Rarely in recent decades has the festival circuit been as disrupted as it has in the past 12 months. A confluence of local and global issues — from war to inflation, political unrest to societal shifts — have buffeted many of these vital cultural platforms, leading to funding shortfalls, staff losses, major PR headaches and in some cases even cancellation. Amid shifts in consumer and industry behavior, there are also broader existential questions being asked about the role and potency of festivals.
Since last year’s Cannes, we’ve seen flashpoints or upheaval at Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs, Thessaloniki, IDFA, El Gouna, Cairo and others. Questions have been hanging over the likes of Venice and Toronto, but both have made positive announcements in recent weeks: the former by re-upping Alberto Barbera, the latter by confirming a cash injection to bolster its market.
During this year’s turbulent Berlin Film Festival, Martin Scorsese voiced the concerns of many in the independent film sector. “Film festivals are essential," he said, "because they offer audiences a way of looking at movies that has nothing to do with box office or mass popularity and everything to do with the cinema as an art form. I find that too many of them have been put in a difficult position, where they have to justify their existences in one way or another.”
In this investigation, Deadline explores how and why some of the biggest international and North American festivals have found themselves at a crossroads. >>>Gap Between Haves & Have-Nots Widening
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Doc Talk Podcast Unpacks The Crisis Facing Film Festivals |
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'X' Marks The Spot - Following the success of its animated series X-Men ’97, Marvel Studios is now ramping things up on its live-action X-Men movie with Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes scribe Michael Lesslie in negotiations to pen the movie. >>>In Early Development
'Sacred' Showing - Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof will attend Friday’s Cannes screening of his competition movie The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Rasoulof announced last week that he had left Iran and was staying in what he described as an “undisclosed location in Europe” in a statement shared with the international press. Rasoulof’s reps confirmed to Deadline that he will attend the screening on Friday. >>> 8-Year Prison Sentence
'Furiosa' Hits The Road - After a big Cannes world premiere which won over critics at 85% certified fresh, Furiosa is eyeing an $80M-$85M global start. Broken out, that’s $40M-$45M abroad and another $40M+ four-day domestic. >>>Full Analysis
Goodbye To 'The Good Doctor' - In interviews with Deadline, The Good Doctor star Freddie Highmore and co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman dissect the finale’s biggest twists, including Glassman dying, Claire losing an arm and Glassman helping save Claire’s life and Shaun’s medical career.
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Father-Daughter Time - David Bryan, the first man to join Bon Jovi alongside its eponymous frontman, is getting into the podcast business. Bryan and his comedian daughter Gabby Bryan are launched the Let Me Ask My Dad Podcast, a comedy self-help show. >>>Launches May 28
'True Detective: Night Country' Script - Deadline’s It Starts on the Page series features standout limited or anthology series scripts in 2024 Emmy contention. The latest installment is the script for the Night County finale, written and directed by López, which drew season-high viewership to wrap the most watched season of the True Detective anthology series. >>>Read It
Chatting With Maria Bakalova - Oscar-nominated Maria Bakalova channeled an essence of Ivana Trump, who she praises as a “boss lady,” when she met Deadline's columnist on a terrace at the Palais to natter about her slyly sublime portrait of Donald Trump's first wife in filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s Cannes hit The Apprentice. >>>Baz Bamigboye's Column |
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Season 3 of Fox’s The Cleaning Lady ended on an eventful note Tuesday with a two-part finale that saw Thony (Elodie Yung) explore all possible routes to take down Ramona Sanchez (Kate del Castillo). Series star Yung spoke with Deadline about the whirlwind of a finale and whether Thony is really stepping away from the criminal underbelly of Las Vegas for good. >>>Watch The Interview |
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Exclusive
The cast just keeps getting better for Ruben Östlund’s next movie, The Entertainment System Is Down, with word that Joel Edgerton is joining the fray.
Exclusive
Mark Ruffalo is in talks to star in Amazon MGM Studios adaptation of Don Winslow’s novella, Crime 101. He will co-star with Chris Hemsworth, who also is in talks to star and produce alongside producing partner Ben Grayson.
Aaron Eckhart will play the U.S. president in Raider from Con Air and Expendables 2 director Simon West. The feature was written by J. Craig Stiles (Miranda’s Victim).
Oscar winner Holly Hunter has been tapped to star in Paramount+’s upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Hunter will play the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy in the series which will begin production later this summer.
UnPrisoned is rounding out its S2 cast with Brandee Evans in a recurring role, as well as Oliver Hudson and Jamie Chung in guest starring roles. |
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More News
🏈 CBS’ Super Bowl LVIII and Disney+/ESPN+'s animated Toy Story Funday Football were the top scorers with three wins each at the 45th annual Sports Emmy Awards.
⚖️ After hotel security footage of Sean "Diddy" Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura was made public, a model claimed in a lawsuit that the Bad Boy Entertainment founder drugged and sexually assaulted her in his New York recording studio 21 years ago.
💰 In a competitive situation, A24 has acquired U.S. rights to Michael Sarnoski’s The Death of Robin Hood, which will star Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer.
✂️ India de Beaufort, who has played district attorney Olivia Moore on Night Court for the first two seasons is not returning for Season 3.
🏛️ LA Superior Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy made his tentative ruling final in Michael Kassan's $125 million defamation case, tossing out the ex-MediaLink CEO’s legal action against UTA outside counsel Bryan Freedman.
🚀 Simon Kinberg is in negotiations to produce the next Star Trek film at Paramount. Sources say the film will be an origin story the project is an origin story that takes place decades before the 2009 film that rebooted the franchise.
📺 S.E. Cupp, the CNN political commentator and columnist, is hosting a new political talk show, Battleground, for Fox First Run. The 30-minute show, which will air on Fox TV stations and in syndication, will focus on seven swing states. |
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Obituaries
🕯️ Fred Roos, the Oscar-winning Godfather Part II producer and longtime executive producer for Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola, died Saturday in Beverly Hills at 89, four days shy of his 90th birthday. 🕯️ Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, the Polish composer who won a Oscar for his score of the 2004 film Finding Neverland, died today in Krakow following a years-long battle with Multiple System Atrophy. He was 71. 🕯️ 2024 Entertainment & Media Deaths Photo Gallery |
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On the Radar
Wed - Abbott Elementary S3 finale
Thu - Lionsgate fiscal Q4 and 2024 earnings
Fri - Furiosa opens
Sat - Palme d'Or announced
Mon - Memorial Day |
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Ring Of Truth - Dwayne Johnson is almost unrecognizable as MMA legend Mark Kerr in a first look at A24's The Smashing Machine. |
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