News
February 29, 2016
Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative: February 26, 2016
Happy Friday everyone,
It's been a whirlwind last few days as Los Angeles is in the full thrall of awards week and I've been participating in some of the activities around Toronto Mayor John Tory's visit to L.A. It's been a pleasure to touch base with so many Ontario stakeholders this week and to share our pride over the spotlight that Canadian cinema and talent are now enjoying. From Room to Spotlight to Brooklyn to The Witch, these are heady times. Best of luck to all the nominees this weekend.
The controversy over the lack of diversity among this year's Oscar nominees and in the industry in general, continues to be front page news here in LA and around the world. As detailed in the L.A. Times below, a sweeping new study released Monday takes the country's biggest media conglomerates to task, likening the film studios to a “straight, white, boys' club.”
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-ct-epidemic-of-invisibility-hollywood-20160222-story.html#nt=oft13a-3gp1
The Times followed up that article a few days later with a closer look at how diversity is represented on the small screen. As reported below, by most accounts, the small screen has become a more culturally inclusive place over the last decade, whether it is the African American family of ABC's black-ish, the multiracial inmates on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black or the transgender dad on Amazon's Transparent.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-tv-film-diversity-20160224-story.html
Netflilx's disruption of traditional television broadcast models is generally accepted as a fait accompli, however the industry's largest theater chain owners are pushing back against the streaming giant's plans to similarly upend theatrical release windows. As detailed in the L.A. Times this week, the follow up to the Oscar-winning martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will only play in about a dozen IMAX theaters around the country, as theater owners refuse to show it in protest against Netflix's plans to release the movie in the home on the same day it appears in cinemas.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-netflix-movies-battle-crouching-tiger-20160225-story.html
As we all know, the battle for American service production continues to be fiercely competitive. As detailed in the Atlanta Business Journal below, the Governor of Georgia this week reaffirmed his commitment to the incentives program which has propelled that state into position as the third busiest filming location in the U.S., behind Los Angeles and New York.
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2016/02/22/gov-deal-reaffirms-dedication-to-keeping-state.html
Finally this week, film and television industry stakeholders in British Columbia are currently in consultation with their government, which has announced plans to scrutinize production incentives. As reported in the Globe and Mail below, B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong says current film and television tax credits are not sustainable.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-finance-minister-says-province-cant-afford-film-tv-tax-credits/article28899367/
Warmest regards,
Kelly