U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s hopes of entertainment venues benefiting from rapid testing when the country begins to reopen after coronavirus lockdown is not practical, at least for cinemas, says U.K. Cinema Association chief executive Phil Clapp. On Monday, during a coronavirus briefing, Johnson had suggested the rapid lateral flow tests, … [Read more...]
European Trade Orgs Urge Government Action To Survive $7.5 Billion 2020 Box Office Drop
The Brussels-based International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which represents European cinema’s main trade associations, is launching an appeal for more government support to face an estimated 70.6% drop in total 2020 box office grosses across Europe, which it says accounts for a loss of €6.2 billion ($7.5 billion) in theatrical revenues compared to … [Read more...]
Indigenous Filmmakers Gaining Greater Visibility by ‘Telling Our Own Stories’
Revelations that Canadian director Michelle Latimer’s self-proclaimed Indigenous roots may be nonexistent — an inconvenient truth that led to her film “Inconvenient Indian” being pulled from Sundance — have become a rallying cry for the global Indigenous film collective that the festival and its institute have been fostering for … [Read more...]
Sundance Documentary ‘Writing With Fire’ Smashes Indian Patriarchy, Exposes Caste System
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s debut feature “Writing With Fire,” the only Indian film in the Sundance world cinema documentary competition, shines a light on a unique, women-only news collective in small-town northern India. The documentary follows the women behind news organization Khabar Lahariya as they make the transition from print to … [Read more...]
Europe Leads the Way to International Film Oscar Shortlist Hopes
For the past two years, the Oscar race for international feature hasn’t been a race at all. With Mexico’s “Roma” and South Korea’s “Parasite” heavyweight contenders for best picture, the lower-profile award became a done deal. Disappointingly, early buzz doesn’t point to any equivalent crossover between the two categories this year. The flip side … [Read more...]
Australia Box Office Plunges 69% in 2020, Data Shows
Box office in Australia fell by 69% in 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak forced cinema closures, capacity restrictions, the postponement of film releases and public health concerns about attending theatres. Data published on Thursday by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia showed nationwide annual revenues slumped from A$1.23 … [Read more...]
