"The 'regressive' licence fee system could be replaced by a tax on broadband bills or a household levy based on property value, Richard Sharp (said). Plans to replace the £159-a-year licence fee with a different funding model after 2027 are being considered by the Conservative government." - The Guardian
The BBC had a record commercial performance that contributed to 30% revenue growth, climbing from £1.7 billion to £2.1 billion. The corporation’s commercial arm BBC Studios delivered record-breaking results, achieving over £2 billion in sales for the first time, with profits of £240 million, up 6%. - Variety
Artful jump cuts can illuminate all kinds of interesting associations between images. Bad ones just create bumps in logic; they’re disorienting in a way that suggests external, self-interested forces at play. - The New York Times
"A quarter of a century after the Good Friday agreement drew a line under the Troubles, a documentary series has scraped away the familiar narratives and rote explanations and propaganda to show what it was really like for those who lived it." - The Observer (UK)
The deal gives the streamer access to upcoming films "involving Jella Haase, Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro, Leonie Benesch, Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens, and many others, Constantin Film announced." - Variety
To watch If You Were There, director Lindsay Anderson's cut of a documentary about Wham! in China, you have to go to a university library in Scotland. But it might be worth the trip for Anderson's artistry - and this record of his clash with George Michael. - The Guardian (UK)
That is to say that Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura, who died 37 years ago, is enjoying a renaissance thanks to the festival. "There is a classic film fan born every minute, but in Karlovy Vary this year, you could feel it happen in real time" during screenings. - Variety
Chloe Zhao followed up Nomadland with a Marvel tentpole. Greta Gerwig is about to release Barbie. Barry Jenkins is directing ... a Lion King sequel?! Studios used to have more on offer. "Now this is all there is: franchise content, continuing endlessly until the heat death of the universe." - Irish Times
A crayon drawing, maybe. "Vietnamese censors have banned or altered several other movies that showed disputed areas as being under Beijing’s control. The list includes Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Abominable (2019) and Uncharted (2022), among others."- The New York Times
Why did this take so long? Blame the GOP. "In 1997 Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra derided The Watermelon Woman as 'possibly pornographic.' ... He decried that the film had been funded by taxpayers." - NPR
For most of the world, silent films died out in the 1930s. But in Brussels, the Cinematek — the only remaining cinema in the world with a regular schedule of silent films (along with live piano accompaniment) — is thriving. - The World
"Threads, the latest of Meta's copycat innovations, faces a long slog in its bid to topple Twitter as the microblogging platform of choice. … But Threads comes with big potential, thanks to its polished tech, built-in user base, and a reputation for better moderation that's likely to please big-money advertisers." - Wired
In a flurry of unexpected strategic decisions, holiday news dumps and pure opportunism, the social landscape suddenly looks up for grabs (at least for a certain type of platform), and its future remains unwritten. - The Hollywood Reporter
"For decades after The Joy Luck Club, the handful of movies with Asian-American casts mostly offered family-centric stories filled with generational hardship, sacrifice and culture clash. But now … audiences are finally getting to see all dimensions of the Asian-American experience — even the weird, bad and raunchy parts." - The New York Times
"Threads is billed as a text-based version of Meta's photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides 'a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.' It went live late Wednesday in Apple and Google Android app stores." - AP
