May 2020

U.K. cinemas won’t be reopening sooner than July 4, according to new coronavirus recovery guidance put out by the government on Monday afternoon.

The 60-page document, entitled “Our Plan to Rebuild,” sets out that cinemas are part of a “high-risk” group of businesses that will be the last to reopen from July 4 onwards.

In Step Three of the plan, cinemas and other “leisure facilities” will be able to open alongside personal care businesses such as hairdressers and beauty salons; hospitality venues such as food service providers, pubs and accommodation; and public places such as places of worship.

All businesses will need to meet the government’s COVID-19 Secure guidelines for their respective sectors, which are expected to be unveiled this week. However, even after July 4, it is not guaranteed that all venues will be able to open.

“Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to re-open safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part,” reads the government plan. “Nevertheless, the government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows.”

The government, which first hinted at the timeline for cinemas in an address by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday night, has also said it will “carefully phase and pilot re-openings” to test a venue’s ability to adhere to new guidelines.

Last week, Variety revealed that exhibitors and industry orgs such as the U.K. Cinema Association (UKCA), which represents more than 90% of the U.K.’s cinema operators, were proposing a late June reopening date to the government.

That proposal, however, drew concern among some in the industry and particularly small independent operators, who are anxious about an uneven playing ground between themselves and big multiplexes such as Vue and Odeon, which have the resources to open up sooner.

The UKCA on Monday suggested it was satisfied with the July 4 date, despite its confidence that the country’s cinemas will be prepared to reopen ahead of this time.

UKCA chief executive Phil Clapp told Variety: “We have made clear to the U.K. government — and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — that, on the basis of our understanding of the safeguards that will need to be in place before cinemas can safely open, most venues will be ready to do so by the end of June. Today’s suggestion that this might be considered around 4 July is therefore welcome.

“But we recognize that there are a host of wider public health considerations which mean that that may not be possible, and we will of course respond accordingly. Whenever cinemas are able once again to re-open, it is clear that all venues will need continued government support until such time as business returns to something approaching normal levels of activity.”

Source: variety.com

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It’s been one year since Film Birmingham launched its ShortFuse film night to celebrate the filmmaking talent of the West Midlands.

We’re celebrating with an online film discussion with the award-winning team behind “Beverley”, a short film which unites a host of British talent in a gritty, stylish coming-of-age story. With 2-Tone music as the cultural backdrop to the film, the journey of Beverley (Skins star Laya Lewis)  from ghetto to suburbia symbolises the death of one chapter in British history and the birth of another. Beverley also stars This is England’s BAFTA winning actress Vicky McClure, and Sennia Nanua. Register here.

Director Alexander Thomas (The UnDream, Entropy) works with producer Cass Pennant, and the two will join our online Q&A, taking questions from the public.

‘Beverley’ Synopsis

Beverley follows a mixed race girl’s struggle to carve out a sense of identity in a confusing, shifting cultural landscape – 1980 Leicester. A move from the decaying, poverty-stricken, urban environment to the relative comfort and theoretical safety of white suburbia does not provide the hope and opportunities Bev may have wished for. A familiar enemy is ever present – a threat that extends beyond her own safety, as she must also protect her brother and sister. By asserting her will and using her guile Bev tries to shape her new environment into something palatable, but the result is the opposite of what she is trying to achieve.

Cast: Sennia Nanua, Vicky McClure, Corey Trevor, Laya Lewis, King Sounds, Neville Staple, Christine Staple, Winston Ellis

Join the event

RSVP to this virtual event here to keep updated on this Q&A. You are invited to watch the film here and tune in with your comments and questions on May 26th, at 7pm. You can also send the questions beforehand to shortfuse@filmbirmingham.co.uk with “Beverley Q&A” in the subject line.

About ShortFuse

In our bi-monthly evenings at Mockingbird Cinema & Kitchen, we’ve screened award-winning and emerging films, with special filmmaker Q&A sessions. ShortFuse accepts submissions for our film nights on an ongoing basis. If you would like to have your film featured among our future screened shorts, please see more info.

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Films that premiere online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will be eligible for the European Film Awards (EFAs) for the first time.

In an “exceptional” change to the rules, the European Film Academy will also shift the date by which a film should have premiered from May 31 to November 30, 2020. This is under the condition right-holders agree to make the film available on the EFA VoD platform for the 3,800 film professionals across Europe who vote for the nominations and award recipients. It will mean films that would have debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, which was due to start today (May 12), will remain eligible if they line up a premiere before the end of November.

Previously, the rules stated the official screening of a film should take place at a festival or cinema between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020. However, the closure of theatres around the world as a result of the Covid-19 crisis has seen several films bypass the cinema and debut on VoD platforms.

EFA chairman Mike Downey said of the rule change: “We cannot ignore the dramatic changes the pandemic has brought to the film industry. Many premieres had to be rescheduled, postponed or moved online. We are therefore exceptionally changing the eligibility rules for the EFAs 2020 to allow those films that could not premiere as planned to still be recognised. One thing remains sure, the European Film Academy remains committed to European cinema and its creators… Hopefully, we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.”

This year’s 33^rd European Film Awards will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland on December 12 and submissions are now open, with an entry deadline of May 31.

Last year’s awards took place in Berlin and saw Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite win eight prizes, including best film.

Source: www.screendaily.com

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Film and television production in the UK are permitted to restart providing all involved abide by social distancing guidelines, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed to Screen.

The change comes as part of the government’s latest guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic, which include the instruction “All workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open.”

Workplaces that do reopen – including screen productions – should “ensure employees can maintain a two-metre distance from others, and wash their hands regularly”, according to the Covid-19 guidelines on the government’s website.

The full Covid-19 Secure guidelines will be published later this week, and productions will have to comply fully with them to be allowed to restart.

Additionally, the industry-wide consultation on new filming protocols and insurance issues is due to close this Friday, May 15.

The news that productions can restart within guidelines will be a welcome boost to the UK industry. All physical film production has been shut down since the country went into lockdown on March 23.

“The government is working closely with the screen sector to understand how different types of productions can comply with social distancing guidelines, and give confidence to people in the TV and film industries that there are safe ways in which they can return to work,” a DCMS spokesperson told Screen.

Source: www.screendaily.com

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