Over the last twenty years the annual fall film festival circuit has become the unofficial launching pad for movies looking to be seriously considered during awards season. Nobody was certain, however, how such festivals could be held amidst a global pandemic. Especially those whose jobs it is to produce and program such major events.
As the director of the New York Film Festival Eugene Hernandez had to not only watch movies and convince filmmakers to show them, he also had to research digital platforms for a virtual festival and prove to everyone from Disney to Apple that they could trust a new digital platform to do virtual screenings for critics and audiences, all while figuring out a safe way to show movies – at drive ins – and ultimately decide whether the festival should actually happen.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Hollywood Reporter and Variety now share owners, which new musical is planning to open on the shuttered West End in London and why CBS is licensing certain shows to Netflix.

58th New York Film Festival
https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2020/
New York Film Festival Chiefs on Moving Forward During COVID-19: ‘Nothing Was the Same’
https://variety.com/2020/film/markets-festivals/new-york-film-festival-chief-covid-19-1234787942/
‘Tenet’ Now At $41.2M In Domestic Pandemic Marketplace That Is Starving For Business & Tentpole Movies
https://deadline.com/2020/09/tenet-weekend-box-office-domestic-christopher-nolan-1234585917/
‘Tenet’ Crosses $280 Million Worldwide, Leads Mild U.S. Box Office With $3.4 Million
https://variety.com/2020/film/box-office/box-office-tenet-worldwide-1234784811/
BAFTA Sets Wide-Ranging Rule Changes To Boost Diversity In Film Awards; Directing & Acting Categories Tweaked, Membership To Expand
https://deadline.com/2020/09/bafta-film-awards-rule-changes-diversity-female-directors-membership-voting-1234583390/
Macmillan Ups Baseline Salary to $42K
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/84456-macmillan-ups-baseline-salary-to-42k.html
‘Pretty Little Liars’ Reboot Ordered to Series at HBO Max
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/pretty-little-liars-reboot-ordered-to-series-at-hbo-max
‘Evil’ & ‘Unicorn’ Headed To Netflix In One-Year Licensing Deal By CBS TV Studios Aimed At Finding New Audiences
https://deadline.com/2020/09/evil-unicorn-netflix-in-one-year-licensing-deal-cbs-tv-studios-1234581581/
Why Isn’t Evan Rachel Wood’s ‘Once and Again’ Available to Stream?