During her stint at the BBC, a rite of passage for many British TV execs, Sophie Turner Laing was charged with helping implement former chief Greg Dyke's Making It Happen campaign, a drive to change the culture at the pubcaster. "I still have the yellow card that says, 'Cut the crap,' which Greg gave us all to use," she says. Fifteen years later, Turner Laing is CEO of Endemol Shine Group — and part of a remarkable generation of women in Britain ... Full Story on Variety.com →
Director Bill Condon Talks About His 'Beauty and the Beast' Production Team
Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" earned $1.26 billion at the box office, turning it into the year's most successful movie. Why remake a classic? Director Bill Condon says a big reason was the brilliant score that merited "a new, grown-up approach." The animated version's 1991 score by Ala …
Full Story →
Independent Films Get Big Boost From Awards Season Push
While indies have consistently played a big part in awards seasons over the past two decades, in the rapidly changing production and distribution climate, the studios have been putting a big focus on four-quadrant blockbusters with only a handful of prestige items that they view as awards hop …
Full Story →
Napa Valley Film Festival Rises After Fires Devastate Region
Watching as Northern California's wine country became engulfed by flames that scorched 220,000 acres and claimed the lives of 42 people, Napa Valley Film Festival co-founders and directors Marc and Brenda Lhormer teetered on the brink of canceling this year's fete. "During the first days, we …
Full Story →
