Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival Director Steps Down Before Event’s Debut Edition

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: Hans Fraikin was the founding commissioner of the Quebec Film and TV Council, where during his tenure the region saw $1.5BN in inward investment, staging shoots for titles including 300 and X-Men: Apocalypse, as well as becoming a world leader in animation.Now, he has set up shop in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, the Middle East city which is attempting to establish itself as a global hub for film and TV shoots.

2 min read A blogger, born in Yemen but now an undocumented immigrant in Saudi Arabia, has been convicted and sentenced to 10 months in prison after he tweeted that there should be equal rights for everyone – including the LGBTQ community.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Hong Kong International Film Festival has taken the unusual decision of revealing the pictures it selected for its now canceled 44th edition. It also plans to award prizes in its competition sections, though there will be neither in-person or online screenings for the public.The festival had previously rescheduled its 44th edition from its usual slot in March, due to the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

With the announcement of this year’s lineup, the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival has promised both major changes to itself along with its position as the first major festival to make a physical return following the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also Read: Fall Film Festivals Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York Team Up With 'United Platform'Based on journalist Jessica Bruder’s 2017 nonfiction book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century,” the film follows Fern (McDormand), a woman who, after the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

The 2020 Montclair Film Festival, which was postponed from its original dates of May 1-10 as the scope of the coronavirus pandemic was quickly becoming apparent in early March, is forging ahead with a rescheduled edition of this year's event, to take place in October, featuring a mix of drive-in and virtual screenings as well as special events and conversations. The 9th annual New Jersey event will take place from Oct.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterThe online fest will bring the energy and magic of the live fest as it spotlights the best of independent Black cinema, studio premieres, conversations and panels, along with virtual networking events.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorEXCLUSIVE: Nicola Bamford, the CEO of Endemol Shine’s international operations, has become the latest executive to step down after Banijay completed its $2.2BN takeover of the MasterChef production group earlier this month.Bamford has worked at Endemol Shine for the past three years, but joins the likes of CEO Sophie Turner Laing and Wim Ponnet, the chief strategy and commercial officer, in heading for the exit door since the Banijay merger was made

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorThe Bentonville Film Festival set the lineup for its sixth edition Tuesday, with the festival co-founded by Geena Davis unveiling its spotlight and competition program of indie feature films, shorts and episodic titles.The fest is set to run August 10-16 in the Arkansas city and is being engineered as a hybrid event because of coronavirus concerns, with digital screenings, panels and events to run alongside some on-the-ground premieres and

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterIDW Publishing has named Jerry Bennington as President, replacing Chris Ryall who recently exited the company to pursue new busness ventures.

HBO's Spike Lee–directed filmed version of David Byrne’s American Utopia Broadway stage play is set to open the virtual Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 10, fest organizers said on Tuesday (July 22). David Byrne's American Utopia features the Talking Heads frontman and 11 musical artists from around the world performing songs from the 2018 album American Utopia, as well as songs from Byrne's Talking Heads and solo catalog.

Burger Records co-founder and president Lee Rickard has stepped down and divested from the garage rock imprint, which announced "major structural changes" after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the Fullerton, California, label's artists and employees emerged on social media over the weekend.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe Toronto Film Festival is to open with Spike Lee’s filmed version of David Byrne’s hit Broadway show, American Utopia.TIFF will this year be a mix of physical and online screenings with a much-reduced industry presence due to coronavirus.American Utopia hit Broadway in the fall of 2019 and was a hot-ticket through February of 2020. Lee shot the production during its Hudson Theatre run and the concert film will debut on HBO this fall.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“American Utopia,” a filmed-version of David Byrne’s hit Broadway show, will be the opening night presentation of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival. This edition of the annual Canadian gathering for film lovers is unlike any of the previous 44 iterations.

Jessica Shalvoy Southern California independent label Burger Records has announced a series of structural changes after a number of young women came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct and predatory behavior amongst artists and employees associated with the label, its events and its Fullerton offices.As first-hand accounts continued to grow on social media — many gathered under @lured_by_burger_records on Instagram — the label released a long statement apologizing for “the role Burger

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFollowing Banijay’s takeover of Endemol Shine Group, Nicolas Coppermann, president of Endemol Shine France, will be stepping down at the end of July, with François de Brugada taking the helm of Banijay France.As CEO of Banijay France, de Brugada will spearhead the combined unscripted and scripted footprint and lead the company’s talent base.Post takeover, Banijay France will comprise 10 production outfits, including Adventure Line Productions, Endemol

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticCall me crazy, stubborn or reckless, but until today’s announcement that the Telluride Film Festival has been canceled, I’d optimistically kept my reservation, holding out hope that the high-altitude fall fest — which has launched such best picture Oscar winners as “The King’s Speech,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Moonlight” — might happen after all.Passes went on sale in late February for the high-altitude sprocket opera, and within hours, they’d sold out.