MIPCOM, El Gouna & Edward Berger On ‘Conclave’

Hello Insiders, the big international chatter this week came from Cannes, but there’s been plenty of film and TV stories elsewhere. Jesse Whittock here guiding you through. Sign up here.

Another MIP In The Cannes

“A fun run”: Stewart, Jake and Max returned from Cannes yesterday following another invigorating few days at MIPCOM. (I was holding the fort back in Blighty, or the UK to most of you.) This year’s international TV market hit a milestone as MIPCOM turned 40, and it also became the first that will not be followed by MIPTV in April (more on that later). The team was on the ground for talks from some of the TV industry’s biggest names including Warner’s Channing Dungey and outgoing Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Tony Vinciquerra. “It’s been a fun run and it’s time to do something different,” said the latter, as he teased a potential private equity move during one of the busiest sessions. Star power was present in the form of NCIS actors Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly, along with the delightful Sir David Suchet. The 78-year-old happily nattered to all and sundry as he promoted his Agatha Christie doc series and Channel 5 drama The Au Pair. Alfie Allen, Colm Meaney and co were also seen posing for pics as they did the rounds for European crime drama Safe Harbor.

Key takeaways: NCIS was a major talking point with two spin-offs being shopped by the ever-present Paramount Global Content Distribution, and these shows neatly illustrated some of the key themes. In the drama space, buyers repeatedly told us that they are seeking bankable, returnable fare with big-name talent. Procedurals felt very much in vogue again, as did spin-offs. “This is about ordering ‘keeping the lights on’ shows and mitigating risk,” one U.S. streaming exec told us. Unscripted felt similar, if not a tad more cautious, and many shows on display were fuelled by nostalgia and well-known brands (We’re looking at you, Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit). Elsewhere, the stark nature of how tough things are in America compared to other more nimble territories hit home. Many U.S. execs we chatted with stressed just how little opportunity there is across the pond at present. One told us that while in the past projects were being 80% funded by Americans with Europeans making up the other 20%, this figure feels like it has now reversed. They noted that more and more European shows are emerging that have previously been turned down by U.S. buyers. No wonder so many are looking to strike production pacts with overseas partners. Plenty more talking points over here in our key takeaways deep dive, which also lists the big sales. It’s basically an Insider in an Insider, you lucky folk.

To London we go, just don’t mention numbers: Next up for MIP organizer RX France is the first ever MIP London, which was under the microscope on Wednesday during a press conference with head honcho Lucy Smith. After some initial confusion, Smith said the number of companies planning to attend the first ever London confab has tripled over the past two months to 250, but she was quick to counter that MIP London is not really a numbers game. “I know we talk numbers for MIPCOM and that has a history to it but for London we want to create a useful international marketplace where people come together for business opportunities,” she said. Interesting. Other MIP London nuggets included the launch of a kids co-pro summit to help the in-danger genre. There were 500 fewer attendees at this year’s MIPCOM and buyers were down by 300, which Smith in the main put down to companies sending smaller delegations for their stands as they save on travel and expenses. But the vibes were good, the rosé was flowing and a sense of cautious optimism emanated from the wide expanses of the Palais. For all our MIPCOM content, comprising the market’s biggest deals and new shows and 40 stories in the past seven days in total, click here.

El Gouna Gets Underway

No ‘Miracle’ in the Red Sea: The El Gouna Film Festival began in Egypt this week amid a highly volatile political situation in the neighboring Middle East and claims of film censorship. As more and more deaths were recorded in Gaza and Lebanon, El Gouna’s seventh edition got underway with the news Abdelwahad Shawky’s short film The Last Miracle would not open the fest as planned, and was being replaced by Nebojša Slijepčevíc’s Palme d’Or winner The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent. Official word was an “adjustment to the original line-up,” but this may not tell the whole story. Local press were quick to report Egypt’s General Authority for Censorship for Works of Art had revoked the film’s license, with an influential film critic noting a scene featuring a dervish as the probable cause. Mel’s extensive report on the situation noted that when El Gouna had first announced The Last Miracle, the point was made that Naguib Mahfouz’s original short story on which the film was based was written in the wake of the Six-Day War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states including Egypt in 1967.

Downbeat demeanors: Last year’s El Gouna was postponed in response to the early stages of the Israel-Hamas conflict, which had begun with the October 7 attack. This year was back to the regular schedule, but the impacts of war could be felt among attendees, with Mel reporting a “sober” mood at a fest that’s known for its parties and red carpets. While the dress code was smart, statement frocks of yesteryear were absent and the red carpet remained stored away. Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris, who spearheaded the fest’s creation, called for peace around the world in his opening remarks. “The good thing about cinema is that it can deliver a message right into the heart,” he said. “What we need now is leadership to tell people we’ve had enough of war. Stop the war. The whole world is at war and people are paying a very high price for some individuals’ egos.” It’s fair to say few people want to see the violence in the region continue and Deadline once again sends out a message of peace. The El Gouna Film Festival 2024 will feature 77 films and shorts from 32 countries, with Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door making its MENA region premiere a highlight. More El Gouna news can be found here.

Sign For The Package

AFM’s A-game: Prep for the American Film Market is well underway, and the packages are starting to stack up on the front porch. Andreas, Zac, Mel and co have been moving through gears and revealing numerous hot projects set for the market, which will begin on election night, November 5 and run for five days at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas for the first time. Projects are too numerable to list in their entirety here, but worth noting are The Runner, a Black List script starring Jack Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson; Jeremy Irvine and Rupert Everett ensemble dance comedy The Light Fantastic, set to be directed by BAFTA winner Chris Cottam; and animated feature The Pout-Pout Fish, an adaptation of Deborah Diesen’s preschool book franchise that counts Nick Offerman, Amy Desaris, Nina Oyama, Jordin Sparks, Miranda Otto and Remy Hii among an illustrious voice cast. Organizers of the AFM earlier this month touted exhibitor sign-ups, as chatter continues around how the move out of LA will change the market. Last year’s move to La Méridien Delfina was beset by problems and a decision was subsequently made to set off up the I-15 to the starry lights of Vegas. There will be more to be said about the shape of the market closer to the time, but for now, indulge yourself in our extensive pre-event coverage here. 

Electing Edward’s ‘Conclave‘

That is a tasty Berger!: Buzz around Edward Berger’s Conclave has been building over recent months and it is firmly in awards contention. The Ralph Fiennes-starrer launches today in the U.S. via Focus Features in 1,500 cinemas as its roll towards the Oscars builds speed. This week, Breaking Baz sat down with director Berger, the brain behind Oscar winner All Quiet on the Western Front, for a chat about the film. High on the agenda was how Fiennes’ portrayal of Cardinal Lawrence has a “whisper” of Anthony Hopkins as a veteran butler in James Ivory’s 1993 film The Remains of the Day. “Ralph will crucify me for saying this,” joked Berger. They also discussed how the casting of Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati and Isabella Rossellini was delicately designed and whether Berger would direct the next James Bond movie (“Who doesn’t want to do Bond?” asked Berger.) Damon Wise separately spoke to Conclave writer Peter Straughan about adapting Robert Harris’ book into a darkly witty conspiracy drama. The film has also been added to the Camerimage Film Festival line-up following its well-received premiere at Telluride. Odds must be shortening on the film, which Pete Hammond last month wrote “in every way exceeds” expectations.

BBC Studios‘ Australian Overseer

“We’re more optimistic than the UK and U.S.”: With the rest of the TV team at MIPCOM, I focused on an on-record chat with BBC Studios ANZ Creative Director of Production and General Manager Kylie Washington. While her job title is a mouthful, her mission statement is more straightforwards: Make great television using classic BBC brands and original ideas. As such, Washington has just overseen the launch of three major BBC series in Australia, namely the ABC’s Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise, The Office Australia on Prime Video and Top Gear Australia, which followed up a relaunch on Paramount+ earlier this year with a debut on commercial network Ten over the weekend. In a wide-ranging interview (which was conducted before Top Gear and The Office dropped), she discussed the highs and lows of taking on loved IP, and addressed why the production sector in Australia appears to be healthier than the troubled U.S. and UK markets, noting that while her home country was feeling more “optimistic” than its English-language counterparts, “you really have to watch yourself.” In related Australian news, the recipient of the twelfth Hedge Ledger Scholarship, which helps one Australian crack Hollywood, was unveiled as Andrea Solonge. The actress, who has been lauded for guest roles in Taika Waititi’s Time Bandits and Stan and Roku megachurch drama Prosper, will receive mentoring from Scrublands star Bella Heathcote as part of a package worth $60,000. Speaking to me via voicenote from a ceremony at Soho House in West Hollywood (I was back at my decidedly less glamorous home office in southwest London), she said that while making a name in Tinseltown might be “scary and daunting,” the spirit of Ledger, who passed away tragically in 2008, gave her the courage to push ahead.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: Prime Video UK drama The Rig has added Alice Krige and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd for its second season and released first look images, as per above.

🌶️ Very Hot: Davide Livermore and Paolo Gep Cucco’s hybrid feature The Opera!, starring Vincent Cassel, landed worldwide sales for Paris-based Pulsar Content. 

🌶️ Burning Up: Greta Lee replaced Sandra Hüller in Kent Jones’ Late Fame. Hüller had a scheduling conflict, Mel reported.

🏰 New studio: Remarkable Studios NZ opened in New Zealand with backing from Banijay’s Screentime, as Stewart revealed.

🖊️ Legal: The bitter split at the company formerly known as ILBE got deeper as the board of newly-named Lady Bacardi Media approved legal action against former partner Andrea Iervolino.

🏢 Exiting: Ana Langenberg from NBCUniversal Formats after seven years. A Max scoop.

🛑 Closure: Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer producer Spring Films was the latest UK indie to shut up shop.

🚨 Crime: Man V. Food star Adam Richman and his crew had their filming gear and some irreplaceable personal items stolen while on the road for a Food Network shoot.

⛺ Festival: Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist was among the latest titles joining the Camerimage Film Festival line-up.

⏫ Re-up: BBC disability comedy We Might Regret This landed two more seasons, but hasn’t found a U.S. home. Rosy Cordero and yours truly with this one.

🇺🇸+🇫🇷 American French Film Fest: Diana had two reports on LA’s most Gallic event.

🎎 Japan: Online video is set to drive the domestic screen industry, an MPA report predicts.

🍿 Box Office: Venom: The Last Dance was off to a strong start in China, per Nancy’s report.

Teaser: For Black Snow Season 2, starring Travis Fimmel and Jana McKinnon, which launches January 1 in Australia.

Max Goldbart contributed to this week’s International Insider. It was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Max Goldbart.