AUDIENCE RECORDS
The 2023 Glastonbury Festival has broken previous digital audience records for viewing and listening on the BBC, with content streamed a record 50.3 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, up 47% on 2022. On BBC iPlayer, viewers streamed Glastonbury programming a record 47.5 million times, up 49% on 2022. On BBC Sounds, listeners played Glastonbury content 2.8 million times, up 26% on 2022.
On BBC iPlayer, the Glastonbury live channel was the most popular, with Elton John‘s farewell U.K. performance on Sunday topping the charts after it was streamed 4.3 times. Saturday’s live channel came second, with 3.8 million streams and Friday’s third with 3.2 million streams. Live coverage from the Pyramid and The Other Stage followed with 2.1 million and 1.9 million streams.
On BBC Sounds, “Zoe Ball – Live from Worthy Farm” was the chart topper with its content that included live performances from Texas and Olivia Dean, chats with Fatboy Slim, Basil Brush and Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis and Joe Wicks leading a workout. This was followed by “Dermot O’Leary – Live from Glastonbury,” “Radio 1 Dance,” “Jo Whiley – Live from Glastonbury” and “Craig Charles: The Farm before the Storm.”
FESTIVAL
The U.K. premiere of Babak Jalali’s Sundance and SXSW title “Fremont” will close this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film turns on troubled 20-something Donya, played by former TV journalist Anaita Wali Zada, who, like her character in the film, was forced to flee Afghanistan. Donya is an Afghan translator whose work for the U.S. Government has led to her becoming lost and adrift in the titular Californian town. Donya takes a new job writing the fortunes at a fortune cookie factory and as her messages begin to be read by those throughout the city, her growing sense of longing drives her to send a more profound statement out to the world.
The festival runs Aug. 18-23.
SHORT FILMS
Creative agency Intermission Film has revealed the roster of shorts supported as part of NEXT UP The Intermission Short Film Fund, launched last year, offering selected filmmakers the support of leading industry creatives to produce or finish their shorts.
Directed by Dominic Leclerc (“Sex Education”), BFI-funded “All The Lights Still Burning” – starring Antonio Aakeel (“Slow Horses”) and Danyal Ismail (“The Outrun”) as two Bradford-Pakistani men with a past who reconnect one night – was selected for Get It Finished: The Finishing Fund, which provides a full post-production package, with support from post-production company Splice. The package includes a full conform, grade, sound mix, an online and offline edit and marketing materials. Ellie Rogers’ LGBTQ short “Chickenshit” also received support as part of the fund.
In addition, Myah Jeffers’ “Bathsheba,” Cherish Oteka’s “Free Lyric” and Tara Aghdashloo’s “Empty Your Pockets” have been selected for thee Get it Shot: The Production Fund that offers filmmakers the opportunity to make new work supported by leading industry creatives.
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Manish Saini‘s “Giddh” (“The Scavenger”), produced by Ellanar films and co-produced by Amdavad Films, has won the Asia International Competition at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, with Sanjay Mishra (Busan title “Kaamyaab”) winning best actor. The film’s win makes it eligible to compete at the Oscars. The film has previously played at the USA Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival and the Carmarthen Bay International Film Festival.
MEDAL WINNER
Philippines-based actor-producer and now film financier Liza Diño was last week awarded the title of Chevalier in l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. The award is in recognition of Dino’s contributions to the film industry and an unwavering dedication to fostering cultural exchange between the Philippines, France, and the rest of the world. Until last year, Dino was chairperson and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
The presentation took place on Friday at the French Ambassador’s residence in Makati City, Philippines. It was attended by a mixture of talent (Brillante Mendoza, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Bibeth Orteza, and Mark Meily, actresses Angel Aquino, Bela Padilla, RR Herrera, and Raquel Villavicencio, filmmakers and producers Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Ambassadors Luc Veron of the European Union, and Laure Beaufils of the U.K. and government leaders. She and her partner now head a film financing venture Fire and Ice Media and Productions.
FESTIVAL SELECTION
The New Zealand International Film Festival, which kicks off in Auckland, before traveling around the country, has announced an Auckland program (July 19-Aug. 6) featuring129 full-length films and seven short film collections.
The local selection includes Alice Englert’s “Bad Behaviour,” Robin Greenberg’s “Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams and Annie Goldson’s “Red Mole: A Romance.”
The masters section includes Christian Petzold’s “Afire,” Berlin winner “On The Adamant” and Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears.” The Big Night section includes Cannes-winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves” and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Circus.”
The largest section, Widescreen, includes Laha Mebow’s “Gaga,” Giacomo Abbruzzese’ “Disco Boy,” Goran Stolevski’s “Of an Age,” Wei Shujun’s “only the River Flows,” Chie Hayakawa’s “Plan 75,” Anthony Shim’s “Riceboy Sleeps, and Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.”
The Incredibly Strange section includes Kumakiri Kazuyoshi’s “#Manhole,” Soda Jerk’s “Hello Dankness” and Higuchi Shinji’s “Shin Ultraman.”
