising with protection teams and helping oversee Octopus’ guest list.
Two years later, the Florida-raised and Vanderbilt-educated Hackett founded Jnh & Co. to address a very specific niche in the entertainment industry: “The most intricate 2 to 5 percent of what other companies do — talent relations companies, personal publicity companies, event management companies — is 100 percent of what we do,” she says. Hackett, who is unbending about...
Two years later, the Florida-raised and Vanderbilt-educated Hackett founded Jnh & Co. to address a very specific niche in the entertainment industry: “The most intricate 2 to 5 percent of what other companies do — talent relations companies, personal publicity companies, event management companies — is 100 percent of what we do,” she says. Hackett, who is unbending about...
- 5/10/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Last month, the Croisette, the glamorous boulevard that serves as the central artery of Cannes, was a maze of construction that made it nearly unnavigable in places. Thin wire barriers were the only things separating the sun-speckled tourists and shoppers from gaping holes that exposed a warren of underground pipes being labored over by government crews. But as the Cannes Film Festival rapidly approaches, workers have been racing to finish the job, with city officials confident that the Croisette will be back in glittering form in time for the red-carpet rollout on May 16.
Other problems facing Cannes, though, won’t be as easily paved over. With the Writers Guild of America on strike, film and TV production is expected to taper off. If the Directors Guild or the Screen Actors Guild follow the WGA when their contracts expire in June, that slowdown could become a shutdown. And since Cannes doesn...
Other problems facing Cannes, though, won’t be as easily paved over. With the Writers Guild of America on strike, film and TV production is expected to taper off. If the Directors Guild or the Screen Actors Guild follow the WGA when their contracts expire in June, that slowdown could become a shutdown. And since Cannes doesn...
- 5/9/2023
- by Brent Lang and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
One year after Los Angeles’ beloved Landmark closed, the city’s exhibition scene is looking a little brighter – or at least, it will be when a few long-awaited venues open or reopen in 2023, including the Vista, the Egyptian and the new Vidiots outpost at the Eagle Theatre.
Between grappling with the stratospherically priced L.A. commercial real estate and persuading adults to return to movie theaters, the local exhibition scene has weathered numerous challenges since Covid forced businesses to shutter operations.
“It’s better than last year for sure, because Covid is officially over May 11,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, referencing the end of the federal public health emergency declaration. “So that is a great piece of information for people — they will probably go out more when they feel the official end to the pandemic.”
Local cinephiles got a dose of optimism with Monday’s announcement that the...
Between grappling with the stratospherically priced L.A. commercial real estate and persuading adults to return to movie theaters, the local exhibition scene has weathered numerous challenges since Covid forced businesses to shutter operations.
“It’s better than last year for sure, because Covid is officially over May 11,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, referencing the end of the federal public health emergency declaration. “So that is a great piece of information for people — they will probably go out more when they feel the official end to the pandemic.”
Local cinephiles got a dose of optimism with Monday’s announcement that the...
- 4/19/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Now that the noise has subsided, were there any helpful takeaways from the Oscars?
If you ask the leaders of A24, the distributor that swept six categories, their answer would be the same as it was six years ago when Moonlight was the surprise winner. “Can’t think of a thing to say,” is what they said.
Related Story Oscars Analysis: First-Timers Lift Spirits And Emotions In Ceremony That Was Old-School Academy Awards In A Good Way Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', 'The Boys' Top Critics Choice Super Awards Related Story A24 Acquires Talking Heads 1984 Concert Film 'Stop Making Sense', Will Restore In 4K For Theatrical Release
A24 likes to surround its victories with the sounds of silence, as they made numbingly clear when last I had a sit-down with them (they resist sit-downs: more below).
But there were, in fact, some questions...
If you ask the leaders of A24, the distributor that swept six categories, their answer would be the same as it was six years ago when Moonlight was the surprise winner. “Can’t think of a thing to say,” is what they said.
Related Story Oscars Analysis: First-Timers Lift Spirits And Emotions In Ceremony That Was Old-School Academy Awards In A Good Way Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', 'The Boys' Top Critics Choice Super Awards Related Story A24 Acquires Talking Heads 1984 Concert Film 'Stop Making Sense', Will Restore In 4K For Theatrical Release
A24 likes to surround its victories with the sounds of silence, as they made numbingly clear when last I had a sit-down with them (they resist sit-downs: more below).
But there were, in fact, some questions...
- 3/16/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicole Kidman arrives at the Chanel/Charles Finch Pre Oscars soirée and dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills and makes clear that she’s just stopping by to say hello. ”I have two daughters at home, and they’ll be up all night unless I put them to bed!”
Kidman was referring to Sunday Rose, 14, and Faith Margaret, 12.
Related: Pete Hammond’s Final Oscar Predictions: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’, ‘Elvis’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Could Be Multiple Winners
Related Story The Academy Awards Photos: Live From The Red Carpet & Gala Ceremony Related Story Oscars Winners List – Updating Live Related Story Yulia Navalnaya, Wife Of Imprisoned Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny, To Attend Oscars
“The 14-year-old wants to accompany me to parties, but I have to be strict about that,” Kidman tells me as we chat in the Polo Lounge garden.
Related: Best...
Kidman was referring to Sunday Rose, 14, and Faith Margaret, 12.
Related: Pete Hammond’s Final Oscar Predictions: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’, ‘Elvis’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Could Be Multiple Winners
Related Story The Academy Awards Photos: Live From The Red Carpet & Gala Ceremony Related Story Oscars Winners List – Updating Live Related Story Yulia Navalnaya, Wife Of Imprisoned Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny, To Attend Oscars
“The 14-year-old wants to accompany me to parties, but I have to be strict about that,” Kidman tells me as we chat in the Polo Lounge garden.
Related: Best...
- 3/12/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Sundance Wraps Up Its In-Person Return With Mega-Deals, High Anxiety and Controversy Over Captioning
On Jan. 22, the sales agents of WME Independent braced themselves for an all-night negotiation at the Sundance Film Festival. Once a staple of major film festivals, where million-dollar price tags soar as high as the altitude in the Utah mountains, these kind of marathon bidding wars had gone digital during the pandemic, or disappeared nearly entirely.
For the first time since 2020, the agents stocked their chalet with pizza bites, cookies and sugary soda to fuel these talks. Their mission was to find the right studio home for “Theater Camp,” a backstage send-up that scored a raucous reception at Sundance, where co-directors Nick Leiberman and Molly Gordon were joined by cast-members Ben Platt and Noah Galvin. The film entertained offers and fielded interest from several bidders, including some streamers. Deborah McIntosh, co-head of WME Independent Film, said the team was exhilarated to be back in the room together with potential buyers...
For the first time since 2020, the agents stocked their chalet with pizza bites, cookies and sugary soda to fuel these talks. Their mission was to find the right studio home for “Theater Camp,” a backstage send-up that scored a raucous reception at Sundance, where co-directors Nick Leiberman and Molly Gordon were joined by cast-members Ben Platt and Noah Galvin. The film entertained offers and fielded interest from several bidders, including some streamers. Deborah McIntosh, co-head of WME Independent Film, said the team was exhilarated to be back in the room together with potential buyers...
- 1/28/2023
- by Brent Lang, Tatiana Siegel and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Updated: Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, in a phone interview with IndieWire, said the following about Bill Pence: “[I’ve been going to Telluride] since 1978. Bill Pence was one of the pioneers of repertory cinema. That led to the festival. He had a chain of theaters all across the west, he’d bicycle repertory prints. He’d find archive program stuff no one had heard about for years, the [other theaters] would follow his lead, his festival turned into the ultimate repertory theater in his wild dreams. They put this thing together. Always at Telluride you’d see the best prints out of the archives, it was one of the treats of going there. Bill curated that; one of the roots of the festival was Bill Pence’s love of films and older cinema.
“I remember one year that stands out: Bill had original prints of Hitchcock movies that nobody could get and be able to...
“I remember one year that stands out: Bill had original prints of Hitchcock movies that nobody could get and be able to...
- 12/29/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The Banshees of Inisherin, which won writer-director Martin McDonagh Best Screenplay and Colin Farrell the Volpi Cup for Best Actor in Venice last month, hits theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, expanding to 10 more markets/50 locations next weekend, and to 600-800 screens November 4.
If standing ovations say anything, the comedy-drama had a rapturous 13 minutes of applause on the Lido. It’s certified fresh at 99 on Rotten Tomatoes. (Here’s the Deadline review.) Critical acclaim plus a nascent arthouse revival underway bode well for the Searchlight Pictures film, the distributor’s second big-screen outing after a 10-month hiatus. Its first was See How They Run last month. Next up, Mark Mylod’s Adam McKay-produced horror-comedy The Menu in November, and Sam Mendes drama-romance Empire of Light drops December 9.
Banshees opens at The Grove and Century City in LA and the Angelika and AMC Lincoln Square in NY...
If standing ovations say anything, the comedy-drama had a rapturous 13 minutes of applause on the Lido. It’s certified fresh at 99 on Rotten Tomatoes. (Here’s the Deadline review.) Critical acclaim plus a nascent arthouse revival underway bode well for the Searchlight Pictures film, the distributor’s second big-screen outing after a 10-month hiatus. Its first was See How They Run last month. Next up, Mark Mylod’s Adam McKay-produced horror-comedy The Menu in November, and Sam Mendes drama-romance Empire of Light drops December 9.
Banshees opens at The Grove and Century City in LA and the Angelika and AMC Lincoln Square in NY...
- 10/21/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here. Our crack team of reporters and editors brought you the news from Zurich to Singapore to London this week, and I’m here to help you digest. Read away.
Tales From Zurich
Marquee attendees: Diana Lodderhose reporting from the Zurich Film Festival where the indie film confab Zurich Summit, the marquee industry event, took place last Saturday and saw more than 100 of the film industry’s top execs take part in an all-day session that drilled down into the state of the industry. Attendees included the likes of former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, Sony Pictures Classics co-head Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon, Neon CEO Tom Quinn, CAA Media Finance co-head Roeg Sutherland and Le Grisbi Production founder and president John Lesher.
‘Coda’, Oscars and youth: And there was plenty going on. Wachsberger, who was a producer on Oscar-winning film Coda,...
Tales From Zurich
Marquee attendees: Diana Lodderhose reporting from the Zurich Film Festival where the indie film confab Zurich Summit, the marquee industry event, took place last Saturday and saw more than 100 of the film industry’s top execs take part in an all-day session that drilled down into the state of the industry. Attendees included the likes of former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, Sony Pictures Classics co-head Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon, Neon CEO Tom Quinn, CAA Media Finance co-head Roeg Sutherland and Le Grisbi Production founder and president John Lesher.
‘Coda’, Oscars and youth: And there was plenty going on. Wachsberger, who was a producer on Oscar-winning film Coda,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The indie film confab Zurich Summit took place Saturday as the marquee industry event alongside the Zurich Film Festival. More than 100 film pros took part in the all-day session that drilled down into the state of the industry.
A who’s who of executives in attendance included former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, producer Christine Vachon, HFPA president Helen Hoehne, Neon CEO Tom Quinn, Sony Pictures Classics bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Le Grisbi Production founder and president John Lesher and many more.
Panels included “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers,” “How to Find an Audience for Arthouse Films” and “What Does The Award Season of the Future Look Like?”, with topics covering issues like transatlantic production, the challenges around securing qualified and skilled crew, and how to future-proof the business.
As part of the summit, SPC’s Barker and Bernard were honored with the Zff’s Game Changer Award.
A who’s who of executives in attendance included former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, producer Christine Vachon, HFPA president Helen Hoehne, Neon CEO Tom Quinn, Sony Pictures Classics bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Le Grisbi Production founder and president John Lesher and many more.
Panels included “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers,” “How to Find an Audience for Arthouse Films” and “What Does The Award Season of the Future Look Like?”, with topics covering issues like transatlantic production, the challenges around securing qualified and skilled crew, and how to future-proof the business.
As part of the summit, SPC’s Barker and Bernard were honored with the Zff’s Game Changer Award.
- 9/25/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard offered sound advice to U.S. theater chains, while explaining the reasons behind their continued success, during a discussion at the Zurich Film Festival on Saturday about their colorful and storied partnership that has spanned more than four decades.
Zurich is honoring the duo for their services to film culture with its Game Changer Award on Sunday.
Speaking to Roeg Sutherland, co-ceo of CAA Media Finance, at the festival’s Zurich Summit industry event, Barker and Bernard took an engaging and humorous trip down memory lane, from first working together at United Artists Classics and then at Orion Classics, before establishing Sony Pictures Classics in 1992, to working with Akira Kurosawa, and managing to reacquire “Howards End” from Ismail Merchant, despite Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to significantly outbid them.
In discussing the current state of the industry, however, Bernard expressed exasperation with...
Zurich is honoring the duo for their services to film culture with its Game Changer Award on Sunday.
Speaking to Roeg Sutherland, co-ceo of CAA Media Finance, at the festival’s Zurich Summit industry event, Barker and Bernard took an engaging and humorous trip down memory lane, from first working together at United Artists Classics and then at Orion Classics, before establishing Sony Pictures Classics in 1992, to working with Akira Kurosawa, and managing to reacquire “Howards End” from Ismail Merchant, despite Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to significantly outbid them.
In discussing the current state of the industry, however, Bernard expressed exasperation with...
- 9/24/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics co-chiefs Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, who are being feted by the Zurich Film Festival with the event’s Game Changer Award, took part today in a Zurich Summit panel about their careers and the state of the specialty business.
The duo have spent their lives dedicated to the theatrical sector and the promotion of arthouse movies, work that has resulted in more than 150 Academy Award nominations for SPC titles, including Best Picture candidates The Father, Call Me By Your Name, Amour, Whiplash, Capote, Midnight In Paris, An Education, Howards End and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
Zurich Summit: Deadline’s Full Coverage
During a diverting and welcome trip down memory lane, Barker told the audience how he had first met Bernard during a Secret Santa in the late 1970s. The duo previously worked together at UA Classics and Orion Classics. “It’s impressive you haven’t killed each other by now,...
The duo have spent their lives dedicated to the theatrical sector and the promotion of arthouse movies, work that has resulted in more than 150 Academy Award nominations for SPC titles, including Best Picture candidates The Father, Call Me By Your Name, Amour, Whiplash, Capote, Midnight In Paris, An Education, Howards End and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
Zurich Summit: Deadline’s Full Coverage
During a diverting and welcome trip down memory lane, Barker told the audience how he had first met Bernard during a Secret Santa in the late 1970s. The duo previously worked together at UA Classics and Orion Classics. “It’s impressive you haven’t killed each other by now,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, Carol producer Christine Vachon, Neon CEO Tom Quinn and SPC bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard will be among industry executives taking part in the Zurich Summit on Saturday in Switzerland.
The Zurich Film Festival’s flagship industry event, an all-day confab about the state of the independent film business, will gather around 100 top film professionals. Scroll down for the lineup and schedule in full.
For a full rundown of the day’s schedule click here.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
The conference kicks off with the discussion “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers” and a panel comprising UTA agent Alex Brunner, Memento International/Paradise City CEO Emilie Georges,...
The Zurich Film Festival’s flagship industry event, an all-day confab about the state of the independent film business, will gather around 100 top film professionals. Scroll down for the lineup and schedule in full.
For a full rundown of the day’s schedule click here.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
The conference kicks off with the discussion “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers” and a panel comprising UTA agent Alex Brunner, Memento International/Paradise City CEO Emilie Georges,...
- 9/23/2022
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
The 18th Zurich Film Festival kicks off Sept. 22 with a muscular lineup that includes some of the year’s most anticipated international pics while also putting the spotlight on Swiss and German-language cinema.
In addition to a strong selection of U.S. films, including Oscar-winning writer-director Florian Zeller’s “The Son” and Neil Jordan’s “Marlowe,” Zurich is also honoring Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard for their contribution to cinema.
“We are very proud that this year about one-fourth of our program are world or European premieres, which – especially when it comes to American films – are quite hard to get because there’s a lot of competition,” says Zff artistic director Christian Jungen.
Other big titles unspooling in Zurich include Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” with Viola Davis; Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan; and Tobias Lindholm’s “The Good Nurse,...
In addition to a strong selection of U.S. films, including Oscar-winning writer-director Florian Zeller’s “The Son” and Neil Jordan’s “Marlowe,” Zurich is also honoring Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard for their contribution to cinema.
“We are very proud that this year about one-fourth of our program are world or European premieres, which – especially when it comes to American films – are quite hard to get because there’s a lot of competition,” says Zff artistic director Christian Jungen.
Other big titles unspooling in Zurich include Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” with Viola Davis; Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan; and Tobias Lindholm’s “The Good Nurse,...
- 9/20/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
When France announced its shortlist of five films it will consider for its international Oscar submission this week, it was the start of a new chapter in the country’s efforts to win the prize. With the backlash still simmering from last year, when the subversive Palme d’Or winner “Titane” got the slot over emotional crowdpleaser “Happening,” the country has revised its approach in an attempt to support films more likely to secure the nomination.
This year’s selection has no obligatory entry from the official Cannes competition, which reflects the decision to remove festival head Thierry Fremaux from his influential spot on the committee after more than a decade of wielding influence there. Additionally, the one possible entry from a veteran French auteur was snubbed as Claire Denis’ romantic drama “Both Sides of the Blade,” which won Best Director at the Berlinale, did not make the cut.
Instead,...
This year’s selection has no obligatory entry from the official Cannes competition, which reflects the decision to remove festival head Thierry Fremaux from his influential spot on the committee after more than a decade of wielding influence there. Additionally, the one possible entry from a veteran French auteur was snubbed as Claire Denis’ romantic drama “Both Sides of the Blade,” which won Best Director at the Berlinale, did not make the cut.
Instead,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Co-founders to receive festival’s Game Changer Award.
Zurich Film Festival is to honour Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with its Game Changer Award.
The Game Changer Award is presented during the festival to recognise outstanding achievements in the film industry. It comes as Sony Pictures Classics, which was founded by Barker and Bernard, marks its 30th anniversary this year.
To date, films shepherded by Barker and Bernard have earned 184 Academy Award nominations (158 at Sony Classics) and scooped 41 wins (37 at Sony Classics).
The studio’s best-known films include titles like Call Me By Your Name, The Father,...
Zurich Film Festival is to honour Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with its Game Changer Award.
The Game Changer Award is presented during the festival to recognise outstanding achievements in the film industry. It comes as Sony Pictures Classics, which was founded by Barker and Bernard, marks its 30th anniversary this year.
To date, films shepherded by Barker and Bernard have earned 184 Academy Award nominations (158 at Sony Classics) and scooped 41 wins (37 at Sony Classics).
The studio’s best-known films include titles like Call Me By Your Name, The Father,...
- 8/4/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The 2022 Zurich Film Festival will honor longtime Sony Pictures Classics bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with their Game Changer award, a lifetime achievement honor for film industry professionals.
Barker and Bernard co-founded SPC 30 years ago, in January 1992, together with Marcie Bloom, pioneering and popularizing the distribution of independent and international art house cinema in the U.S. Their list of hits ranges from Tom Tykwer’s 1998 breakout Run Lola Run and Ang Lee’s Chinese-language blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Damien Chazelle’s debut Whiplash (2014) and Florian Zeller’s sleeper hit The Father from 2020.
Films released by Barker and Bernard have received 183 Academy Award Nominations, including nine best picture nominations, and won 41 Oscars.
“Sony Pictures Classics is synonymous amongst film fans with intelligent auteur cinema,” said Zurich Film Festival artistic director Christian Jungen. “Michael and Tom have been producing and distributing...
The 2022 Zurich Film Festival will honor longtime Sony Pictures Classics bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with their Game Changer award, a lifetime achievement honor for film industry professionals.
Barker and Bernard co-founded SPC 30 years ago, in January 1992, together with Marcie Bloom, pioneering and popularizing the distribution of independent and international art house cinema in the U.S. Their list of hits ranges from Tom Tykwer’s 1998 breakout Run Lola Run and Ang Lee’s Chinese-language blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Damien Chazelle’s debut Whiplash (2014) and Florian Zeller’s sleeper hit The Father from 2020.
Films released by Barker and Bernard have received 183 Academy Award Nominations, including nine best picture nominations, and won 41 Oscars.
“Sony Pictures Classics is synonymous amongst film fans with intelligent auteur cinema,” said Zurich Film Festival artistic director Christian Jungen. “Michael and Tom have been producing and distributing...
- 8/4/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony Pictures Classics co-founders Michael Barker and Tom Bernard will receive the Game Changer Award at the Zurich Film Festival (Zff), in recognition of their services to film culture.
Along with Marcie Bloom, Barker and Bernard, who serve as co-presidents, founded Sony Pictures Classics as an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. To date, films produced by the studio have received 183 Academy Award nominations — 70 of which were films by women — and won 41 Oscars. The studio’s best-known films include “Call Me By Your Name,” “The Father,” “Whiplash,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Howards End” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Christian Jungen, Zff artistic director, said: “Sony Pictures Classics is synonymous amongst film fans with intelligent auteur cinema. Michael and Tom have been producing and distributing sophisticated entertainment for the last 30 years. They have introduced such great European auteurs as Almodóvar, Wenders and Maren Ade to the American public, and given the best...
Along with Marcie Bloom, Barker and Bernard, who serve as co-presidents, founded Sony Pictures Classics as an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. To date, films produced by the studio have received 183 Academy Award nominations — 70 of which were films by women — and won 41 Oscars. The studio’s best-known films include “Call Me By Your Name,” “The Father,” “Whiplash,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Howards End” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Christian Jungen, Zff artistic director, said: “Sony Pictures Classics is synonymous amongst film fans with intelligent auteur cinema. Michael and Tom have been producing and distributing sophisticated entertainment for the last 30 years. They have introduced such great European auteurs as Almodóvar, Wenders and Maren Ade to the American public, and given the best...
- 8/4/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard will be honored with the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award in recognition of their outstanding achievements within the film industry.
The award coincides with the 30th anniversary of Sony Pictures Classics which has played a game-changing role for independent auteur cinema at home and internationally since its creation in 1992.
“Sony Pictures Classics is synonymous amongst film fans with intelligent auteur cinema,” explains Christian Jungen, Zff Artistic Director.
“Michael and Tom have been producing and distributing sophisticated entertainment for the last 30 years,” he said.
“They have introduced such great European auteurs as Almodóvar, Wenders and Maren Ade to the American public, and given the best of American independent cinema to the world. Others have come and gone – they have remained for 30 years, successful and loyal to cinema. We want to honour this achievement with our award.”
Jungen also emphasized the...
The award coincides with the 30th anniversary of Sony Pictures Classics which has played a game-changing role for independent auteur cinema at home and internationally since its creation in 1992.
“Sony Pictures Classics is synonymous amongst film fans with intelligent auteur cinema,” explains Christian Jungen, Zff Artistic Director.
“Michael and Tom have been producing and distributing sophisticated entertainment for the last 30 years,” he said.
“They have introduced such great European auteurs as Almodóvar, Wenders and Maren Ade to the American public, and given the best of American independent cinema to the world. Others have come and gone – they have remained for 30 years, successful and loyal to cinema. We want to honour this achievement with our award.”
Jungen also emphasized the...
- 8/4/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Latin America, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Israel, India and Italy, and aboard airlines and ships worldwide, to the animated film The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol, from writer-director Sylvain Chomet. The deal for Chomet’s English-language feature follows SPC’s distribution of his past films The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist.
The latest film from the four-time Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner is set in 1955 follows 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol—one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century. An author with 150 million books sold worldwide and translated into more than 50 languages, Pagnol was also a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker prior to his passing in 1974.
When the editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine commissions a weekly column about the acclaimed playwright and filmmaker’s childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing.
The latest film from the four-time Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner is set in 1955 follows 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol—one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century. An author with 150 million books sold worldwide and translated into more than 50 languages, Pagnol was also a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker prior to his passing in 1974.
When the editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine commissions a weekly column about the acclaimed playwright and filmmaker’s childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing.
- 5/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Things were moving so slowly at the Cannes Film Festival that the pace of deals was almost as glacial as the amount of time it takes to get your check at a restaurant in the south of France.
But then, sacré bleu, Netflix struck, shelling out more than 50 million for the rights to “Pain Hustlers,” a conspiracy thriller that unites Emily Blunt with Harry Potter director David Yates, and the move has started to accelerate deal-making up and down the Croisette.
This year’s market has been a litmus test for film sales as the U.S. and key international markets emerge from the worst of the pandemic. Many buyers have hoped for a correction, one that sees prices cool down, with more opportunities for international distributors who are still smarting from eye-watering global streaming buys during the Covid crisis. Domestic consolidation has also thrown up all sorts of questions...
But then, sacré bleu, Netflix struck, shelling out more than 50 million for the rights to “Pain Hustlers,” a conspiracy thriller that unites Emily Blunt with Harry Potter director David Yates, and the move has started to accelerate deal-making up and down the Croisette.
This year’s market has been a litmus test for film sales as the U.S. and key international markets emerge from the worst of the pandemic. Many buyers have hoped for a correction, one that sees prices cool down, with more opportunities for international distributors who are still smarting from eye-watering global streaming buys during the Covid crisis. Domestic consolidation has also thrown up all sorts of questions...
- 5/23/2022
- by Brent Lang and Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The Variety Welcome to Cannes party at the Unifrance terrace was the place to be on Thursday afternoon, with guests including Eva Longoria, Sony Pictures Classics’ Tom Bernard and Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente.
The hot ticket event was a bubbles and canapes celebration where the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry turned up in force to mingle after two years of Covid-caused separation.
Dea Lawrence, chief operating and marketing officer of Variety, kicked off proceedings by saying that Variety has been covering the Cannes Film Festival for 75 of the publication’s 116 years of existence and that Variety.com has 35 million unique users. “That makes Variety the No. 1 entertainment brand in the universe,” Lawrence said.
For Variety executive editor Ramin Setoodeh, it was a doubly joyous occasion as the event also coincided with his birthday.
“Variety is dedicated to covering the international film business. It is our bread and...
The hot ticket event was a bubbles and canapes celebration where the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry turned up in force to mingle after two years of Covid-caused separation.
Dea Lawrence, chief operating and marketing officer of Variety, kicked off proceedings by saying that Variety has been covering the Cannes Film Festival for 75 of the publication’s 116 years of existence and that Variety.com has 35 million unique users. “That makes Variety the No. 1 entertainment brand in the universe,” Lawrence said.
For Variety executive editor Ramin Setoodeh, it was a doubly joyous occasion as the event also coincided with his birthday.
“Variety is dedicated to covering the international film business. It is our bread and...
- 5/19/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
As the Cinépolis cashier explained, this 5:30 p.m. screening in Pico Rivera, California wasn’t just any showtime for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” She told the family of three that it was part of the chain’s “Self-Care Sunday” series, launched in conjunction with May’s Mental Health Awareness Month: They would be treated to gold-infused under-eye masks, a pre-show breathing exercise, and free popcorn.
“So we each get free popcorn?,” the mom asked with glee.
Cinépolis, which operates 26 theaters in the U.S., is among several circuits that hope launching new promotions and upgrading the theater experience will result in more audiences realizing that they just can’t replicate the in-theater experience at home.
Theater attendance was down 50 percent in 2021 compared to 2019, according to the Motion Picture Association. While Q1 2022 attendance was down only 40 percent compared to Q1 2019, and tentpoles like “Doctor Strange” show audiences are willing to return,...
“So we each get free popcorn?,” the mom asked with glee.
Cinépolis, which operates 26 theaters in the U.S., is among several circuits that hope launching new promotions and upgrading the theater experience will result in more audiences realizing that they just can’t replicate the in-theater experience at home.
Theater attendance was down 50 percent in 2021 compared to 2019, according to the Motion Picture Association. While Q1 2022 attendance was down only 40 percent compared to Q1 2019, and tentpoles like “Doctor Strange” show audiences are willing to return,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
The looming closure of Landmark Theatres’ Pico location is a significant loss for L.A.’s independent movie scene, which was already sorely missing the shuttered ArcLight Hollywood. Getting art-house audiences to return to cinemas has been challenging as Covid-19 variants have swept the country, and now the question is whether the city that makes movies has enough theaters to show all kinds of titles — not just blockbusters.
For moviegoers on the west side of Los Angeles, there was something special about the Landmark Pico, whose 12 screens programmed a wide variety of mostly independent and foreign films, along with industry screenings and panels.
“Around the country, including in Los Angeles, there are just fewer theaters and fewer screens than there were before the pandemic,” says Jasper Basch, IFC Films and IFC Midnight head of theatrical distribution. “The Landmark Pico’s closure is going to contribute to this problem.”
And it...
For moviegoers on the west side of Los Angeles, there was something special about the Landmark Pico, whose 12 screens programmed a wide variety of mostly independent and foreign films, along with industry screenings and panels.
“Around the country, including in Los Angeles, there are just fewer theaters and fewer screens than there were before the pandemic,” says Jasper Basch, IFC Films and IFC Midnight head of theatrical distribution. “The Landmark Pico’s closure is going to contribute to this problem.”
And it...
- 5/18/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Every year when TheWrap puts together its Cannes Film Festival Directors Portfolio, I think of something Sony Pictures Classics co-chief Tom Bernard said to me when we created this feature eight years ago: “My dream way to go to Cannes would be to go as a director,” he said. “They’re really the stars of the festival.”Yes, the Croisette sees plenty of movie stars—including this year’s two Toms, Cruise and Hanks—but the directors are indeed the real stars and the heart of the festival. They’re also the stars of this issue, and for our eighth portfolio, we’ve drawn from photographers in 16 cities and 10 countries on four continents, from Los Angeles to Paris, Seoul to Casablanca, Aubervilliers to Ightham and New Delhi to Kyiv. That’s right: We didn’t send a photographer to Ukraine in the middle of a war, but the one Ukrainian director in the official selection,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Photographed by Various Artists for TheWrap
- The Wrap
Audiences and exhibitors may have been cheering the Spider-Man movie for months, but 2022’s most emotional theatrical experience so far is watching Greg Laemmle struggle with the fate of his family’s eponymous arthouse business in the documentary “Only in Theaters.”
Premiered at the Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival in March, “Only” inevitably focuses on the 84-year-old Southern California theater chain’s struggle to survive — first during the 2019 downturn in specialty film attendance and then through a yearlong, Covid pandemic shutdown. The wear on the company’s third generation president is palpable and poignant.
“I’m, at some level, better than I seem in the film,” Laemmle tells Variety a year after his theaters reopened. “There have definitely been some less-than-positive developments during the 12 months since we’ve been open, but there have been some positive things, to be sure.”
Laemmle could be speaking for the whole American arthouse sector,...
Premiered at the Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival in March, “Only” inevitably focuses on the 84-year-old Southern California theater chain’s struggle to survive — first during the 2019 downturn in specialty film attendance and then through a yearlong, Covid pandemic shutdown. The wear on the company’s third generation president is palpable and poignant.
“I’m, at some level, better than I seem in the film,” Laemmle tells Variety a year after his theaters reopened. “There have definitely been some less-than-positive developments during the 12 months since we’ve been open, but there have been some positive things, to be sure.”
Laemmle could be speaking for the whole American arthouse sector,...
- 4/23/2022
- by Robert Strauss
- Variety Film + TV
“I see nothing happening on a major scale to try to get the older audiences back to theaters,” griped Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president Tom Bernard.
Ideally, Bernard wants NATO to trumpet cinema safety in a big public campaign. (A NATO rep says not in the cards.) He’d like that campaign alongside a creative marketing push by independent movie chains, combined with a steadier flow of specialty films with wider appeal. That could include SPC’s upcoming The Duke, Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story and The Phantom of the Open.
Focus Features’ bellwether Downton Abby: A New Era is the big test. If the Crawley family can’t rout lingering Covid jitters and force of habit to nudge older demos off home screens, then nothing can.
Hoping to prime the pump for this potential spring rebound, SPC and the Angelika Film Center this week unveiled “Bring A Friend Back To The Movies,...
Ideally, Bernard wants NATO to trumpet cinema safety in a big public campaign. (A NATO rep says not in the cards.) He’d like that campaign alongside a creative marketing push by independent movie chains, combined with a steadier flow of specialty films with wider appeal. That could include SPC’s upcoming The Duke, Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story and The Phantom of the Open.
Focus Features’ bellwether Downton Abby: A New Era is the big test. If the Crawley family can’t rout lingering Covid jitters and force of habit to nudge older demos off home screens, then nothing can.
Hoping to prime the pump for this potential spring rebound, SPC and the Angelika Film Center this week unveiled “Bring A Friend Back To The Movies,...
- 4/15/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Angelika Film Center and Sony Pictures Classics want you to go back to the movies…with a friend.
In an effort to increase foot traffic at arthouse cinemas, Angelika and SPC have partnered to launch “Bring a Friend Back to the Movies.” The initiative is timed to the release of “The Duke,” a dramatic heist comedy starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, on April 22.
“Bring a Friend Back to the Movies” will provide one complimentary ticket to customers who purchase a ticket directly from the Angelika website, app or in theaters to see “The Duke” during the first week of its release. Select Angelika locations will also offer each ticket holder for “The Duke” a specially priced split of bubbly to share with their friend in celebration of their return to the movies. The film, which premiered at Venice and Telluride Film Festivals, will land in theaters in New York...
In an effort to increase foot traffic at arthouse cinemas, Angelika and SPC have partnered to launch “Bring a Friend Back to the Movies.” The initiative is timed to the release of “The Duke,” a dramatic heist comedy starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, on April 22.
“Bring a Friend Back to the Movies” will provide one complimentary ticket to customers who purchase a ticket directly from the Angelika website, app or in theaters to see “The Duke” during the first week of its release. Select Angelika locations will also offer each ticket holder for “The Duke” a specially priced split of bubbly to share with their friend in celebration of their return to the movies. The film, which premiered at Venice and Telluride Film Festivals, will land in theaters in New York...
- 4/13/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Angelika Film Center and Sony Pictures Classics unveiled a “Bring A Friend Back To The Movies” initiative timed to the April 22 release of dramatic comedy The Duke.
The arthouse cinema and specialty distributor are offering a complimentary second ticket to anyone who buys a first directly from the Angelika’s website, app or in the theater to see the film during its first week of release. It’s a nod to the fact that older arthouse demos have been the slowest to return to theaters, wary of Covid but also just having gotten out of the habit.
The Duke by the late Roger Michell stars Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. It premiered at Venice and Telluride last year. SPC is opening the film in NY and LA, expanding to additional cities thereafter.
“The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on theaters and the moviegoing experience,” said Tom Bernard, Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president.
The arthouse cinema and specialty distributor are offering a complimentary second ticket to anyone who buys a first directly from the Angelika’s website, app or in the theater to see the film during its first week of release. It’s a nod to the fact that older arthouse demos have been the slowest to return to theaters, wary of Covid but also just having gotten out of the habit.
The Duke by the late Roger Michell stars Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. It premiered at Venice and Telluride last year. SPC is opening the film in NY and LA, expanding to additional cities thereafter.
“The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on theaters and the moviegoing experience,” said Tom Bernard, Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president.
- 4/13/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Seth Willenson, a producer and longtime marketing, finance and distribution executive, died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles after a long bout with heart disease, according to a representative for the family. He was 74.
Willeson first started his 52-year career in 1970 when he became the second hire at New Line Cinema. It was there where he pioneered a theatrical marketing concept of the 1970’s, the Midnight Movie – using the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film “Reefer Madness” – a practice that continued for more than a decade with movies such as “Pink Flamingos,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Willenson would return to New Line Cinema 20 years later after his first stint at the studio as president of Telecommunications & Planning. Willenson would subsequently serve as producer/executive producer on numerous indie films, most notably Allison Anders’ award-winning “Gas Food Lodging” and the Chuck Norris-starrer “Top Dog.”
Willenson would...
Willeson first started his 52-year career in 1970 when he became the second hire at New Line Cinema. It was there where he pioneered a theatrical marketing concept of the 1970’s, the Midnight Movie – using the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film “Reefer Madness” – a practice that continued for more than a decade with movies such as “Pink Flamingos,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Willenson would return to New Line Cinema 20 years later after his first stint at the studio as president of Telecommunications & Planning. Willenson would subsequently serve as producer/executive producer on numerous indie films, most notably Allison Anders’ award-winning “Gas Food Lodging” and the Chuck Norris-starrer “Top Dog.”
Willenson would...
- 3/24/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Longtime marketing and distribution executive and producer Seth Willenson, who pioneered the Midnight Movie marketing concept and mentored many industry leaders, died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a long bout with heart disease. He was 74.
Willenson began his 52-year career in 1970 as employee number two at New Line Cinema. It was there that he innovated the theatrical marketing concept of the Midnight Movie. He began with the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film Reefer Madness and continued for more than a decade with soon-to-be classics such as Pink Flamingos, Sympathy for the Devil and the blockbuster Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is still being enjoyed today in late night showings, making its release the longest-running in movie history.
Speaking of long runs, about 20 years after his first stint at New Line, Willenson returned as President of Telecommunications & Planning. He subsequently served as a producer and EP on numerous indie films,...
Willenson began his 52-year career in 1970 as employee number two at New Line Cinema. It was there that he innovated the theatrical marketing concept of the Midnight Movie. He began with the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film Reefer Madness and continued for more than a decade with soon-to-be classics such as Pink Flamingos, Sympathy for the Devil and the blockbuster Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is still being enjoyed today in late night showings, making its release the longest-running in movie history.
Speaking of long runs, about 20 years after his first stint at New Line, Willenson returned as President of Telecommunications & Planning. He subsequently served as a producer and EP on numerous indie films,...
- 3/24/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated: Netflix reigned supreme at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in the ceremony’s return to the Santa Monica Beach given the pandemic’s ease, with the streamer collecting three wins for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter including Best Feature.
The Endeavor Content produced movie is up for three Oscar noms, including Gyllenhaal for Best Adapted Screenplay, Olivia Colman for Best Actress, and Jessie Buckley for Best Supporting Actress, who was passed over at the Spirits today for Ruth Negga, star of Neflix’s Passing. Gyllenhaal took home both Best Screenplay and Director at the Spirits. Netflix also saw wins for Passing in Best Cinematography and Lee Jung-jae for Best Male Performance in a New Scripted series, that being for the mega-hit, Squid Game.
Shifting from its traditional immediate pre-Oscars perch, the Film Independent Spirit Awards returned today with a live and in-person ceremony near the Santa Monica pier.
The Endeavor Content produced movie is up for three Oscar noms, including Gyllenhaal for Best Adapted Screenplay, Olivia Colman for Best Actress, and Jessie Buckley for Best Supporting Actress, who was passed over at the Spirits today for Ruth Negga, star of Neflix’s Passing. Gyllenhaal took home both Best Screenplay and Director at the Spirits. Netflix also saw wins for Passing in Best Cinematography and Lee Jung-jae for Best Male Performance in a New Scripted series, that being for the mega-hit, Squid Game.
Shifting from its traditional immediate pre-Oscars perch, the Film Independent Spirit Awards returned today with a live and in-person ceremony near the Santa Monica pier.
- 3/7/2022
- by Dominic Patten, Anthony D'Alessandro and Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
For his first film since winning the Oscar for 2018’s “Green Book,” Peter Farrelly again ventured into new regions of the country. The 40-day shoot of “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” set between fall 1967 and spring 1968, was split between Thailand and northern New Jersey.
Thailand filled in for Vietnam; bars, churches and other locations in Newark, Paterson, Jersey City and North Bergen were convincing doubles for New York City of the era.
The entire film was to be shot in New Zealand until Covid-19 scuttled those plans. Farrelly heeded the advice of his friend, Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, who told him “if you’re going to shoot in New York, go to New Jersey. It’s cheaper and you got all the same stuff.”
On top of that, he was able to work in the home state of his producer Andrew Muscato, a documentarian making his narrative feature debut.
Thailand filled in for Vietnam; bars, churches and other locations in Newark, Paterson, Jersey City and North Bergen were convincing doubles for New York City of the era.
The entire film was to be shot in New Zealand until Covid-19 scuttled those plans. Farrelly heeded the advice of his friend, Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, who told him “if you’re going to shoot in New York, go to New Jersey. It’s cheaper and you got all the same stuff.”
On top of that, he was able to work in the home state of his producer Andrew Muscato, a documentarian making his narrative feature debut.
- 12/8/2021
- by Phil Gallo
- Variety Film + TV
“Wherever the film industry and culture are going, we need to be there.”
Cameron Bailey, the former Toronto International Film Festival artistic director and co-head who joined the organisation as a programmer in 1990, has been appointed TIFF CEO.
The move had been expected and follows the recent departure of former TIFF co-head and executive director Joana Vicente to head up Sundance Institute.
Bailey will focus on “building a Toronto International Film Festival for the future” as well as a “transformative TIFF experience all year round”, an offering that will take place in the organisation’s hub TIFF Bell Lightbox – which...
Cameron Bailey, the former Toronto International Film Festival artistic director and co-head who joined the organisation as a programmer in 1990, has been appointed TIFF CEO.
The move had been expected and follows the recent departure of former TIFF co-head and executive director Joana Vicente to head up Sundance Institute.
Bailey will focus on “building a Toronto International Film Festival for the future” as well as a “transformative TIFF experience all year round”, an offering that will take place in the organisation’s hub TIFF Bell Lightbox – which...
- 11/30/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Sony Pictures Classics releases Telluride-darling documentary Julia with a national TV push, culinary events and virtual screenings through November hosted by famous chefs from Alice Waters (San Francisco) and Johnny Spero (Boston) to Jamie Bissonnette (Houston) and luminaries from New York, LA, Philly and Miami.
Directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen talked up the film on one Today show segment, followed by another, where food stylist Susan Spungen made Child’s recipe for pear and almond tarts. Chef Marcus Samuelsson – who appears in the film — cooked Julia Child’s classic roasted chicken and glazed carrots on Rachel Ray. A Nightline interview with West and Cohen airs next week.
Marketing and outreach is key in the current tepid specialty market.
“Every city is new event. It’s a real grassroots campaign,” said Sony Pictures Classic co-president Tom Bernard. That includes ads in food sections of newspapers, on cooking podcasts and YouTube.
Directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen talked up the film on one Today show segment, followed by another, where food stylist Susan Spungen made Child’s recipe for pear and almond tarts. Chef Marcus Samuelsson – who appears in the film — cooked Julia Child’s classic roasted chicken and glazed carrots on Rachel Ray. A Nightline interview with West and Cohen airs next week.
Marketing and outreach is key in the current tepid specialty market.
“Every city is new event. It’s a real grassroots campaign,” said Sony Pictures Classic co-president Tom Bernard. That includes ads in food sections of newspapers, on cooking podcasts and YouTube.
- 11/12/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Editor’s note: British director Roger Michell died this week at the age of 65. Here, Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, who distributed several of Michell’s films — including the upcoming “The Duke” — remembers his colleague.
Life stopped for many of us this week when writer/director Roger Michell passed away suddenly at the age of 65. He was a gentle, warm, soft-spoken, eloquent, witty, beautiful human being, in addition to being a strong, uncompromising artist of range and brilliance.
Only three weeks ago, he was in Telluride with us accompanied by Helen Mirren and producer Nicky Bentham to present his latest wonderfully rich picture, “The Duke.” He was seen zipping up and down the streets of Telluride on his rented bicycle, his fifth time there (three of them with us), introducing his film, enjoying the company of locals whose friendships he had continued with each visit, at dinners trading legendary...
Life stopped for many of us this week when writer/director Roger Michell passed away suddenly at the age of 65. He was a gentle, warm, soft-spoken, eloquent, witty, beautiful human being, in addition to being a strong, uncompromising artist of range and brilliance.
Only three weeks ago, he was in Telluride with us accompanied by Helen Mirren and producer Nicky Bentham to present his latest wonderfully rich picture, “The Duke.” He was seen zipping up and down the streets of Telluride on his rented bicycle, his fifth time there (three of them with us), introducing his film, enjoying the company of locals whose friendships he had continued with each visit, at dinners trading legendary...
- 9/25/2021
- by Michael Barker
- Indiewire
Roger Michell, the director best known for films like “Notting Hill” and “Venus,” has died. He was 65.
Michell died on Wednesday, and his death was announced Thursday by his publicist to the UK Press Association (via The Guardian). No cause of death was given.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Roger Michell, director, writer and father of Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, announce his death at the age of 65 on September 22,” his publicist said.
Some of Michell’s other more recent films include “Blackbird,” “My Cousin Rachel” and “The Duke,” a drama starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren that premiered at the 2020 virtual Venice Film Festival and is due in U.S. theaters later this year. The British director also won two BAFTAs for his work in television.
Michell’s 1999 film “Notting Hill,” just his third feature, starred Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant and was a romantic...
Michell died on Wednesday, and his death was announced Thursday by his publicist to the UK Press Association (via The Guardian). No cause of death was given.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Roger Michell, director, writer and father of Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, announce his death at the age of 65 on September 22,” his publicist said.
Some of Michell’s other more recent films include “Blackbird,” “My Cousin Rachel” and “The Duke,” a drama starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren that premiered at the 2020 virtual Venice Film Festival and is due in U.S. theaters later this year. The British director also won two BAFTAs for his work in television.
Michell’s 1999 film “Notting Hill,” just his third feature, starred Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant and was a romantic...
- 9/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The Hollywood Reporter has released its first Toronto International Film Festival digital daily issue, which features a look at the fest’s buzziest sales titles, a conversation with Jessica Chastain on her new film and Jane Campion discusses the decade-long journey of The Power of the Dog, among others.
Toronto’s Buzziest Sales Titles
“Nowadays, no one has the same agenda,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard. That precept sums up the post-covid market landscape, which has forced streamers, day-and-daters and traditional theatrical distributors to carve out an increasingly specialized niche within their own subset. As a result, agents are finding fewer, but ...
Toronto’s Buzziest Sales Titles
“Nowadays, no one has the same agenda,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard. That precept sums up the post-covid market landscape, which has forced streamers, day-and-daters and traditional theatrical distributors to carve out an increasingly specialized niche within their own subset. As a result, agents are finding fewer, but ...
- 9/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Hollywood Reporter has released its first Toronto International Film Festival digital daily issue, which features a look at the fest’s buzziest sales titles, a conversation with Jessica Chastain on her new film and Jane Campion discusses the decade-long journey of The Power of the Dog, among others.
Toronto’s Buzziest Sales Titles
“Nowadays, no one has the same agenda,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard. That precept sums up the post-covid market landscape, which has forced streamers, day-and-daters and traditional theatrical distributors to carve out an increasingly specialized niche within their own subset. As a result, agents are finding fewer, but ...
Toronto’s Buzziest Sales Titles
“Nowadays, no one has the same agenda,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard. That precept sums up the post-covid market landscape, which has forced streamers, day-and-daters and traditional theatrical distributors to carve out an increasingly specialized niche within their own subset. As a result, agents are finding fewer, but ...
- 9/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
There’s never been as much uncertainty around film festivals’ impact on the awards season.
With Toronto, Telluride, Venice, New York and other key fests opening amid an overcrowded field of films postponed from 2020, the acclaim, buzz and distinction festivals bestow on award contenders is more important than ever — especially for spectacles such as “Dune,” which lose some impact on the small screen in hybrid streaming/theatrical releases. Yet the surging Delta variant now threatens to derail premieres, star appearances, in-person screenings and the press, the public’s and Oscar voters’ willingness to attend them.
On Aug. 27, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences postponed all screenings and in-person events for 2021. And on Aug. 30, despite the U.S. having around 60 times as many Covid-19 cases as Canada and a much lower vaccination rate over the previous four weeks, per Johns Hopkins University data, the U.
With Toronto, Telluride, Venice, New York and other key fests opening amid an overcrowded field of films postponed from 2020, the acclaim, buzz and distinction festivals bestow on award contenders is more important than ever — especially for spectacles such as “Dune,” which lose some impact on the small screen in hybrid streaming/theatrical releases. Yet the surging Delta variant now threatens to derail premieres, star appearances, in-person screenings and the press, the public’s and Oscar voters’ willingness to attend them.
On Aug. 27, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences postponed all screenings and in-person events for 2021. And on Aug. 30, despite the U.S. having around 60 times as many Covid-19 cases as Canada and a much lower vaccination rate over the previous four weeks, per Johns Hopkins University data, the U.
- 9/9/2021
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
I spent last week in New York having face-to-face business meetings with entertainment executives after not being able to make direct contact over the past 15 months. Last time I was in Manhattan was February 2020, right before Covid-19 began wreaking havoc on my favorite city away from home, and of course on the entire country.
There were residual signs of pandemic fallout: A number of restaurants long favored by industry folks had shuttered for good. But New Yorkers were nonetheless out in force, and it was heartening to hear those whom I and New York bureau chief Brent Lang met with talk about just how resilient their companies were during the height of the health crisis.
“At the start of the pandemic, we knew we needed to do everything possible to accelerate, rather than halt, production,” FilmNation founder Glen Basner told us.
“We collaborated with an amazing group of filmmakers to...
There were residual signs of pandemic fallout: A number of restaurants long favored by industry folks had shuttered for good. But New Yorkers were nonetheless out in force, and it was heartening to hear those whom I and New York bureau chief Brent Lang met with talk about just how resilient their companies were during the height of the health crisis.
“At the start of the pandemic, we knew we needed to do everything possible to accelerate, rather than halt, production,” FilmNation founder Glen Basner told us.
“We collaborated with an amazing group of filmmakers to...
- 7/28/2021
- by Claudia Eller
- Variety Film + TV
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