DGA Members Ratify New Film & TV Contract; 87% Vote In Favor

Holly Willoughby has been showered with support from celebrity pals and fans after sharing news of a heartbreaking family death. The This Morning host took to Instagram on Saturday (July 8) to share the sad news that her mother-in-law had died.

Eiza González and Aaron Paul are excited for the release of their new film. “Ash” is their first collaboration and is a project that both actors are excited about, blending horror and sci-fi in a story that seems intense and character driven. Eiza González embodies summer goals in new bikini picWhat is Eiza González doing in New Zealand?Eiza González talks about the pressures of growing up as a Mexican teen idolA post shared by Eiza Gonzalez (@eizagonzalez)The film finds González as a woman who wakes up in her space-station completely alone, with her crew dead.

Tom Cruise took on a dangerous new sport for "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One." Cruise, 60, performs his own stunts and the actor chose speedflying for his latest film. Speedflying is similar to paragliding but uses a much smaller canopy and is "completely unpredictable," according to director Christopher McQuarrie. "To shoot these stunts for ‘Mission: Impossible,’ with Tom there are no limits, so we become a little bit more adventurous every time," McQuarrie noted.

Members of Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a pair of contracts with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, thus averting a threatened strike. Earlier this month, Lindsay Dougherty, the local’s principal officer, threatened to take “a commercial break” if the AICP didn’t offer a fair contract. “If we are provoked,” she said, “we will strike.”

Will Tizard Contributor Spa town Karlovy Vary is known for more than healing waters to emerging filmmakers and producers from Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Those on track to reach global audiences are well acquainted with the festival’s industry section, headlined by the Eastern Promises collection of development and marketing workshops and mentorship programs. Aside from packed panels and talks by international veterans, such as the masterclass by indie mogul Christine Vachon of Killer Films, one of the industry program’s most buzzworthy events is the regionally focused Midpoint Institute Feature Launch. This year-round training platform took off more than a decade ago to support emerging talents by helping them to integrate their projects into the marketplace. It provides them with international collaboration and networking opportunities which, as Sona Morgenthalova, Feature Launch program coordinator for Midpoint, says, have proven highly effective.

Over the past week, you’ve likely heard the outcry from filmmakers and film fans about the uncertain fate of TCM under the Warner Bros. Discovery regime.

To say that people are curious about Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film, “Megalopolis,” is a gross understatement. Not only is a new film by Coppola something worth watching just because he’s one of the best American filmmakers in history, but “Megalopolis” is his passion project, decades in the making.

Amber Heard is moving on career-wise after that Johnny Depp defamation trial.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor The 69th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily saw the world premiere Saturday of the paranormal psychological thriller “In the Fire,” which marks the return to the big screen of Amber Heard following two highly publicized trials involving her former husband Johnny Depp. On the turquoise carpet (the color was chosen to match the Mediterranean, which serves as a stupendous backdrop), Heard greeted a crowd of fans — accompanied by paparazzi and tourists — who shouted words of encouragement at the “Aquaman” star. The producers and festival organizers had worried about possible demonstrations by Depp supporters. Producer Pascal Borno told Variety he had to persuade the Italian police to provide extra security after receiving online threats. “They took it seriously and afterwards I promised them selfies with Amber,” he said.

The production of It Ends With Us starring Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively has been paused due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. The 35-year-old actress had begun filming the romance film It Ends With Us, based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, prior to the hiatus.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Members of the Directors Guild of America have voted to ratify their new contract, bringing the industry one step closer to achieving labor peace. The DGA announced Friday that 87% of the membership had voted in favor of the agreement, with 41% turnout. The guild said the turnout was the highest ever for a ratification vote, with 6,728 members voting out of 16,321 eligible. The contract includes a 76% increase in foreign streaming residuals, which was the guild’s top priority heading into the talks. It also includes a “second cut” for TV directors and a pilot program for set safety. It also moves overtime penalties one hour earlier for assistant directors.

Directors Guild of America announced on Friday evening that its members have voted to approve its bargaining agreement with Hollywood studios.Out of 6,728 votes received, 5,853 votes were in favor of ratification for a vote share of 87%. In a sign that more Hollywood creatives are getting involved with their unions, 41% of the 16,321 eligible DGA members voted, the highest turnout percentage ever for a DGA contract ratification vote and with an overall vote count higher than the 4,155 votes received by the Writers Guild during its 2020 ratification vote.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Members of the Directors Guild of America have until Friday to vote on their new contract, and those contacted this week by Variety were overwhelmingly voting yes. In interviews, members noted the contract includes significant gains in residuals, creative rights, safety provisions and working hours. But several also indicated that they have no interest in compounding Hollywood’s labor strife. Most directors and below-the-line DGA members have been out of work since the Writers Guild of America strike began on May 2. “I’ve been around long enough that is a pretty good deal, and I’d like to get back to work,” said Matt Rebenkoff, who has worked as a first assistant director on “Don’t Look Up,” and “Jumanji: The Next Level.”

Todd Gilchrist editor “For Khadija” is billed as a documentary about French Montana, but there’s a reason that it’s named not after the hip-hop alter ego of Moroccan expatriate Karim Kharbouch, but his mother. “I felt like my mother’s story, the beginning to the end, the closure of her going back to Morocco, is when I was like, okay, now the story has a meaning,” French tells Variety. “This goes out to all the mothers that struggle, that have kids, that was forced to sacrifice.” Given the other films made about rappers and their families — including “Dear Mama,” about Afeni and Tupac Shakur and “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell,” which heavily features Notorious B.I.G.’s mother Violetta Wallace — it’s not necessarily an unexpected place to start. But the documentary, which premieres June 16 at the Tribeca film Festival, uses the relationship between Karim and Khadija to highlight the unpredictable path that led a scrappy Moroccan child to become a worldwide rap star, while charting the financial struggles and familial strife that threatened to derail his meteoric rise.

The Lifetime channel has extended its partnership with child safety activist Elizabeth Smart with the green light to produce a new film entitled “Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story.”This new film comes after Lifetime’s success with “The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story,” a thriller movie based on the true crime story of Kara Robinson, who was abducted by serial killer Richard Evonitz. “Abducted by My Teacher” will tell the story of Elizabeth Thomas, who was groomed and kidnapped at the age of 15 by her high school teacher. The movie is set to star Michael Fishman (“Roseanne”) and Summer Howell (“Harland Manor”), and it will premiere on Saturday, Aug.

Eva Longoria is thrilled to present her new film ‘Flamin’ Hot’ at the White House on Thursday. After making her directorial debut, the 48-year-old star will be honored with a special screening for Latino leaders and community members, hosted by Joe and Jill Biden.The actress is sharing her excitement to attend, as she will also be joined by cast members.

There are a ton of changes happening to the theatrical release calendar.

Each other’s biggest fans. Ben Stiller supported his wife, Christine Taylor, alongside their daughter, Ella, 21, at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.

Marta Balaga Oscar winner Andrew Ruhemann has returned to the director’s chair for “The Day I Became a Bird.” His first short in 13 years, based on a book by Chabbert Ingrid, will see a boy who falls in love – with a girl that only has eyes for birds. Desperate to get her attention, he comes up with a rather unusual plan. “I was at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and that’s where I found this book. I thought it was a very intriguing image: Why is there this kid in a bird costume? It moved me,” he says. Ruhemann’s previous short, “The Lost Thing,” brought him an Academy Award in 2011, shared with Shaun Tan.  

Ron Dyens, the founding CEO of Paris-based company Sacrebleu Productions, has built a reputation as one of Europe’s most original and prolific producers of independent animated features over the course of nearly 25 years.