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Ukraine’s Best Filmmakers Are Recording The War

The country's leading filmmakers, including Oleh Sentsov, Valentyn Vasyanovych, Serhiy Myhalchuk and Olga Beshmelnitsyna, are in the trenches, often literally, documenting Russian atrocities and the impact of the Ukraine war on its citizens. - The Hollywood Reporter

How The Standup Comedy TV Special Became A Genre Of Its Own

"The first decade or so of the 2000s wasn't exactly a time of artistic evolution for the special, but the rapid increase in special-making created an audience aware of the form's traditional tricks, tropes, and trappings — primed to get the joke when comedians started having fun with the form." - Vulture

There Was More To Frank Langella’s Firing Than Just Ignoring The Intimacy Coordinator’s Blocking

"One word consistently used by virtually everyone when describing Langella's behavior" on set for Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher "was 'toxic' as they recalled (wildly) inappropriate comments and behavior. ... People who worked with Langella on the Netflix series provided more detail about some of the incidents." - Deadline

In The Age Of TikTok, TikTok At Cannes Hits Some Speed Bumps

Filmmakers from 44 countries submitted films to the competition, all between 30 seconds and three minutes in length. The top prize was shared between two directors... - The New York Times

Russian Filmmakers Are Quietly Trying To Line Up Deals At Cannes

"Despite the festival’s public posturing ... Russian buyers are meeting with top sales agents at the Marché du Film. Their numbers are substantially down, but there’s no question that Putin’s Russia is open for business on the French Riviera." - Variety

What Does It Take To Get Older Audiences Back To The Movies?

Why, just a little Downton Abbey magic, of course. - Los Angeles Times

Iran Tightens The Screws On Its Filmmakers

During a crackdown over general protests about food prices, the government has arrested or threatened many documentary filmmakers. The government take credit for filmmakers' success abroad - but wants to control them at home. - The New York Times

The UK Production Book Is Actually Harming Indie Filmmakers

The boom is for high-end streamers, really, and "has created a scarcity of resources, from crew and soundstages to generators and actors (one agent even told Variety productions were struggling to find Winnebagos to accommodate their clients on set)." - Variety

An Actor From JAWS Is About To Become Police Chief

And not just of any town, but of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, where the movie was filmed. "Decades ago, a young Searle played one of the pranksters with a cardboard fin." - NPR

Viewers Are Watching Ad-Full TV Again, With No Complaints

Perhaps it's the higher cost of living and inflation, but as Netflix's subscriber base drops, the ad-supported streamers rise. Streamer Tubi's chief: "The business model of free is working quite well." - Los Angeles Times

A Ukrainian Director Killed In April Had A Documentary Premiere At Cannes

"A few days after the city itself fell to invading Russian forces, Kvedaravičius’ fiancée Hanna Bilobrova fought back tears as she introduced the film, which she completed after smuggling the footage out of the country." - Slate

Public TV Fundraising Telethons Are Losing Their Effectiveness

An analysis by Contributor Development Partnership of March pledge results reported a 24% decline in the number of gifts year-over-year, a nearly 5.5% drop in the number of new donors and a 7.5% slide in the percentage of sustainer gifts. - Current

Could a New $100 Million Movie Studio Transform Newark’s Economy?

One study estimated that the Newark project could bring as many as 600 long-term jobs and a constellation of new business opportunities to the city, the state’s largest with a population of 312,000 and a median household income of less than $38,000. - The New York Times

Head Of Cannes’ First Tiktok Festival Jury Quits Over Concerns About Independence

“The difficulty is that TikTok is a marketing-focused company and fails to understand creators and their independence…They kept asking me for reports on our progress, even though we hadn’t even seen each other,” he said. - Deadline

Virtual Reality Gets Smelly: Startups Are Trying To Bring Aroma To The Metaverse

"Today, as metaverse engineers, designers, and architects map out the look of digital future experiences, for some, smell has become a key part of the puzzle. Whoever defines the smell-o-verse first will lead this nascent category, meaning the smell-off is ON." - Fast Company

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