International Film & TV Unions React To WGA Strike

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London and the British Film Commission, will preside over the jury of the Malta Film Commission’s inaugural Mediterrane Film Festival celebrating movies from the Mediterranean Basin. The fest, which will take place in Valletta, Malta’s capital, and other locations on the island between June 25-30, will showcase films from each of the MED9 nations, an alliance of nine Mediterranean and Southern European Union member states. It comprises: Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Besides Wotton the other jury members are “Triangle Of Sadness”actor Zlatko Burić; Cypriot filmmaker Tonia Mishiali; French actor and director Vahina Giocante; Greek producer Amanda Livanou; Italian journalist Boris Sollazzo; Maltese critic Mario Azzopardi; Portuguese journalist and programmer José Vieira Mendes; Slovenian journalist Tina Poglajen; and Spanish programmer Carlos Reviriego.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent CAA Media Finance has come on board to handle sales in North America on Mohamed Kordofani’s “Goodbye Julia,” the first film from Sudan to launch from the Cannes Film Festival. CAA will be working in tandem with Egypt-based producer Ali El Arabi’s Ambient Light Films, which holds North American rights for the timely drama that premiered on May 21 in Un Certain Regard. “Goodbye Julia” takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. It revolves around two women, one from the north, the other from the south, that are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Yes, the Cannes Film Festival has only just started. But Hollywood is already quietly planning for the Venice Film Festival lineup, as the unofficial launch of awards season in late August is starting to shape up with several high-profile titles, Variety has learned. Among the films in contention to bow on the Lido: Luca Guadagnino’s sexy tennis comedy “Challengers,” starring Zendaya and Josh O’Connor, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ surrealist science-fiction romance “Poor Things,” with Emma Stone and Marc Ruffalo, among entries believed to be locked-in for a Venice launch. Zendaya was last in Venice in 2021 with “Dune,” but Denis Villeneuve’s sequel, which has an early November launch date, is not expected to follow suit to the fest.

EXCLUSIVE: Here at the Cannes Film Festival, Mubi has taken rights in North America, UK, Italy, Latin America, Turkey, India and Benelux to Un Certain Regard movie The Delinquents (Los Delincuentes).

A coalition of eight professional sports unions representing thousands of baseball, football, soccer and hockey players has issued a statement in support of the ongoing Writers Guild strike, which is now in its third week.

This year’s Honorary Palme d’or recipient Michael Douglas received a lengthy standing ovation as he cruised on stage in Buñuel theatre to chair a masterclass session where he broke down his career as an actor and producer.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor 101 Films Intl. has acquired international rights to psychological thriller “Angel Baby,” and will launch sales at Cannes. The film stars Isabel Cueva (“Aztec Warrior,” “The Lady Killers”), Daniel Roebuck (“The Fugitive,” “U.S Marshalls”) and Rebecca de Mornay (“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”). Quiver Distribution has taken North American sales rights. Actor Douglas Tait (“Hellboy,” “Teen Wolf”) makes his directorial debut, and also stars in the film. The screenplay is written by Elisa Manzini (“I’ll Be Waiting”) and Rebecca Stahl (“Everything in Between”). Dan Thiel, Whitney Anderson and Chris Browning round out the cast.

Matt Reeves’ Max series The Penguin has become latest high-profile TV production to be disrupted by WGA-organized picketers.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Adriana Chiesa, the pioneering Italian sales agent who has been a fixture at Cannes for 40 years, has sold her film library to Italy’s Minerva Pictures. The 85-title ACEK library comprises a broad mix of prominent works by revered directors such as Lina Wertmuller’s “Swept Away” (pictured) and “Summer Night With Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and a Scent of Basil” and cult movies including Lamberto Bava’s gonzo horror “Macabro,” revenge Western “Garringo” by Rafael Romero Merchant, and Asia Argento’s directorial debut, “Scarlet Diva,” on which Chiesa and Minerva chief Gianluca Curti jointly served as executive producers.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Directors Guild of America is continuing its negotiations with the AMPTP, as companies hope to get a deal that could play a role in ending the two-week-old writers strike. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America told members Monday that the guild is winning the “PR war” against the studios, as members share their stories in the media. “It seems the whole world is on our side,” wrote Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, a WGA East vice president, in an email to members titled “Our Momentum Grows.” “Members’ individual stories of our broken system — of getting by on ten weeks of work a year, of residual checks amounting to pennies — are resonating with the public. They understand we are losing out on the middle-class American Dream. We are not the elite. We are just like them. We are them.”

No decisions were reached at today’s emergency meeting of the Tony Awards Management Committee, a get-together in which contingency plans were discussed in light of last week’s news that the June 11 ceremony will not be televised on CBS due to the Writers Guild of America strike.

“The Little Mermaid”The Dolby Theatre, HollywoodUnder the sea and back to Hollywood in a whole new way! At the world premiere of Walt Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” a crowd of excited fans helped make the atmosphere electric, cheering on the stars and their friends who walked the blue carpet. Adorned with shimmering seashell decorations and with the sounds of Caribbean music filling the air, the joyful feeling immersed everyone in the world of the film.“The Little Mermaid” herself, Halle Bailey, wowed in a shimmery sea-blue gown that evoked Ariel, while Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Art Malik, Awkwafina and director Rob Marshall gathered for the celebration. TheWrap caught up with Melissa McCarthy (who plays the much-loved musical’s iconic octopus villain Ursula), to discuss the backlash that African-American star Bailey experienced when cast as Ariel, who is white in the animated classic.

Rep. Katie Porter joined writers on the picket line at the Culver Studios in Los Angeles on Friday in solidarity with the ongoing WGA strike.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Backup Systems, the Paris-based company behind the owner of the cloud-based app MovieChainer, has launched Connect, which is being presented as the first AI-powered app enabling smart data upload and data management for filmmakers. Rolled out on the eve of the Cannes Film Market, this new tool has been created to help filmmakers with non-creative tasks and has been designed to identify entertainment-related data, including all sorts of creative, financial and contractual data used in the film and TV industry. The app scans hard drives or dedicated folders in search for user’s raw material – scripts, videos, contracts, budgets, accounting reports etc, automatically archives files at the right place in user’s own cloud-based secured drive. Connect also identifies relevant data contained in the files and extract them to feed user’s database – enabling data-centric approaches and models to generate intelligence for the user. Backup Systems will be at Cannes to present the app.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking to UK indie veteran Vertigo Films, producer of hit TV shows Britannia, Bulletproof and James Corden and Sally Hawkins starrer Mammals and feature films Monsters, Bronson and Streetdance 3D. Last year, Federation Entertainment acquired a majority stake in the company and we talk about that deal, Vertigo’s pivot from UK indie film to television and why they’re turning their heads back to the indie film space again. 

Sophia Scorziello editor Eva Longoria’s fictional feature directorial debut “Flamin’ Hot” staring Jesse Garcia will open the 2023 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, announced Wednesday as part of the full festival lineup. This year, the festival will feature over 80 films, 19 world premieres and 100 student films. LALIFF will take place May 31-June 4 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Longoria’s film is based on the true story of Richard Montañez (Garcia), the Frito Lay janitor who used his Mexican American heritage to turn one snack into a global sensation. Closing the festival is the Los Angeles premiere of Julio Torres’s A24 feature film “Problemista” starring Torres and Tilda Swinton, which tells the story of an aspiring Salvadorian toy maker in New York City and the race against his work visa as he tries to realize his dreams.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance at an MTV-sponsored town hall has been postponed amid the the Writers Guild of America strike.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian actor Caterina Murino, best known globally for playing Solange in James Bond movie “Casino Royale,” will be the master of ceremonies at the upcoming Venice Film Festival. Born in Cagliari, Sardegna, Murino made her big screen debut in 2002 in late Chilean writer/director Luis Sepulveda’s political drama “Nowhere” which played well in France. She returned to French film screens in 2004 in “L’Enquete Corse” opposite actors Christian Clavier and Jean Reno. In 2006 Murino gained global visibility as the new 007 Bond Girl alongside Daniel Craig with her role as the shady seductive Solange Dimitrios in “Casino Royale.” 

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor DR Sales has sold Canadian distribution rights for Norwegian director Tonje Hessen Schei’s “Praying for Armageddon” to LevelFilm. The deal was revealed follows the film’s North American premiere at Hot Docs Film Festival. The film made its world premiere in CPH:DOX. The film explores the power and influence of powerful U.S. fundamentalist evangelicals as they aim to fulfil the biblical prophecy of Armageddon. With close quarters journalism, the feature documentary embeds with American believers who prepare for the Holy War and exposes how powerful megachurch pastors call for the “final battle” that they believe will trigger the Second Coming of Christ. A deep dive into power and policy, the film unveils how politicians driven by faith embrace Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days. At any cost.

Amber Dowling Location scouting and filming on service productions were already cooling down in Canada over the past few weeks in anticipation of the WGA strike on May 1. And while those projects with completed scripts are trudging forward, one “substantial” unnamed series being shot in Toronto has already shut down, according to the city. It’s just the start of what could be a big financial loss for the Ontario industry, where Ontario Creates reveals 419 productions in 2022 — including TV series like “The Boys” and films like “Women Talking” — contributed a record-breaking $3.15 billion to the economy. In B.C., where many service productions have wrapped for the season and writers’ rooms would typically begin assembling over the next few weeks, people are preparing for unforeseen delays. A prolonged strike will inevitably not only affect those who have been steadily employed for years, but also the provincial economy, which drew $3.6 billion from the film industry last year, according to Creative B.C.