DGA National Board Unanimously Approves Tentative Contract Agreement with AMPTP

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.

Members of the Directors Guild of America have overwhelmingly ratified a new film and television contract. The vote was 87% in favor to 13% opposed, with 6,728 members voting out of 16,321 eligible (41%).

There was widespread support for the writers at today’s WGA Strong March and Rally for a Fair Contract including from directors.

EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Renzi, director of Netflix docuseries Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?, is reuniting with Boardwalk Pictures.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Leos Carax, whose latest film “Annette” won best director at Cannes in 2021, will shed light on his enigmatic and singular body of work in his next project “It’s Not Me.” The self-portrait film reunites Carax with French actor Denis Lavant whom he directed in five of his most famous films, including “Boy Meets Girl,” “Bad Blood,” “Lovers on the Bridge,” and Berlinale prizewinning “Holy Motors.” Les Films du Losange, the Paris-based company which won this year’s Berlinale Golden Bear with Nicolas Philibert’s On The Adamant, will distribute “It’s Not Me” in France, as well as represent the film in international markets. “It’s Not Me” also reteams Carax with Charles Gillibert at CG Cinema, who produced “Annette.” After world premiering at Cannes, the ambitious English language musical drama went on to win many laurels, including best director at the Cesar Awards. It also earned a Cesar nomination for Driver, and a Golden Globe nomination for Cotillard.

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, plans to plead guilty to tax and gun charges following a Justice Department investigation.

Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have reportedly revolved their differences with K-pop agency SM Entertainment over their contracts.Today (June 19), South Korean news outlets Star News and Kpop Herald reported that SM Entertainment and EXO’s Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have worked out issues over the K-pop idols’ contracts.Earlier this month, the trio had filed to terminate their contracts with the agency over alleged “mistreatment and unfair contract terms”. At the time, SM Entertainment had refuted claims made by the three EXO members, while alleging that “outside forces” have been cajoling its artists to violate the terms of their contracts.According to a statement by SM Entertainment, per Star News, the two sides have managed to reach a mutually amicable agreement over the “misunderstanding” following careful discussions.“The company and the three artists [have] promised to solidify their relationship in the future by going through a process of mutually equal discussions and corrections,” SM Entertainment said, as translated by Koreaboo.The K-pop agency also said that there was no “outside forces” involved in the contract dispute between the company and its artists, and apologised for “causing concern with our [previous ] announcement”.Meanwhile, EXO are set to make their long-awaited return in July with their new album ‘Exist’.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA’s master contract with Hollywood’s largest employers is due to expire in two weeks, and negotiators who have been in bargaining talks since June 7 have a lot of proposals to work through before that deadline. The time crunch has raised the possibility that the union’s talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers could go past the June 30 deadline, according to multiple sources who asked not to be identified. The SAG-AFTRA board has the power to call a strike starting on July 1 if no agreement is reached. That would immediately shut down all film and TV production that has not already been halted by the writers strike.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Peacock and AEG have entered into a mutliyear agreement that will see major parts of LA Live in downtown Los Angeles renamed after the NBCUniversal streaming service. Starting July 11, the Microsoft Theater will be known as the Peacock Theater, while the Xbox Plaza outside will be renamed Peacock Place. The deal, which was brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, also makes Peacock the exclusive streaming partner of LA Live. “Like Peacock, L.A. Live is at the epicenter of premium original entertainment, exhilarating sports, one-of-a-kind experiences and extreme fandom,” said Kelly Campbell, president of Peacock and direct-to-consumer for NBCUniversal. “Through Peacock Theater and Peacock Place, we’ll have the opportunity to bring all the elements of our brand to life with the millions of fans who visit L.A. Live each year, while partnering with the incredible team at AEG to further cement Peacock as the ultimate destination for audiences.”

Voting is now underway for the ratification of the new DGA film and TV contract. Members were sent ballots tonight along with the memorandum of agreement, as well as an executive summary of the new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The tentative agreement was approved last night by the DGA national board, which unanimously recommended that members ratify it.  Voting must be completed by June 23.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Charades (“Mirai,” “I Lost My Body”) has acquired “Flow,” a 3D animated feature directed by Gints Zilbalodis, the Annie-nominated filmmaker of “Away”. Produced by Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well Studio and Take Five, “Flow” will be presented in the Work-in-Progress section in Annecy. Zilbalodis penned the feature with Matiss Kaza at Dream Well Studio and Ron Dyens (“Barking Island”) at Sacrebleu Productions who are acting as co-writers and producers. “Flow” is currently in production in Marseille, Paris and Bruxelles, with an expected delivery date during the second quarter of 2024.

said in a statement. “Our industry is rapidly changing and expanding, and this agreement is what we need to adapt to those changes, break new ground and protect the DGA’s 19,000 directors and directorial team members today, and in the years to come.

The Directors Guild’s national board voted unanimously tonight to approve a tentative agreement for a new film and TV contract. The deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which was reached late Saturday night, goes this week to the guild’s membership for ratification with the board’s recommendation to vote “yes.”

The Directors Guild and the studios have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract.

The Directors Guild of America has voted on a tentative deal that would avoid taking strike action.

SAG-AFTRA, which begins negotiations for a new contract on Wednesday, said today that its bargaining strategy remains unchanged in the wake of the tentative deal made last night by the Directors Guild and the studios.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced Saturday night that it had reached a tentative three-year labor deal with the Hollywood studios and streamers after a bruising skirmish. The DGA negotiating committee will put the deal to its board on Tuesday. A separate strike by Writers Guild of America members over the terms of their relationship with studios and streamers remains ongoing. “We have concluded a truly historic deal,” said Jon Avnet, chair of the DGA’s negotiations committee. “It provides significant improvements for every director, assistant director, unit production manager, associate director and stage manager in our guild. In these negotiations we made advances on wages, streaming residuals, safety, creative rights and diversity, as well as securing essential protections for our members on new key issues like artificial intelligence – ensuring DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances.

SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if upcoming contract talks fail to produce a satisfactory agreement by June 30. The vote revealed Monday was 97.91% in favor, with nearly half of eligible members — 47.69% — casting ballots. According to the union, nearly 65% of eligible members voted.

Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen of K-pop boyband EXO have stated their intentions to continue being members of the group despite their ongoing dispute with SM Entertainment over their contracts.Yesterday (June 1), Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen notified SM Entertainment that they would be terminating their contracts with the agency through their lawyer Lee Jae-hak. In their statement, the trio cited “mistreatment and unfair contract terms”.In a new statement today (June 2), released through the trio’s legal representation, Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen said that they are seeking to continue their activities as members of EXO despite their ongoing dispute with SM Entertainment.“Separate from settling legal issues with SM, we wholeheartedly thank the fans who have sent love and support to EXO over such a long time,” the statement reads, per Korea JoongAng Daily.

The Writers Guild strike goes on, but there’s peace on one labor front in the entertainment industry.