A new collaboration between director Guy Ritchie and actor Jake Gyllenhaal is set to shoot in Spain’s Alicante area. In turn, the Spanish region will double as Afghanistan for the war-themed action-thriller. The as-yet-untitled project is budgeted at an estimated USD55 million. MGM and Amazon have respectively completed separate deals for US and international rights.
New Jersey’s tax incentive programme is set to expand under the stewardship of governor Phil Murphy. The new legislation will increase the state’s support cap from USD10 million to USD30 million. The scheme also promises to augment the state’s entire production tax incentive programme by an additional USD100 million over the next few years. These recent developments represent important efforts to entice more film and television production to the Garden State.
The global rise in Omnicron cases has caused the Producers Guild of America (PGA) to delay its 33rd Producers Guild Awards ceremony. Originally scheduled for 26 February, the event will now take place on 19 March. While the venue - Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel - remains the same, the postponement represents another calendar change for the movie awards season. Attendees will need to provide proof of vaccination and booster (if eligible) as well as a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Officials have confirmed that the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival will remain an in-person event. Although the European Film Market (EFM) - which typically runs alongside the Berlinale - is now taking place as fully virtual event, organisers have told the global film community that the core festival will continue as planned from 10th to 20th February. Strict protocols will be put in place to protect delegates from Covid-19, with the precise terms to be revealed shortly.
France’s Centre National du Cinema (CNC) launched an ambitious funding initiative in July 2021. Buoyed by the global popularity of works such Lupin and Emily in Paris on Netflix, the Gallic national film body invested approximately EUR10 million into eight studios and 12 digital facilities. An estimated EUR160 million in private investment has since been drawn into France thanks to the CNC’s initial funding boost, which was designed to “shock and modernise” the country's media production infrastructure.
The Gerety Awards has announced the ten international cities that its ambassadors will meet in 2022. London will feature alongside New York, São Paulo, México city, Copenhagen, Moscow, Brussels, Vienna, Manila and Tokyo. The full executive jury from each city will be revealed very soon. As well as defining the overall shortlist, these juries will choose the agency and production company of the year from their respective countries.
The British Film Commission (BFC) is extending its partnership with The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) through a secondary injection of funding. Under a campaign to support the government-backed Stage Space Support and Development Strategy, the BFC will invest a further GBP100,000 towards targeted PGGB training courses. The collaboration is designed to increase access opportunities for experienced and diverse crew as new stage space continues to expand in the UK.
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) have signed an agreement to combine the two groups. ZEEL will merge with and into SPNI, combining their linear networks, digital assets and production operations. After closing the deal, SPNI are set to boast an estimated cash balance of USD1.5 billion. The new combined company will be publicly listed in India.