The Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd has called for U.S. and European countries to strike formal co-production agreements to support indie films and TV shows.
“There are no co-production agreements between U.S. and European countries, so what many of us have done is partner with countries that do have them, like Canada and the UK,” said Hurd at the Audio-Visual Producers Summit in Italy. “That’s what I’ve been doing: putting those pieces together. Can we today move to find legitimnate co-production agreements between the US and European countries?”
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The Valhalla Entertainment founder and Terminator producer revealed she had “struggled for a year” to get distribution for her latest film project last year, in a tough market for indie productions. “Everyone turned us down but we went ahead anywhere because we had supportive financiers who believed in the project and now we’re in distribution,” said the veteran film and TV maker.
Her comments came during the opening panel at the Audio-Visual Producers Summit in Trieste yesterday afternoon, in a panel also including Disney Italy & Turkey Country Manager Daniel Frigo, Little Miss Sunshine producer Albert Berger, former Producers Guild President Gary Lucchesi, Shelby Stone, Lux Video CEO Luca Bernabei and Elseo Entertainment founder Luca Baebareschi.
Indie projects are currently in spotlight after SAG-AFTRA this week granted exemptions, or waivers, to a number of them, including faith-based TV drama The Chosen and A24 films Mother Mary and Death of Unicorn. This is provided they are “truly” independent projects not affiliated in any to the AMPTP and that their producers agree to be bound retroactively to whatever contract terms eventually are achieved with the AMPTP when the strike is settled.
Several international production sources we’ve heard from here in Italy and Europe over the past few days are focusing on how they can attract indie U.S. partners to indie projects that could meet those guidelines. Many projects are hampered by SAG-AFTRA’s Global Rule One, which stops many actors with SAG cards working on non-unionized productions around the world, but some producers have idenitfied short window of opportunity to land work while the U.S. sorts out its labor issues. We hear the number of meetings between major European and American content makers has shot up since the actors strike began.
During in the AVP Summit session, Hurd said she hoped the eventual agreements between the writers and actors unions and the AMPTP “do not make TV and film smaller and preclude the artistic vision” — essentially leading to terms that further polarize big-budget projects and indie productions.
Lucchesi, the former President of the Producers Guild and its currently International Committee Chair, later offered a novel solution to the LA labor strikes. “Nobody’s asking if producers might be a good intermediary voice for WGA and SAG,” he said. Many producers have been agents, have held [senior] positions and know how to speak to people. We are problem solvers, at the end of the day — every day we’re trying to solve the problem.
Challenge for indies
Elsewhere during the AVP Summit session, several panellists praised the standard of recent indie films such as Aftersun and Academy Award winner Everything Everywhere All at Once, but warned many could not possibly cut through in a world of “vertical integration.”
“The problem is most artful films aren’t being given a chance to be seen on cinemas and the marketing is dismal,” said Hollywood producer Berger. “Covid got people out the habit [of going to the cinema] and streamers have filled the void for that more adult, dramatic material.”
He called for more local cinemas that cater to local film fans. “We need directors and actors to turn up where they can,” he said. “We need to create a conversation about these movies again. I hope that through this kind of dialogue we can find new ways to get them back into theaters.”
Disney’s Frigo countered, saying he had “never seen better marketing than today, whether its blockbusters and indies,” and adding: “It’s just never been more competitive and that is tough for everybody.”
Frigo called on the Italian industry to focus on drawing up guidelines for streamer content quotas and to be careful to “create an overabundance” of content.
Hurd said many international films were simply unavailable to most consumers. “Film festivals have picked up the slack but if you’re not in a city with a big festival, you’re denied that opportunity and many aren’t even exposed through streaming,” she added.
Berger, who is CEO of Bona Fide Productions, said his company’s recent features had been made outside the studio system, but warned it is getting “harder and harder because it’s difficult to find a foothold in the distribution system.”
He suggested international partnerships were the solution. “It’s not easy to market to independent audiences. We really need to rethink what we do and we need to reinvent the way these films are marketed. The wonderful thing about the market is international is so important. We can find ways to work together — lord knows we’re always looking for ways to get out of LA.”
The panellists were first up at the AVP Summit in Trieste, which is being held for the second time in northeast of Italy. Execs from CAA, Kinetic Content and Fifth Season are taking the stage in the next two says. Netflix and Prime Video’s Italian arms are also presenting, along with pubcaster RAI.
The AVP Summitis organised by Cinecittà for the General Direction Cinema and Audiovisual (DGCA) of the Ministry of Culture in association with APA, with the support of MiC, MAECI| Italian Trade Agency, Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region and Promo Turismo FVG and FVG Film Commission. The Motion Picture Association and Producers Guild of America have also helped with the organization, along with France’s CNC and Unifrance.
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