Bankable talent needed for feature projects, say industry experts
May 13, 2018 | “If you can structure your project the right way, it releases pressure off the marketplace, which has never been harder. We’re no longer competing within film for talent, we’re competing with over 700 scripted TV shows,” said Mike Gabrawy, chief creative officer at Arclight Films on the talent shortage in the independent film space, at the annual International Finance Forum presented by Winston Baker on May 11.
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Taika Waititi lights up Cannes Film Financing Forum
May 12, 2018 | At the annual International Finance Forum presented by Winston Baker at the Carlton Hotel on May 11, Paul Dano, whose directorial debut Wildlife opened Critics’ Week, and Taika Waititi, director of Hunt For The Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, kicked off the afternoon in a talk moderated by Screen International contributing editor Wendy Mitchell.
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Cannes: Taika Waititi Talks 'Bubbles,' 'What We Do in the Shadows' Spinoff and 'Thor'
May 11, 2018 | Taika Waititi stopped by the Croisette on Friday to discuss several of his upcoming projects, while describing his time on undoubtedly the biggest film of his career to date.
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Taika Waititi and Paul Dano to Keynote at Winston Baker's International Film Finance Forum on May 11
May 7, 2018 | Winston Baker will host its annual conference in Cannes with Award-Winning Director Taika Waititi, Award-Winning Actor Paul Dano and other special guests as they celebrate ten years of producing entertainment industry events around the world.
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MoviePass CEO Addresses Privacy Concerns, Says App Has Never Monitored Users’ Locations
March 12, 2018 | MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said he misspoke at a recent industry conference in describing the kinds of data the company tracks on its users — and he emphasized that the startup will always allow customers to opt in to location-based marketing offers in the future...
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NEON assembling platform to distribute documentaries (exclusive)
March 12,2018 | NEON is in the early stages of putting together a programme to support what co-founder Tom Quinn referred to as the “sustainable theatrical release” of documentaries...read more
20 May, 2017 | By Geoffrey Macnab | US producer and director delivered a keynote at the festival today. In his keynote address at the Winston Baker Film Financing Forum today (May 19), an ebullient Brett Ratner revealed just how he rescued Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar winner The Revenant when it went over budget; why he will soon be returning to directing; his plans to enter the TV business in a major way; and why he thinks VR is ideal for porn. Ratner isn’t just a filmmaker whose own movies have grossed over $2bn. He’s also a prolific... read more
by Anthony D’Alessandro | May 19, 2017 5:57am | Brigitte Lacombe “My dream as a kid was to make movies and I never imagined I’d have my own company and business,” filmmaker Brett Ratner said today about his film finance label RatPac Entertainment. The comments came during Winston Baker’s eighth annual Cannes Film Finance Forum. Since launching RatPac five years ago, Ratner is an anomaly in the business, a savior not just for the major studios but more so for filmmakers when their films are in need of cash — read Alejandro González... read more
Dealmaker Spotlight: Susan Williams
Susan Zuckerman Williams, Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLP Susan Zuckerman Williams is a force of nature. As one of the most influential entertainment lawyers in America, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Ms. Williams routinely advises clients on the financing, investing and distribution arrangements for motion pictures, television and new media. Over the past several years she has handled more than $2 billion in transaction value, including major independent production companies involved in complex distribution and co-financing agreements... read more
Access to the marketplace is no longer exclusive. And as a result, filmmakers can get their films in popular marketplaces without a traditional distributor. What does this mean for traditional movie buyers and sellers? And how are the top dealmakers surviving and thriving in this rapidly changing marketplace? Learn more about the panelists who will be joining our discussion at Cannes to address these critical questions. Tamara Birkemoe, President and Chief Operating Officer, Foresight Unlimited Tamara Birkemoe serves as President and... read more
LOS ANGELES, April 28, 2016 | PRNewswire | Winston Baker, the leading global producer of film finance conferences, will be presenting the 7th Annual International Film Finance Forum and addressing the theme of “Exploring Global Strategies for Film Financing, Risk Mitigation and New Distribution Avenues” on May 13, 2016 at the InterContinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France. The notable speaking faculty will include keynote conversations with David Linde, Chief Executive Officer of Participant Media and Stuart Ford, Founder... read more
Global strategies for film financing and distribution tackled at Cannes
by Birgit Heidsiek | 18/05/2015 | CANNES 2015: The Annual International Film Finance Forum brought together leading producers, financiers, distributors and sales agents At the sixth Annual International Film Finance Forum in Cannes, which was presented by Winston Baker, speakers addressed global strategies for film financing and distribution in the on-demand era but also offered some advice for producers. Danish director Lone Scherfig (An Education [+]) pointed out in her opening speech that she doesn’t like traditional test screenings.... read more
Finance panel: Friends in high places
16 May, 2015 | By Geoffrey Macnab | Billionaires in the film business are given a bad rap. That was the consensus from a panel with the provocative title, Is It Real Movie Money Or Just Another Big Yacht Passing?, at the 6th Annual Winston Baker Film Finance Forum on Friday afternoon in Cannes. A high level panel including Micah Green, Co-head Film Finance and Sales Group CAA, Mark Hutchison, Partner NKSFB and Bill Lischak, Co-President, Oddlot Entertainment, pointed to the transformative role played by “high net worth individuals” in today’s... read more
CANNES: Top Executives Demystify China’s Growing Film Market
MAY 15, 2015 | 11:34AM PT | Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Demystifying China’s growing film market was the key task of senior executives assembled Friday in Cannes at a finance summit conference. The annual event is organized by Winston Baker and sponsored by Variety. “China’s BO market potential is a mystery, but the way that the system operates is not,” said Jeffrey Chan, COO of Bona Film Group. “With the exception of the import quota, the distribution system is basically the same as everywhere else.” Producer David U. Lee, head of Leeding... read more
Winston Baker Announces Lineup for International Film Finance Forum in Cannes
Seth Kelley @SethMKelley Variety Winston Baker has unveiled the lineup for its sixth annual International Film Finance Forum, sponsored in part by Variety, to coincide with the 68th Cannes Film Festival. The forum, which takes place on May 15 at the Carlton hotel in Cannes, will feature top entertainment industry professionals including directors, producers, financiers, agents and executives. Featured events during the half-day program include a panel on digital strategies and a director’s keynote panel with Lone Scherfig (“An Education,”... read more
Winston Baker Celebrates Seven Years and Hosts Top Producers at Film Finance Forum in Cannes
Los Angeles – (Broadcasting & Cable: The Wire) – May 5, 2015 – Today, Winston Baker, the leading global producer of entertainment finance conferences, celebrates its seventh anniversary and has announced their “6th Annual International Film Finance Forum” lineup. Winston Baker will host this momentous event on May 15, 2015, during the 68th Festival de Cannes at the prestigious Carlton Hotel located on the Boulevard de La Croisette in Cannes, France. “One of our recent keynotes, John Sloss, the founder of Cinetic Media, said it... read more
