The Bear actor and chef Matty Matheson stars in Toast’s latest as titled One of Those Nights. Matheson and a number of other complex customers find themselves in the midst of a chaotic night at renowned New York restaurant Marea, testing the restaurant’s restaurant's ability to handle complex, custom orders seamlessly. The short film was created in collaboration with the agency Arnold.
On 7 January, devastating wildfires erupted in Los Angeles fuelled by the Santa Ana winds. In addition to the devastation to the homes and local communities situated across the Palisades and Altadena areas, the popular entertainment city has started to feel the impact to its industry as productions come to a halt, significant events cancelled or postponed, and studios shut down operations.
Whilst critically acclaimed projects such as Baby Girl, Love Lies Bleeding and The Substance were the talk of many a tongue last year, 2024 saw a shameful 16% of the 250 top grossing movies directed by women. The representation of female directors in Hollywood has seen minimal progress in recent years, with recent studies highlighting persistent gender disparities in the industry, and within that, even further skews lacking in favour for female directors of colour. With awards season underway, can the display of disparity once again start the shift to more equitable representation in 2025 and beyond?
With Disney, Netflix, Prime Video, Tubi and many more, the streaming landscape spreads further than ever. In 2025, the competition between the platform ramps up as content offerings continue to diversify, ad-tiered services rake in greater audiences across the globe, and the big names attempt to create a seamless experience with cross service collaborations. But who will come out on top for the new year.
And just like that, the 2024 season has come to a close. As the holidays swiftly round the corner, out of office notifications switch on and Spotify wrapped reveals flood social media timelines, we take this time to look at the key moments that have led us to another successful end of the year. From another sun-soaked Cannes experience to a bustling FOCUS gathering, and everything exciting in between, it has truly been a year.
In recent years, Madrid has established itself as one of the main content production centres in Europe, with an increase in projects filmed in the city and produced by Madrid companies. International collaboration and co-production has become an increasingly widespread formula in Madrid, and Madrid Film Office, the audiovisual office of the Madrid City Council, was present at the Ventana Sur market with the aim of encouraging relations between the Madrid audiovisual industry and the different Ibero-American industries, a strategy that includes others actions such as the sponsorship of Iberseries & Platino Industria market and the Platino Awards.
Following an online vote which concluded on 22 November, the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) have announced the renewal of their Board of Directors. Lisboa Film Commission’s Teresa Loureiro and Vienna Film Commission’s Stefanie Rauscher join as newly elected members with Catalunya Film Commission’s Carlota Guerrero and Oslo Film Commission’s Adrian A. Mitchell as new co-presidents.
FOCUS London 2024 are excited to welcome Angel Films, Hungary’s leading full service production company. In addition to being ready to meet you all on the show floor at their stand, Angel Films will sponsor the first ever Meet the Makers Lunch. Come and chat with Angel Films and many other extraordinary exhibitors from 10-11 December 2024 at the Business Design Centre, Islington.