In this week’s episode, Rebecca, Russ, and Shawn touch on Studio Movie Grill’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy announcement, new restrictions—including, in some cases, closures—among European cinemas and what the slate holds for Q4 2020.
Rebecca and Russ talk to Lela Meadow-Conner, the Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance (FFA) — a collaborative global community for mission-driven film festivals, about the effect of the shutdown on the fall festival scene, virtual programmings of local festivals, and how festivals can work together with their exhibitor partners.
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What to Listen For
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:42 Don't forget to take the survey!
- 01:03 What we will discuss today
- 01:29 Studio Movie Grill announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- 04:04 Some European cinemas face closure
- 05:19 Other regions in Europe are dealing with restrictions, some are enforcing curfews
- 07:32 Freaky and Croods are the major releases until December
- 10:28 Ghostbusters pushed to June next year
- 11:19 Christmas time still packed with movie releases
- 13:46 Who's excited to see Wonder Woman?
- 15:04 Regional film festivals are still promoting movies
- 16:02 The effect of COVID shutdown on the fall festival circuit
- 17:32 The innovations by the festival circuit
- 19:51 The importance of the audience as a stakeholder in festivals
- 21:19 Volunteers make up the core of every film festivals
- 24:39 The future of relationships between festivals, physical theaters, and distributors
- 27:31 What's the point of festivals for filmmakers?
- 29:39 Film festivals have this trusted curatorial voice
- 31:32 Marketing timeline has changed, catching people's attention is the key
- 33:58 A lot of festivals still have good programming
- 35:44 Inviting everyone to join the quick survey!
