Adapting to the 4IR era, in which the world is now conducting business, and leading up to the end of 2020, TBOF embraces the 4IR environment and will publish 'POP UP bites' and weekly NEWSBITES covering selected stories from independent individuals in film and television worldwide. The 4IR business environment is where the physical and virtual interconnect and coexist. It is the fusion of the digital, biological, and physical worlds, as well as the growing utilization of new technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Whilst experts argue it 'dehumanizes,' conversely it also offers the better use of TIME as society evolves following COVID-19. It is the economic, environmental and industrial product of the 21st century information revolution. 
Recognizing The Isley Brothers'
Seminal Importance In American Music
The Isley Brothers: Fight The Power (pictured) from Toronto-based Storyline Entertainment has been selected as one of seven Canadian music documentary projects to be funded by the inaugural Hot Docs Slaight Family Fund. Producer Ed Barreveld of Storyline Entertainment says: “We’re thrilled to be the recipient of development financing from Hot Docs Slaight Family Fund for Fight the Power, despite The Isleys’ long and storied career and their seminal importance in American music. The band has been for the most part overlooked, and with Fight the Power we aim to give them the recognition they so richly deserve.” Barreveld continued: “We’ve got an extraordinary team with diverse skill sets working on the film that include three time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Sam Pollard at the helm, and former BBC exec Nick Ware and former Fox Music president and Oscar nominee Robert Kraft, as my fellow producers.” About Storyline Entertainment: Working with both established and emerging filmmakers, partnering with Canadian and international broadcasters, and supported by both government and private funders, Storyline’s films provoke discussion and action, stir emotion and awareness, and entertain global audiences. It is a documentary film and television production company that has been creating award-winning films since 2000.
Worldwide Distributors Are Walking With Herb
Presented By Pure Flix/Quality Flix At AFM
Walking with Herb starring Edward James Olmos, Kathleen Quinlan and George Lopez (pictured l-r) from Optimism Entertainment/Rio Road Entertainment is represented worldwide by Pure Flix/Quality Flix headed by Ron Gell, VP of International Sales & Distribution. In a joint statement by Brian Espinosa & Ross Marks, they say: “The opportunity to work with a company like Pure Flix/Quality Flix is a great pleasure. When it comes to inspirational content, Pure Flix is synonymous with many great successes. We worked diligently to create a film that we are extremely proud of, and are excited about this collaboration with them. They are the perfect partner to help us share it with a world audience.” Ron Gell says: “We’re excited to bring this new theatrical comedy to all of our international partners at AFM. This film has the rare combination of great writing, great directing, a great cast and a feel good story. It has tremendous international potential for everyone looking for a charming and heartwarming story, something everyone worldwide needs right now!” Walking with Herb will be released by Optimism Entertainment and Rio Road Entertainment theatrically in the US March 2021.
Walking with Herb is directed by Ross Marks and written by Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Mark Medoff. The film stars: Academy Award Nominees Edward James Olmos and Kathleen Quinlan, George Lopez, Billy Boyd, and Christopher McDonald. The uplifting, inspirational comedy follows Joe’s (Edward James Olmos) incredible journey from relative obscurity to competing in The World Championship Golf Tournament, under the direction of Herb (George Lopez), his ever-present Angel and motorcyclist, proving that anything is possible as long as you have faith. The film is based on the award-winning novel by Joe S. Bullock and produced by Optimism Entertainment’s Brian Espinosa, Rio Road Entertainment’s Ross Marks, and the late Mark Medoff. About Pure Flix: With offices in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, founded in 2005, the company is led by Michael Scott, David A.R. White, Elizabeth Travis, and Alysoun Wolfe, with a mission to transform the human spirit through values-based entertainment. Pure Flix has produced, acquired, marketed, and distributed more than 100 faith and family-friendly high-quality inspirational films and programs and is an established leading worldwide independent faith and family studio. Releases include: Little Women, The Case for Christ, God’s Not Dead 2, God’s Not Dead, Do You Believe?, Woodlawn, A Question of Faith, Unplanned, and Indivisible.
EU Agrees To A Package Of €1.8 Trillion In
Its 2021-2027 NextGenerationEU Budget (CICAE) Argues It Is Insufficient To Meet
The Current & Immediate Crisis
The International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas (CICAE) applauds the agreement reached by the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council on the next long-term budget (2021-2027) and NextGenerationEU, the temporary recovery instrument, with a package of a total of €1.8 trillion. CICAE President Dr. Christian Bräuer (pictured) commented: "Increasing the budget for Creative Europe is an important signal that the diversity of European cinema will be ensured. We thank all those who have worked to achieve this goal. Creative Europe MEDIA programme with its Europa Cinemas network is one of the success stories of the European Union and a special example of European integration in action." The European Commission has set out strategic guidance for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in its 2021 Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy, providing €672.5 billion of financial support for the crucial first years of the recovery. Member States are to submit the draft of their recovery and resilience plans to benefit from these.
Bräuer continued: "It is good that clarity has now been achieved in relation with the EU budget. This ensures continuity and secures the funding for 2021. Unfortunately, there was no decision taken to guarantee at least 2% of the resources of the Recovery Fund for the cultural and creative industries. We therefore call on the Member States to give targeted and appropriate consideration to the film industry and cinemas in their national recovery plans." The agreement will include an increase of €600 million for the Creative Europe budget from €1.4 billion to €2.2 billion, including also support for European cinema co-productions, film festivals and markets, as well as for the distribution and sales of feature films, and for cinema theatres.
The pandemic has seriously impacted the film industry. The changing announcements and decisions taken in relation to the security measures in place have forced exhibitors to continuously invest in their cinemas at a time of uncertainty, and lack of fresh films to offer the consumer. The recently ordered closures reinforce a vicious cycle pushing the independent venues, film distributors and festivals on the verge of their existence. To mitigate the distortions and damage to cinemas, the CICAE calls for a doubling of the budget dedicated to Europa Cinemas from the Recovery funds. About the CICAE: The International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas is a non-profit organisation aiming at promoting cultural diversity in cinemas and festivals. It was founded in 1955 by the national arthouse cinema associations of Germany, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It currently counts more than 2000 members and 4000 screens across 46 countries, representing 11 national and regional associations, 61 individual cinemas, 14 festivals and 6 special members. About Dr. Christian Bräuer: Dr. Christian Bräuer is the president of the CICAE, president of AG Kino, the German arthouse cinema association and CEO of the Yorck Kinogruppe, which operates 14 arthouse cinemas in Berlin.
Cartoon Springboard 2020 A Unique
Showcase For Young Talented Animation Filmmakers From Academies Across Europe
Cartoon Springboard, at its sixth edition, which was scheduled to take place in Valencia, Spain, was held online in late October, successfully achieving its goals, by not only promoting the series, feature films, and web series projects created by recent graduates from animation schools from all over Europe, but also by offering them an opportunity to interact with professionals from the industry’s animation sector. What It Takes by Kelsi Phung and Fabien Corre of France (pictured above) was amongst the productions showcased in the online edition which saw a record 268 participants from 27 countries. The event streamlined to the new global online environment and offered a hybrid experience, whereby virtual networking dialogues were enhanced in an effort to preserve as close as possible the essence of past editions of Cartoon Springboard. Entrants participated from 12 countries, and the 22 projects, were presented in pre-recorded pitches. The sessions (30 mins) also included feedback from a group of industry experts who, after watching the presentation, gave the animation filmmakers useful advice on how to improve their projects. Q&A sessions, meetings with experts and keynote speeches were also among the activities aimed at encouraging networking and providing a forum for reflection on key issues such as target audience, the development of a project, and storytelling, among other topics. Animation as genre in the industry has grown exponentially beyond the borders of preschool. Talented animation filmmakers often unrecognized are increasingly building a library of productions from series to feature films to international audience eager to experience the diversity and versatility of the creative format. Below is an outstanding visual feast of some of the projects presented at Cartoon Springboard 2020. 
Trip to the Antarctic by Eva Pérez Misa Spain
The Beekeepers by Alba Matarazzo and Marco Maldonato Italy
JellyPimple by Jiayan Chen and Tao Zhang Germany
Agent B. and Spy D. by Ninar Al Himdani France
Disbalance by Vuk Vulićević Serbia
About Cartoon Springboard: Cartoon Springboard is supported by the Creative Europe - MEDIA programme of the European Union, and Generalitat Valenciana, Institut Valencià de Cultura and the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Cartoon Springboard featured projects by graduates from La Poudrière, L'Atelier, ESAAT and Gobelins (France); Barreira, U-Tad, ESUPT and ECAM (Spain); Scuola Internazionale di Comics and C.S.C Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (Italy); Denmark’s ASF VGIK and The National Film School of Denmark; Germany’s Filmuniversität Babelsberg "Konrad Wolf" and Animationsinstitut Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg; Ireland’s Dún Laoghaire IADT; Budapest Metropolitan University (Hungary); HKU (Netherlands); Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Serbia); RCA, Royal College of Arts (UK; and Escape Studios (UK). 
In The Eye Of The Storm:
Six Days: Six Women: One Outcome 
During the pandemic independent producers and directors around the world have being inventive, with the realisation that films with an experienced crew can be made within very limited budgets. One such writer-director is Brigitte Drodtloff of Triarte International based in Munich and Bucharest. Her story, like many independents’ journey to producing a project, has a familiarity. But Brigitte goes further and confronts the prejudices that exist in the film industry not only between the hierarchy between men and women but the inability for women in the workplace to sometimes see that together they are their greatest ‘comrades.’
Los(Ge)Lassen (Released), directed by Brigitte Drodtloff and cowritten with Jörg Schnitger, is a dramedy. Set in an upscale apartment in Friedrich Altewische, a beautiful village on a Bavarian lake, not far from Munich, the film, stars (pictured l-front) Josefina Vilsmaier, Silke Popp, Salber Williams (back) Ute Bronder, Mirijam Verena Jeremic, and Valentina Sauca. Frank Glencairn, who worked with Brigitte on her successful short film Human, was the DOP. The feature film centres around six women, some of who literally hate each other, are forced by an unpredictable weather catastrophe to stay locked down in an apartment - and exactly at this point one of them is about to give birth to a baby. All the conflicts, the fighting, the disputes between them must vanish - confronted by the existentiality of a new life, that must be saved.
Brigitte Drodtloff says: “I wrote the treatment a few years ago, and went the usual path to look for a producer to finance the development of the script. The feedback was: too many women. Here I was sitting twiddling my thumbs in lockdown, so I started to write the script without financial help. My script-colleague, Jörg Schnitger, helped me and the script was finished in a few weeks. Discussing the project, I realized that I must make this film NOW, independently, not wait for producers to ‘filter’ the content. Great friends funded the tiny budget and a wonderful friend gave his apartment for the location, with the six actresses receiving minimum fee. Against tremendous odds we started shooting the film. We tested everybody before, to be sure that nobody had the virus. On set we had a health-supervisor, we wore masks, and kept the needed distance. We all lived in the small Bavarian village for the whole week, and we had very safe catering on location, so we didn't have to walk around. With just two days before shooting we had intensive rehearsals with the actresses and crew.”
Reflecting on her career and trying to get projects funded, Brigitte Drodtloff says: “Maybe this film is not only about women and their conflicts. But also, about the power of women when they have a goal and find the self confidence to make their dreams come through. Even when nobody believes in them, because they are "only" women... We often forget that we make it easy to men, to suppress us - in this "western, civilized world. We accept that men have the power - not only in our film business. Filmmaking is not only about talent and skill - but the most important task is networking. And men are much better at ‘networking’ to make money and further their careers. Women are better when it comes to organizing the housekeeping and the complicated school programs for their children (I proudly raised two daughters on my own). But when it comes to the career, in this tough film and television business, most women prefer to work with men, believing that they are better skilled and a guarantee to be successful! It's absurd! I have often seen it here in Germany: At TV-stations and at bigger production companies the decision to work with men as scriptwriters and directors was in the hands of women! Yes - they trusted men more than women! How can that be?”
In Los(Ge)Lassen (Released), Brigitte has put a focus on the self-destruction of women. Not in an educational way, but dressed it up in an entertaining way. The film revolves around the women taunting each other, by analyzing their past and the failures in their lives - until it comes to the existential crisis: The birth of a child, at home with no help from the outside. Los(Ge)Lassen (Released) was shot in six days. The shoot was fortunate to find a week of peace in the midst of the pandemic, and Brigitte contemplated calling the movie: "In the eye of the storm." Drodtloff concluded: “The next step is to find the right co-producer to finance the postproduction. Then we will aim for international film festivals. It's a universal theme: If women learn to stick together, they can overcome any crises. I wrote and made this film not only about women and for women. It's about human nature. This is what makes mankind great: sticking together, helping each other. It's a film about new life, about hope and about believing. I am an optimist. I am a believer. I am a woman who doesn't give up!”

In The Eye Of The Storm: Six Days: Six Women: One Outcome
Image ©Triarte International 2020. Article written by Elspeth Tavares
The Baumbacher Syndrome 
Hits A Magical Note In Spain At The
Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival 
Gregory Kirchhoff’s Baumbacher Syndrome, sales through London-based Film Republic, closed the 9th edition of the Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF). In the autumn calendar of films festivals, with a public, and socially-distanced screening and awards ceremony, it was one of the few events which was held in Mallorca’s capital, Palma. 
The EMIFF opened with the Spanish premiere of Marjane Satrapi’s Radioactive, starring Rosamund Pike and Sam Riley. Founder and Festival Director Sandra Lipski commented: “Despite the current COVID restrictions we are very happy with the results and want to thank the local film community and public administrations for their immense support this year.” Headlined with an international programme of narrative features, documentaries and shorts, the event welcomed over 3000 local and international guests including industry professionals in person, across the 7 day festival on the Spanish island. A special series of online screenings were also curated in partnership with national online streaming platform, FILMIN. Film awards: Sevgi Hirschhäuser’s Toprak, Best Feature Film; American Adrian Martinez’s Best Actor nod for the self-penned and directed I Gilbert; Mujereando - The Lament of a Goddess, Best International Documentary Feature for Carmen Tamayo; and UK’s Tamara Vogl won the EMIFF 2020 Feature Film Screenplay Competition with Tau Emerald.
Baumbacher Syndrome was awarded the festival’s highest honor, the Evolutionary Island Award. Writer/director Marjane Satrapi received EMIFF’s Evolution Vision Award for Direction by live stream from Paris, at the beginning of the festival. Spanish actress Ángela Molina and Spanish director Fernando Trueba collected their Honorary awards for their individual contributions to international cinema, in person during the course of the festival.
For the second year in a row, Competition winners received €15,000 worth of equipment hire from the festival’s partner MN Studios, a Mallorca-based camera and equipment supplier to the film industry.
The Dreams Of Selina Quinn During The
      Pandemic Lockdown Across The Oceans 
       From The Philippines To Hollywood
Nine-year-old Selina Quinn, pictured right with her elder brother Jaestin Caleb, enjoys her birthday in the countryside surrounding her home, where the family lives in a village eight hours by public transport from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Like many young girls around the world, Selina is growing up with her local lifestyle alongside the strong influence of the American culture where her dreams takes her to one day to be an actress singer like her namesake American idol, Selena Gomez. Selina whiles away some of the time during lockdown imposed by COVID-19 watching her favorite local series Amaya starring Filipino actress and recording star Marian Rivera, as she dreams of how she can one day make that journey of HER dreams from the Philippines to Hollywood. Cut to the real day-to-day world where the pandemic has affected her schooling at Pico Elementary, a public school, a 15min walk from her home, Selina like kids across the globe are being home-schooled by her parents.
As part of its policy of garnering feedback from different age groups within the consumer demographic, TBOF reached out to get Selina’s thoughts on what the pandemic means for her. “I am sad because it is dangerous for me to be with my friends at school and study, and hard for all of us in the family for me to do my studies at home. I enjoy maths and science, but my parents are very stressed assisting me in understanding those subjects and all my other subjects. My teachers’ role now is just to be at school to give out and receive all answers to the subjects, the teaching method is very different now. They give us all the subjects with questionnaires. Every Monday my parents need to submit all my answers to my teachers and get new lessons and questionnaires for the current week and submit it on Monday of the next week, and this will last until the last day of the school year. I am required to stay in our house and do my school subjects with the help of my mom and dad, who don't fully understand my subjects, and with my two other siblings at home, it is chaotic. I feel I am missing my chance to move forward in my studies.” In the UK and the USA parents are facing the same issue in all socioeconomic groups. The pandemic has affected the world's societies, but the impact is rarely shared as it is on the micro level above, where millions of families are faced with the same predicament. A burning question is – in the long term – how will the school lockdown of kids internationally, and the effects of inadequate schooling, affect the Selina Quinns of the world?
CHOICE, COST & TIME in the 4IR Era, as THE PHYSICAL & THE VIRTUAL COEXIST in EQUAL PARTNERSHIP, as we go FORWARD into 2021

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Below Selected Monthly Editorial Coverage - A Different Perspective 
Where Information is the Key - COVID-19 ONLINE EDITIONS
THE BUSINESS OF FILM (TBOF) EDITORIAL POLICY 
Since 1980, TBOF has maintained its own style, innovative and original approach to publishing and staunchly supporting the individual entrepreneurial independents in the worldwide film and television industry. TBOF thanks our international clientele who have steadfastly supported our publication as we enter our 40th year. TBOF does not ignore the majors but we don't feed metaphorically or financially from them. TBOF’s editorial aim and objective continues to be to deliver, as we research for your discovery a series of different articles across the spectrum of the independents and/or arresting developments from the major film and television companies. The freedom to think constructively of how NEWS affects your business comes from objective insights from a different perspective. TBOF receives newsfeeds from all the major outlets, and seeks to maintain its 'independent' uniqueness. It selects the stories of import, and does not simply regurgitate or re-link all the press material and stories that you may have already read in your inbox. TBOF aims to inform and serve our readership from a different viewpoint.

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November 13, 2020
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