See what's happening in film & TV industries around the world.
Sky Launches Oscars Channel… Sky TV is launching a dedicated Oscars channel from February 11, which will broadcast the 85th Academy Awards live on February 24 as well as showcase a number of Oscar-winning films in the run up to the awards. The deal, which is exclusive to Ireland and the UK, will see Sky Movies Showcase become Sky Movies Oscars, with a 24/7 schedule. The channel will show 10 of last year’s Oscar-winning features including ‘The Artist’, and previous winners including ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘The King’s Speech’. Seth MacFarlane will host this year’s Oscars on Sunday, February 24.
BBC Signs New Four-Year Deal With Glastonbury Festival… The BBC will stream live coverage from all the main stages at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, in the same style as the Olympics coverage. The streams will be made available on desktop, mobile, tablet and connected TVs. Acting director general Tim Davie said: “Our ambition this year is to offer music fans unprecedented coverage of live music. We will bring BBC audiences closer to the music they love by offering a full performance or festival-goer experience for those who can’t be there.” Prior to this, BBC offered Sky customers the option to switch stages by using the red button option.
‘Belle’ Is First Motion Picture To Shoot On Sony F65 CineAlta… British feature film ‘Belle’, a period drama based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of John Lindsay, a captain in the Royal Navy, was shot in the Isle of Man, London, Oxford and Pinewood, with ‘Harry Potter’ actor Tom Felton, Emily Watson and Miranda Richardson, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw playing Belle. The period drama is scheduled for UK release next year through CinemaNX. DoP Ben Smithard said: “The F65 represents a big step for the future of filmmaking. The amount of detail and colour it captures is breathtaking. I wanted the audience to feel the beauty of the 4K images and be involved in the story, and the F65 made that a reality. It really is a camera for the future and I plan to use it again on future film projects.”
If You Watch One Trailer Today… Disney’s latest animated feature, ‘Wreck-It Ralph’, is released in Irish cinemas on February 8. With script and voice over work from ‘Step Brothers’ actor John C Reilly, with additional cast made up of comic actors Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman and Jack McBrayer, this adventure comedy follows a video game villain who sets out to fulfil his dream of being a hero.
