Motion Picture: ‘The Watchers’ Permitted To Shoot During SAG-AFTRA Strike, AMC Theatres Drops Variable Seat Pricing After Controversy
Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror: Directors and Michael Philippou recently attended a panel at San Diego Comic-Con to promote their debut horror film, Talk to Me. Distributed by A24, the film stars Ivorian-Australian actress Sophie Wilde as its lead, but she and the rest of the cast could not attend the panel due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA Strike. The film, releasing in theaters on July 28th, has received rave reviews from critics. The directing duo, who got their start on YouTube, spoke at the panel about how coming from an untraditional creative background has shaped the way the industry views them, noting:
“There's a stigma that comes with being a youtuber, people tend to label you. They think you won't know how to work by other means. But I think if you're a storyteller, you just are. TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, it doesn't matter. If you want to make films and you mean it seriously, you can do it.”
Following the cease of production on many projects due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the union has allowed a number of films to continue to shoot during the strike, including upcoming films like Ishana Night Shyamalan’s The Watchers, Raimi-produced Don’t Move, and A24’s Mother Mary and Death of Unicorn. The waivers were approved because these productions had no connection to the AMPTP. For example, The Watchers has yet to sign on with a studio, and A24 has agreed to all conditions set forth by the union. The supernatural thriller marks Shyamalan’s directorial debut, starring Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam) and Georgina Campbell (Barbarian).
Comedy/Dramedy: Latino-led coming-of-age comedy Miguel Wants to Fight will release on Hulu on August 16th. Starring Tyler Dean Flores (Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Miguel, the film follows a high school junior who tries to engage in his first fight, feeling he is missing out on an important aspect of life. Stills recently released by Hulu show Flores in a Kill Bill-esque costume engaged in combat. Directed by Oz Rodriguez (Creating Saturday Night Live), the film also stars Christian Vunipola (SOCIAL), Imani Lewis (Eighth Grade), and Suraj Partha (Sid is Dead).
Drama: Upcoming drama Gran Turismo tells the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage video game expert who used his experience in the Gran Turismo games to train to become a real professional race car driver. The film stars David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, and Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough in the biographical drama, set to release in theaters on August 9th. Directed by Neill Blomkamp, the sports drama focuses on the transition between virtual driving and actual driving, with Jack Salter (played by Harbour) training Mardenborough on the difference between the two mediums.
Documentary: Freestyle Media Digital recently acquired the rights for documentary film Big Crow, which Kris Kaczor directed. The film explores the activism and legacy of Lakota basketball player SuAnne Big Crow, who lived in South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As part of the acquisition, Freestyle will release the documentary on VOD platforms in North America come August 1st.
Breakwater Studios, a documentary short film studio, recently promoted Ghanaian-Canadian filmmaker Nana Adwoa Frimpong to Executive Media and Communications Director and Chief of Staff. The studio received an Oscar a few years ago for its documentary short The Queen of Basketball, which told the story of black basketball player Lusia Harris, the only woman allowed to be drafted into the NBA. Frimprong recently shared her enthusiasm for her promotion in the studio, stating:
“I have always believed that films are a vessel for truth-telling. I became a filmmaker because I wanted to see the people and places I knew reflected back to me onscreen. In film school, short documentaries were my direct way into honoring that intention. The films we make at Breakwater Studios are no different.”
The Documentary Workers Union recently came to an agreement on a contract with the International Documentary Association, securing rights for documentary workers worldwide. The agreement comes with several assurances for employees, including a guaranteed 20-30% pay increase with a $30/hr minimum. This win for the union comes at an incredibly volatile time in the industry, with both writers and actors on strike through WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Commenting on this, the DWU supported the strikes of their fellow workers:
“With the simultaneous SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, now is a time of industry-wide collective action. Along with our actor and writer union siblings, we must stand beside film workers at all levels – projectionists, cinema workers, programmers, festival workers, and film administrators, alike. Now is the time for documentary filmmakers, funders, and supporters to show up for documentary film workers at all levels of the field, as we are vital to the success and sustainability of this industry.”
A documentary focusing on Richard Williams, father of African American tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, has recently been sold to major markets across the world. The film, On the Line: The Richard Williams Story, features exclusive interviews from Richard Williams, who was recently portrayed by Will Smith in 2022’s King Richard. The film has been sold for release to Paramount+ (Australia), Sky (United Kingdom and Italy), and Canal+ (France).
AMC theateres
Industry Update: AMC’s plans to roll out variable seat pricing were cut short recently as the theater company announced it would no longer proceed with them. The program, called Sightline, would lower the prices of seats in rows closer to the screen while raising prices on more coveted seats toward the back of the theater. As the news was released to the public, many criticized the program, insisting it was just another way for movie theaters to try to raise prices. The cancellation came as the theater company attempted the program within three of its own theaters and noticed that cheaper seats closer to the screen had little effect on ticket sales.
FilmLA has reported a 28.8 percent drop in on-location shoots in Los Angeles from April to June. This decrease can be attributed to the effects of the WGA strike, as studios must halt production on projects with an unfinished script, leaving many projects at a standstill. And with the SAG-AFTRA strike beginning this July, on-location shoots will decrease drastically, as actors are not allowed to perform on projects unless given permission by the union.
The Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (FAAAF) has announced a new board of executives which will help the organization continue to support African Americans in cinema. The organization already runs multiple film events celebrating black entertainment, including the Black Reel Awards and the LightReel Film Festival. The board, founded by Tim Gordon, will now include filmmakers and specialists like Stephanie Frederic, Brenda Gilbert, Lance Kramer, and Dr. Frank Shih.
New Regency Productions recently obtained a $175 million term loan from the Carlyle Group, a private equity group heavily involved in the entertainment industry. Known for releases such as The Revenant and Bohemian Rhapsody, the loan will serve to enhance the production ability of the indie studio, refinancing a Carlyle facility for their own use. Ran by CEO Yariv Milchan, the company is looking to improve its standards of production with the assets that will be available through this loan.
After leaving William Morris Endeavors (WME) in 2019, black actor John Boyega has returned to talent agencies by signing on with United Talent Agency (UTA). Following his Critics’ Choice Award win in 2021 for Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, Boyega has made a name for himself beyond his initial rise to stardom through the new Star Wars trilogy. UTA has also signed on Boyega’s production company, UpperRoom Productions, as part of the deal. Boyega plans to release children’s animation as well as African-related content in the future through UpperRoom. Boyega is also represented by talent agency Identity Agency Group, founded by Femi Oguns.
On that topic, the Identity Agency Group recently promoted two of its employees, Ikki El-Amriti and Jonathan Hall, to the position of partner. Devoted to representing diverse clients, the organization reps numerous people of color, including Letitia Wright, Simone Ashley, and Damson Idris. After receiving the position as partner, El-Amriti released a statement regarding her excitement to continue to promote diversity through the agency:
“For the past 13 years, I’ve seen this company flourish in an often challenging landscape, helping to establish our clients across film, TV, and theatre at the highest level both in the U.K. and the U.S. What makes us special is the strong, diverse collective we’ve built here at the company and the unique perspective we have which has allowed us to break through glass ceilings.”
The Norman Jewison Film Program recently announced its residents, which included many people of color in its 2023 cohort. The program consists of a number of workshops, industry sessions, and collaborations for young filmmakers. Among these filmmakers include South Asian filmmaker Ian Bawa, Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker Raghed Charabaty, Chinese Mongol filmmaker Yuqi Kang, mixed-race Palestinian filmmaker Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller, Canadian-Nigerian writer Isoken Ogiemwonyi, Chinese-Canadian producer Kevin Dong, black film producer Malachi Ellis, Vietnamese screenwriter Minh-Anh Vo Dinh, and Colombian-Canadian screenwriter Margarita Valderrama.
In collaboration with Outfest, Concord recently allowed multiple LGBTQIA+ filmmakers of color to utilize music from their IP holdings to create short films. After holding a pitch competition, Concord funded and produced three filmmakers’ visions for short films paired with songs from their library. The pitches selected included Skate (directed by Zoe Hodge), Avivar (directed by Miles Lopez), and Artificial (directed by Chanelle Tyson). The filmmakers’ work was then shown at Outfest, set to songs including “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical Carousel and “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” by Sylvester.
