International Insider: L.A. Wildfires; ‘Pérez’ Sweeps Up At The Globes; BBC Funding Woes

Good afternoon Insiders. The first international newsletter of the year is delivered in sad circumstances following the devastating wildfires ripping through L.A., impacting friends, colleagues and the industry. Max Goldbart here with more on that below plus the rest of the week’s news. Sign up here.

L.A. Wildfires

Apocalyptic scenes: The scenes in LA over the past few days conjure images straight out of a Hollywood movie. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the devastating wildfires sweeping across the state. They’ve impacted many of our brave West Coast colleagues, who have nonetheless been working around the clock to keep the industry updated with the latest info. This is an incredibly fast-moving story but as Insider goes to press we are into day three of the fires. They continue to rage in four areas, hundreds of thousands of people been displaced and the death toll currently stands at 10, while the national guard has just been deployed to prevent looting. Huge stars have been severely impacted, losing homes and possessions, while multiple events and nomination parties as we enter awards season have been canceled or postponed. Most recently, pieces of Hollywood history such as the Altadena mansion seen in Max’s award-winning comedy series Hacks have been destroyed, coming after the show’s star Jean Smart urged TV networks set to televise upcoming awards shows to forego telecasts and instead donate revenue to victims. The wildfires have dominated news coverage around the globe and the bravery of the firefighters tackling the multiple blazes is being recognized the world over. Here’s to a calmer week next week. All our coverage can be found here.

‘Pérez’ Sweeps Up At The Globes

“The light always wins”: Before the fires started, the Golden Globes took place Sunday and as ever there was plenty international interest. This was led by the success of Emilia Perezthe bold and brazen Spanish-language musical crime drama that is France’s entry in this year’s Oscar race. The film won Best Picture – Musical or Comedy, giving it a leading four wins and a sure spot in the conversation for the Best Picture Oscar. Lead Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly trans woman to be nominated for (and to win) a Globe, delivered an impassioned speech, concluding “the light always wins over darkness.” That felt apt given the natural disaster that was set to befall L.A. just 48 hours later. Meanwhile, Brazilian star Fernanda Torres scooped a surprise Best Female Actor award, buzzy Latvian animation Flow won out against big-budget American hits and Netflix’s Baby Reindeer secured two TV gongs, with creator Richard Gadd urging commissioners around the world to keep some budget back “for the little person to tell their story” (smartly, the telecast then cut to Ted Sarandos nodding sagely). Views on the success of the actual event felt mixed, with host Nikki Glaser earning plaudits and looking set for a payday when the next Globes comes around. Our Baz was in the room for us and his rundown gives a fascinating insight into what went down while he simultaneously revealed a nifty Ariana DeBose-shaped news nugget. “I was trying to work out why there was so little spark — aside from when Demi Moore won — in the room Sunday night,” reads Baz’s dispatch. “Could it have been something to do with several tables, where seats were going for a reported $10,000 a pop, filled with people who had little to do with the entertainment industry, and precious little to do with the shows and films in the running?” As we well know, Baz doesn’t pull punches. If you’re going to read one piece of Globes analysis, read this.

Where’s The Money?

“Multiple shows they can’t fund”: Richard Gadd’s challenge to TV commissioners may well have been heard echoing through the walls of BBC HQ, but things are not plain sailing at present for the UK’s oldest broadcaster. Black Doves producer Jane Featherstone had pulses running Tuesday when she pretty much out of nowhere told the UK’s inquiry into high-end TV and film that the BBC has a number of scripted shows on its slate that it “can’t fund” (she quickly clarified this is through “no fault” of the BBC). Featherstone’s feeling is that Americans have all but ceased putting co-pro money into British drama, leaving numerous shows stuck at ‘soft greenlight’ stage, without a large portion of the funding required to complete the financing puzzle. Shortly after, Jake revealed that Featherstone was one of a number of the UK’s most decorated drama producers invited to a gathering with BBC bosses Tim Davie and Charlotte Moore late last year, in which financing woes sat top of the agenda. “The drama funding gap has become the problem of our age. It is utterly unsustainable and extraordinary,” said a producer. Watch this space.

French Entertainment Calendar Gets Going

Selling ‘The Affair’: Big week incoming in the French entertainment calendar with the Unifrance Rendez-Vous and newly-renamed Paris TV Screenings both taking place in the French capital in the coming days. On Wednesday, Mel had the skinny on the Goodfellas’ slate. Basking in its Golden Globes-inspired glow, the slate features a movie from Emilia Perez outfit Why Not Productions about a pianist who returns to France after a long personal exile, where an encounter with a child who looks just like him leads him to the woman he once loved. The Affair comes from Arnaud Desplechin and features Charlotte Rampling and Hippolyte Girardot. It is one of half a dozen pics on Goodfella’s slate, coming after the storied outfit merged with Rectangle Productions right at the backend of last year — a merger that had been in the offing since the summer. The Rendez-Vous will take place concurrent with the Paris TV Screenings in the capital, with the great and good of the sales world world gathering to tout their wares and talk shop. Watch out for Jesse’s analysis of the TV event later on, while Mel will be on the ground next week.

Trudeau Out

Expected but still out the blue: It had been coming, but there was still an element of surprise. Rumors of Justin Trudeau’s resignation had been swirling since the shock resignation of his finance minister in December but a hastily-assembled presser Monday during which he delivered the fatal news still felt out the blue. Trudeau has been Canadian Prime Minister for almost a decade. While things started so well, and this fresh-faced, handsome leader was touted as one of the most promising in the free world, Trudeau’s tenure was ultimately beset by issues surrounding ethics probes, economics and backstabbings. In our world, his government was eventually able to pass an Online Streaming Act, which attempts to reckon with the tech giants, but carving out space for Canadian cultural growth distinct from its southern neighbor has been tricky. Living up to his father, Canadian liberal hero Pierre Trudeau, was always going to be a tough ask, and something that many feel Justin never quite accomplished (to differing degrees, depending on who you ask). Thoughts now turn to Trudeau’s successor, with Conservative opponent Pierre Poilievre the favorite, although general elections won’t take place for some time. In the meantime, one of America’s closest allies has just lost one of its longest-serving leaders as a certain someone prepares to re-enter the White House.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: The BBC and Studio Lambert have been called out over the hit show’s Scottish roots, leading to a healthy debate around UK production.

🌶️ Very Hot: Polish crime drama Śleboda set a SkyShowtime record.

🏕️ Festivals latest: Thomas Vinterburg and Julie Delpy are set for honorary awards at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

🏆 Awards: The European Film Awards set Athens as its 39th ceremony venue.

🤝 Done deal: Oscar-winning outfit Voltage Pictures has taken a majority stake in The Exchange, which has been restructured.

📉 Slowdown: UK agency Independent Talent’s profits were hit by the 2023 strikes amid ongoing sale chatter.

🏪 Shutting up shop: Watford & Essex, following the end of its JV with Legendary Entertainment.

🍿 Box office: The Italian box office softened by just 0.4% in 2024 for an overall gross of $508M.

🎤 The big interview: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl auteur Rungano Nyoni detailed to Zac the difficulties of shooting in Africa with UK money.

🕯️ RIP: The Vivienne, the debut winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and performer of one of the most iconic Donald Trump impressions of all time.

🎞️ Trailer: For The Last Swim, Sasha Nathwani’s feature debut.

This week’s International Insider was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Jesse Whittock.