‘No Time to Die’ Pushed to November in Australia – Film News in Brief

Jennifer Yuma
·11 min read

The new James Bond film “No Time to Die” will open in Australia on Nov. 11 due to “changes specific to the Australian marketplace impacted by Covid,” according to MGM.

Most patrons would not have been able to see the Daniel Craig film in theaters, since more than 60% of the Australian marketplace is currently in a state of lockdown, which the government mandated will remain in place until 70% of the population is vaccinated. Businesses will be allowed to function normally after the country reaches an 80% vaccination rate, which is estimated to be in mid-November.

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“No Time to Die” was originally set to open in Australia as well as in the U.K. on Sept. 30, a week ahead of the U.S. release date which is still set for Oct. 8.

Location Managers Awards Nominees Announced

The nominees for the 8th Annual Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) Awards were announced today by LMGI President John Rakich/LMGI.

The awards honor the outstanding and creative visual contributions by location professionals in film, television and commercials from around the globe. Winners will be revealed during the virtual awards gala “Celebrate the Where,” on October 23, 2021, at 2:00 PM PST.

This year, the LMGI Awards welcomed over three hundred qualified submissions from around the world, each uniquely demonstrating how locations enrich the art of filmmaking. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 8th Annual LMGI Awards will, once again, be presented on a digital platform, streaming to a worldwide and more inclusive audience.

THE NOMINEES FOR THE 8th ANNUAL LMGI AWARDS ARE:

OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A PERIOD FILM
“Dreamland” Paramount
“Enola Holmes” Netflix
“Judas and the Black Messiah” Warner Bros
“Mank” Netflix
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” Netflix

OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A CONTEMPORARY FILM
“A Quiet Place 2” Paramount
“Black Is King” Disney Plus
“Concrete Cowboy” Netflix
“Nomadland” Searchlight Pictures
“Tenet” Warner Bros

OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A PERIOD TELEVISION SERIES
“Bridgerton” Netflix
“The Crown” – Season 4 Netflix
“Fargo” Season 4 FX
“The Nevers” HBO Max
“Ratched” Netflix
“Snowfall” – Season 4 FX

OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION SERIES

“The Handmaid’s Tale “- Season 4
“Lupin” Netflix
“The Mosquito Coast” Apple TV Plus
“Warrior Nun” Netflix
“Woke” Hulu
“Yellowstone” Paramount Network

OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A TV SERIAL PROGRAM, ANTHOLOGY, OR LIMITED SERIES

“Halston” Netflix
“Mare of Easttown” HBO
“The Queen’s Gambit” Netflix
“The Serpent” Netflix
“The Stand” Paramount Plus
“The Underground Railroad” Amazon Prime

OUTSTANDING COMMERCIAL

It Already Does That, Apple Watch Series 6
Awareness About Organ Transplantation, Match
For When It’s Time, Extra Gum
Create the Beyond, Sony
Play New, Nike

OUTSTANDING FILM COMMISSION

Bath Film Office “Bridgerton”
Estonian Film Institute/Film Estonia “Tenet”
Hamilton Music and Film Office, “Umbrella Academy”
Liverpool Film Office, “Tin Star: Liverpool”
Savannah Regional Film Commission “The Underground Railroad”
Screen Queensland Australia, “Love and Monsters”

Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian, Trail Blazer and the Eva Monley Awards which recognize and honors industry members who support the work of location professionals, will be announced in the near future.

UFC Partners with Netflix’s ‘Sweet Girl’ Stars Jason Momoa and Isabel Merced for Self-Defense Focused Promo

UFC and Netflix created a self-defense focused promo for Jason Momoa and Isabel Merced’s new action-thriller “Sweet Girl.”

Momoa stars in the film — which launches Fri. Aug. 20 — as Ray Cooper, a devoted husband and father, who vows to bring justice to the people responsible for his wife’s death while protecting the only family he has left, his daughter Rachel (Merced).

Both Momoa and Merced trained in boxing, jiu jitsu and other martial arts for the movie, and the actors shared how those skills can apply to real-life situations in a new short form video, titled “How to Fight Like a Sweet Girl.” Produced by 160over90 (Endeavor’s global marketing agency), the branded content collaboration demonstrates self-defense techniques for kids.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Netflix to help spotlight this exciting film,” said Paul Asencio, UFC Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships. “The themes of ‘Sweet Girl’ — family, courage, honor, justice, self-defense — are ideals we’re proud to support by leveraging the power of the UFC brand to connect with audiences.”

The video was produced at a recent self-defense seminar held at UFC GYM in Huntington Beach, Calif., where more than 70 children and their guardians learned self-defense techniques from former UFC lightweight contender and current UFC commentator Paul Felder.

City of Angels Women’s Film Festival and Shout! Studios Announce Official Sponsorship

Shout! Studios announced that the company’s acquisitions team will offer meetings to the winners of the best feature film, best social commentary film and best screenplay awards at the City of Angels Women’s Film Festival (COAWFF).

At these meetings, the awarded filmmakers will have a chance to pitch their projects for acquisition.

“As a studio and multi-platform media company we are always seeking to acquire fresh, high-caliber films, and it is a priority for us to showcase and celebrate diverse women’s stories,” said Julie Dansker, Shout! Studios’ head of new content sales. “We are thrilled to be working with the festival to support gender equality by connecting and empowering female voices and providing opportunities to up and coming talent.”

COAWFF Artistic Director Lisa K. Crosato said that she is “thrilled that Shout! Studios is on board to give our filmmakers and writers a huge opportunity like this.”

The second annual COAWFF will take place on Sept. 24-26 at the Whitefire Theatre, with a closing night red carpet gala award ceremony at Bella Blanca Event Center. The deadline to submit to the festival is Sept. 6.

For more information visit cityofangelswomensfilmfest.com.

Lisa Cortés, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Crystal R. Emery Talk Film Industry Challenges as Black Woman Directors

URU, The Right To Be founder, Crystal R. Emery, will be in conversation with filmmakers Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Lisa Cortés in a series called, “Courageous Conversations” on Aug. 22. Cortés will also moderate the discussion.

“Director 2 Director,” a live-virtual discussion, will showcase Emery, Richardson-Whitfield and Cortés — three of the most successful Black female directors in the industry, where they will speak candidly about their careers and obstacles they’ve triumphed over. “Courageous Conversations” will be presented by URU, The Right To Be, the multimedia production nonprofit with the focus of cultivating greater communication.

Emery said Black women in the industry need to tell their stories. “As Black women in entertainment, we have to navigate the often rocky roads of the industry just to be able to stake our claim to telling our stories. Lisa and Salli have been bringing audiences important work for years and I’m looking forward to our conversations about staring down adversity and how we have opened doors for diverse voices to come.”

Cortés’s previous director-producer credits include her documentary, “All In: The Fight For Democracy,” starring Stacey Abrams — which was nominated for Outstanding Documentary Feature. She also produced the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary, “The Apollo,” about the Harlem performing arts venue and executive produced the Academy Award-winning film “Precious.”

Richardson-Whitfield’s credits include her work in the hit SyFy series, “Eureka,” with producer credits in “Queen Sugar” on OWN, ABC’s “Scandal,” Netflix’s “Dear White People, “Altered Carbon,” “Luke Cage” along with Showtime’s “The Chi.”

“Courageous Conversations” will feature Emery with leaders in various industries. Viewers at Sunday’s event will get a sneak peek of Emery’s film “The Deadliest Disease in America”— about racism in medicine — which has its theatrical premiere on Friday, September 10, at Cinema Village in New York City for a one-week run.

Vivica A. Fox Joins Camille Winbush in ‘Holiday Hideaway’

Freezeframe Entertainment announced that Vivica A. Fox will be joining Camille Winbush in their feature film, “Holiday Hideaway,” an independent production set for the holiday season.

The film has begun shooting in Palm Desert, Calif. and will continue to shoot in Los Angeles during August.

Winbush stars as Carly Stewart, the queen of holiday celebrations who ends up running to a holiday hideaway after a mistletoe mishap.

Lamese Williams, who is on board to produce the film, said Winbush was perfect for the role. “In looking for the perfect actress to play our lead Carly, I wanted a fresh face that girls of color could realistically relate to. I worked with Camille when I worked for ‘The Bernie Mac Show.’ We reached out and she didn’t hesitate to join the film and bring Carly to life.”

“When I produced Vivica’s biography for TV-One I got to learn first hand her talent, work ethic and international star-power. She is the hardest working woman in show business and we are honored to have her be a part of our film,” added producer Sharon Brathwaite

In addition to Fox and Winbush, the full cast includes Victor Sho, Ella Joyce, Dan Martin, Shelley Robertson and Rodney Van Johnson.

Producers include Lamese Williams (“The Suspect” “Moola”, “Blackout”), Maieka Saint-Albin (HBO’s “Between the World and Me”) and Sharon Brathwaite (Lifetime’s “Seasons of Love”), who also wrote the screenplay. Cole Patterson, making her directorial debut, will helm the film.

Macro Partnership With Beats Recognizes HBCU Filmmakers

Macro announced a partnership with Beats, giving current students and recent alumni from four historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta the opportunity to pitch films to top Hollywood executives.

Beats’ mentorship program for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) nationwide, partnered with Macro to evaluate and provide constructive feedback to three finalist teams on their film pitches. One team will win the opportunity to attend the inaugural Beats Black Creators Summit later this year and attend the fifth annual Macro Lodge at Sundance Film Festival in Jan. next year.

“I’m so excited to be partnering with Beats on this incredible initiative,” said Stacey Walking King, Macro’s chief brand officer. “Discovering and empowering Black and brown creatives is at the core of the mission of Macro and I know this effort is just one more step in how we work to increase access and opportunity for the next generation of innovators.”

Applications are now open on Beats’ website with a Sept. 17 deadline. The winners will be announced at the third annual Macro HBCU Entertainment Summit on Oct. 28.

‘Anne, With Love’ Adds New Cast Members

Mena Suvari and Danielle Harris have been added to the psychological thriller feature, “Anne, With Love,” starring Blaine Morris.

The story chronicles the life of Anne (Morris), a painter who struggles with inner demons after being forced into a life of solitude when her husband leaves her unexpectedly. Maya, played by Suvari, is Anne’s closest confidante, who has her own dark secret. Anne’s neighbor, played by Harris, has several striking similarities in both her appearance and life.

The supporting cast includes Luke Barnett, Rocky Perez, Anwar Wolf, Leonard Amoia and Robert H. Lambert.

George Henry Horton will helm the film, and is producing under Giant Nugget Productions along with Suvari, Harris, Matt Simonelli and Morris, whom he co-wrote the script with.

Production of “Anne, With Love” is underway in Los Angeles and Florida.

FuseFX Bolsters Key Leadership Positions at its Atlanta Studio

FuseFX recently made key leadership changes at its Atlanta studio, appointing Brian Kubovcik as head of studio and senior VFX supervisor and Lindsay Seguin as head of production of executive producer.

Kubovcik is an Emmy-nominated VFX supervisor who joined FuseFX’s New York office in 2015. He’s currently heading VFX at Ava DuVernay’s projects “DMZ” and “Naomi” and previously worked on series including “Pose,” “Invasion,” “The Blacklist,” “The Tick,” “Survive” and “Mr. Robot.”

Seguin has worked at FuseFX’s New York office since its inception in 2014. She also worked on “Mr. Robot” and served in prominent roles at other projects such as “When They See Us,” “Invasion,” “The Blacklist,” “Luke Cage” and “American Made.”

“Brian and Lindsay have been with FuseFX for a long time, providing leadership at our studio in New York,” said FuseFX founder and CEO David Altenau. “Having a couple of established veterans that have been forged in the crucible of the New York market take the reins in Atlanta gives me great confidence about the amazing team they are going to build there, and the world-class visual effects they will produce. This is a well deserved opportunity for both of them to take new leadership roles within FuseFX and lead a new studio location.”

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