Spotlight #21

We'll be honest – this week we feel like we should just dive right into our newsletter! Read about Netflix's promise, watch Directors' Roundtable by THR and enjoy the trailer for Malcolm & Marie!

This Week's Bullets

• German TV Show Barbarians was a hit on Netflix, and now you can read an extensive interview with VFX Supervisor Kay Delventhal!
• The Academy voted on increasing the number of International Feature nominees from 10 to 15.
• Regina King took time to thank her colleagues on filming One Night in Miami, of which she said: "They were my heroes".
• Parasite director Bong Joon Ho makes history as he will preside over the 78th Venice Film Festival's main jury.
• Looking to switch from screen to paper? Take a look at a selection of biographies to read!
• Making a provocative film comes with its own challenges. Russo brothers had to have a special security team to ensure their cast was protected from ISIS attacks. Unfortunately, that didn't prevent the cast from receiving death threats after the film premiered at Netflix.
• Have you ever thought about how AI & Automation will change the film industry? Noam Kroll did, and he has some theories.

This Week's Curated Articles

Netflix's Massive 2021 Film Slate Promises New Movies Every Week

Netflix decided to keep to its new year’s resolutions (by the way, happy Ditch New York Resolutions Day!) and promises to release a new film every week this year. And well, that is quite scary for its competitors.

It is also quite a turnabout, since Netflix originally took over others’ productions and did not creat its original content, contrary to for example Disney, which was a film-making colossus long before it was cool. And while Disney and Netflix are trying to make the best out of the crisis, other competitors like HBO Max are still hesitating since the fear of another year of closed cinemas is still quite a real threat.

So, if you are curious what is Netflix preparing for its 193 million subscribers, check it out. We cannot wait if they will fulfil their resolution.

'The eye of the storm': How 76 Days captured Wuhan's Covid lockdown up close

Documentary 76 days, directed by Hao Wu and Weixi Chen, followed the growing situation with covid-19 in Wuhan's epicentre. As the directors say, it is not a political film to describe what the Chinese officials have done wrong. It is a memory of trauma. Since Wuhan, many countries went through this Mordor. And even though it premiered in the US in September, a word about it is only now reaching China, and it’s making the directors little bit nervous.

But this week on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, an influencer with 19 million followers tweeted that 76 Days was being spoken about as a possible Oscar winner and shared an English trailer. Within 24 hours, it had 160,000 likes.

“Then, every newspaper started referring to it very positively, I suppose, in normal circumstances, I should be really happy, but it is ironic China is now trying to claim this film. I do not know if the board of censors have seen the whole thing.”

Check Out George Clooney, Spike Lee, Regina King, and More in This THR Director Roundtable

There is not much to say about this – watch it! Roundtables are like a masterclass for free, accessible, re-watchable and full of knowledge from people who make living by making movies. Big time!

And, we don't forget to mention, this is a Roundtable of directors of movies which will be, most probably, competing for the Best Picture category of Oscars 2021! Except for George Clooney.

Sorry George, but Midnight Sky won't cut it – but we still enjoyed the movie and you definitely have a shitload of experience to share!

Awards & Festivals Window

European Film Market Gears Up for Online Edition With Hot Co-Production Titles, New Platform Structure

The European Film Market is one of the top three meeting places of the international film a movie industries. Due to the world situation will EFM, in hand with Berlinale Co-Production Market, both take place online from March 1–5, 2021.

They will focus on 35 feature film projects representing 25 countries and we all should look forward to it, e.g. “Shine of the Sun” by Oscar-nominated Polish director Jan Komasa or “The Oblivion Theory” by Annemarie Jacir!

In addition, the film selection for the 71st Berlin International Film Festival will also be announced at a presentation during the EFM. The full list of the projects can be found deeper in the article. We’re excited, what about you?

This Week's Recommendation

New Movies: Release Calendar for January 15, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films

Feeling like watching something really new? Let's take a look at what premiered in the last week!

• Locked Down (HBO Max)
• One Night in Miami (Amazon)
• Outside the Wire (Netflix)
• The White Tiger (Netflix)

Trailer of the Week

Malcolm & Marie | Netflix

Sam Levinson, Zendaya, John David Washington & Netflix – a fiery combo creating a strong contender for this year's Oscars. Both actors are cementing their place in Hollywood, and this might just send them into the Academy race. Early reviews suggest that they surpassed their best performances even though the dialogue might be, at times, a little bit over the top.

The film tells the story of Malcolm, a director, and his girlfriend Marie, who, over the course of an evening following the premiere of his latest movie, examine the highs and lows of their relationship as they await critics’ responses.