Warner Bros released the most recent trailer for Greta Gerwig’s larger than life Barbie movie. With little leading up to this most recent release but the signature pink and plastic smiles, this newest trailer cracks the door open to an unexpected turn for Barbie. Starring Margot Robbie as the timeless doll and Ryan Gosling as her beau Ken, the film is set to hit cinemas 21 July 2023.
Over the weekend, the 2023 Cannes Film Festival drew to a close after another eventful gathering of the international film industry. After 11 days of premieres and general screenings in between, jury president Ruben Östlund along with jury members Maryam Touzani, Denis Ménochet, Rungano Nyoni, BrieLarson, Paul Dano, Atiq Rahimi, Damián Szifron and Julia Ducournau made their selection of the winners from a stellar line up of 21 competitors. Amongst the activity of the filmmaker's displays, The Location Guide were there for it all, kept busy by meetings and networking in the Marché du Film.
Founding partners Melanie Bridge and Sharlene George of New Zealand based production company The Sweetshop are moving into co-CEO roles. The award-winning partners who have guided the company to success over the past 2 decades, will now be at the helm of a fully female led production company. Bridge and George will be replacing Wilf Sweetland after his 12 years as Global CEO position.
On Monday 22 May at the Marché du Film during Festival de Cannes, Göteborg Film Festival presented its 10th Nostradamus Report. Titled Everything Changing All At Once, the report explores AI’s involvement in audiovisual industry workflows, adapting the industry to Gen-z’s expectations of more diverse creative environments, and how to embrace the changing models, formats and distribution paths in the business of filmmaking. With nine points explored in the report, there is a concise overview of the steps towards moving seamlessly with the evolving industry.
Director Richard Lawson sat on a panel yesterday at Pavilion Afrique of the Cannes Village International to premiere Black Terror. The screen adaptation of Richard Wesley’s play follows a group of freedom fighters who face conflicting avenues towards securing their liberation.
On 20 May, a panel of Black women international filmmakers came together to discuss the issues facing the marginalised group in the environment of international film production, challenges facing funding, distribution and the need for community. Moderated by Diversity in Cannes founder Yolanda Brinkley, the panel featured the testimonials and industry nuggets of wisdom from filmmaker and Collectif 50/50 board member Johanna Makabi, writer and director Zoey Martinson, writer and producer Kelley Robins Hicks, and Ida Rose CEO and producer Shantelle Rochester.
This past weekend director Mohamed Kordofani shared his feature film debut with Goodbye Julia. Set amongst the turmoil of the leadup to the 2011 referendum in Sudan, the film follows the meeting of Julia and Mona and the troubles that ensue surrounding their dynamic. Goodbye Julia was included amongst the Un Certain Regard, becoming the first Sudanese film to be shown in the category.
BAFTA albert and Julie’s Bicycle have been awarded a total of GBP 586,755 of National Lottery funding over three years. This is part of the new BFI National Lottery Sustainable Screen Fund in support of all BFI National Lottery awardees in building environmental understanding and action on positive environmental change. Keir Powell-Lewis acts as head of environmental sustainability, managing the fund, related BFI work that aims towards minimising environmental impact in the sector and leading the BFI’s routemap to net zero.