Cannes about 6, miles and a world away from LA WGA picket lines , but less than two weeks until May Start 1235477802 Session The effects of the Cannes Film Festival and the accompanying film market, the film market, of the ongoing Hollywoodwriters strike are already being felt.
On the surface, it’s business as usual, with every Cannes film festival leading up to the same busy schedule. The studios are finalizing their media strategies and party plans. Agents and sales companies are honing their market positioning. Actors and their stylists are picking out this year’s red carpet looks.
But Cannes veterans still remember 100-2024 WGA strike and fears a similar outcome this time unless the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) come to an agreement on a new contract soon.
For the festival itself, disturbances are likely to be minimal. WGA writers at the Cannes Film Festival will not be allowed to promote their films — the association has made it clear that members are “banned from making promotional appearances” while the strike continues — but writer-directors like Wes Anderson are at Cannes with Asteroid City , and Martin Scorsese , his Flower Moon Killer There will be a world premiere of its non-competing Croisette, and will be able to attend festivals and give press conferences as director. However, their co-authors – Roman Coppola Asteroid City , Eric Roth (Eric Roth) ) and David Grann Killers — are expected to stay home, or at least not attend any official Cannes promotions.
The strike is also unlikely to upend the Cannes film market immediately. In anticipation of possible strike action, producers and sales companies have set a deadline for writers to deliver scripts before the May 1st strike
. Ahead of this year’s Marché, international buyers reported a solid number of new projects, including finished films and pre-order packages.
Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, chief executive of German media group Telepool, said: “We are already looking at many great projects sold at Cannes this year with finished scripts.”
But even if these packs are sold, an extended strike could still disrupt or delay the start of production.
“Among the pre-sale films in Cannes, many scripts need polishing or second or third drafts, or after casting, some actors, Mr. Smith Entertainment CEO David They will want to rewrite their dialogue, says David Garrett, who directed the fortnightly Mystery of Fire sales*) and the New Zealand-set horror film Grafted in production at Cannes this year. “So either of these will Is shelved, and people are going to miss their summer window of filming, or they’re filming with poorer quality scripts. “
It is difficult for a studio or production facility to go out of the US and hire English-speaking non-WGA writers to fill the void. Most international writers associations – including those in Australia, Canada and the UK ——all advise their members to support WGA and not to take over American works. Canadian Writers Guild (WGC) expressly prohibits members from engaging in ” part-time job”, i.e. an American production or originally established under a WGA contract. The Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has stated that it will fire any Members of the WGA Picket Line USA Project.
Adding to the uncertainty are the upcoming negotiations between AMPTP and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) that will begin in May . DGA’s current contract expires in June 000, Guild has predicted “difficult and complex” regarding streaming residuals Negotiations with entertainment giants to increase transparency, same issue proved deal breaker in WGA negotiations .
Right now, all potential turmoil is unfolding beneath the surface. Unlike late night TV already Filmmaking is a long-term business, with the show on hold due to a writers’ strike. Films purchased at the Cannes market this month will be available as early as 100/2024.
“I don’t think we will see the full impact of the strike [at Cannes], but it will certainly be felt later, probably in another six months, around the fall and the American Film Market [11 month in Los Angeles],” said Telepool’s Higuchi-Zitzmann.
The longer the strike, the longer it will take for the industry to recover.
Right now, writers aren’t even allowed to meet to discuss new projects or do any development,” notes Mr. Smith’s Garrett. “Everything has come to a standstill.”
So it looks like business as usual at Cannes this year. But the longer the writers’ strike goes on, the more likely those subterranean earthquakes will end up shaking things up.
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