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Mohammad Rasoulof Explains How He Filmed “The Seed Of The Sacred Fig” In Secret

For example, the director himself was already persona non grata and anyone involved with him would be in danger, so the film was cast without the actors knowing who was writing and directing, and Rasoulof could not be present on location. Here he talks about how he pulled it all off. - Vulture

TikTok “Is Harming Children At An Industrial Scale” — And Knows It

Jonathan Haidt and Zach Rausch: "Our evidence comes mostly from research done by 14 (state) Attorneys General. … The briefs include hundreds of quotations from internal reports, memos, Slack conversations, and public statements in which executives and employees of TikTok ... discuss the harms that their company is causing to children." - After Babel

A War In Massachusetts Over The Soul Of Public Radio

In Cape Cod, the founders of Transom audio training, the Public Radio Exchange (or PRX), and the Moth Radio Hour suddenly discovered that Boston’s GBH had sold their house out from under them. The community is not into it, but GBH (seemingly!) could not care less. - Nieman Lab

The True Story Behind Brazil’s Oscar Contender I’m Still Here

“As the film’s popularity grows in Brazil, more and more people are reckoning with the country’s brutal history, and seeing parallels with the far-right there today.” - Time Magazine

Hollywood Was Already In Trouble, And Now It’s Having To Press Pause On Nearly Everything

“The wildfires added anxiety to filmmakers, performers, crew members and others in the industry who have already been worried about Hollywood productions leaving Los Angeles.” - NPR

Oscars Nominations Are Delayed Amid Fires, But Here’s The Observer’s List

We won’t see the Academy’s official nominations until January 19 to give voters more time amid the fires in Los Angeles, but if it were up to The Observer’s critics, Nickel Boys, Anora, The Substance, and even Dev Patel’s Monkey Man would be top contenders. - The Observer (UK)

Why Isn’t Mike Leigh’s Rapturously Reviewed Movie Getting Into Awards Conversations?

“The glitziest awards bodies have all overlooked Jean-Baptiste thus far—although, in a rare moment of unanimity, the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the National Society of Film Critics all awarded top acting honors.” - Slate (MSN)

The Best Actress Race Is Rough To Predict

“It’s hard to think of a year more stocked with major female contenders than this one. At one point, it seemed like there were nearly a dozen plausible nominees for only five spots.” - Vulture

Audiences Are Singing Along, Acting Out At “Wicked” Movie Showings

During the theatrical run of “ Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour ” last fall, fans danced and belted lyrics in the theaters, sharing their glee on social media. Last year, fans at early screenings of “ Wicked ” did the same, to the chagrin of other moviegoers. - APNews

Why Was The HQ Of Cape Cod’s Public Radio Station Sold Out From Under It?

Though the station, CAI, and its listeners raised the money to renovate the historic building, both real estate and broadcasting license are owned by Boston station GBH, which is facing serious money problems and staff layoffs. GBH sold CAI's building without telling anyone at CAI, and the community is furious. - Nieman Lab

Ex-CEO Of MoviePass Pleads Guilty To Fraud

"Theodore Farnsworth, the former CEO of MoviePass parent Helios & Matheson Analytics, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding and conspiring to defraud investors in two public companies, including lying about artificial intelligence capabilities that it didn’t have." - Deadline

Why Mexicans Are Not Happy About The International Success of “Emilia Pérez”

"Mexicans began observing that Emilia Pérez was a film about Mexico where just one main actor was Mexican, made by a French director who speaks no Spanish, shot in France, scripted with unnatural-sounding dialogue, and heavy with stereotypes. Comments online were by turns amused and annoyed, but also baffled." - The Guardian

Hollywood Presses Pause As Wildfires Engulf LA

Amid the ongoing wildfires in Southern California, a number of glitzy Hollywood events and red carpet premieres have also been cancelled. - CNN

NBCUniversal, Fox Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery, DirecTV and Comcast Team Up On New Ad Platform

Universal Ads, as the new venture is called, was announced Monday as a collaborative effort to combat the domination of Google, Meta and other tech giants when it comes to “SMBs,” the trade term for small and mid-sized businesses. - Deadline

Oscar Nominations Postponed Due To L.A. Fires

"Voting for the nearly 10,000 Academy members opened Jan. 8 and was originally set to close on Jan. 12. Deadline is now Jan. 14. The nominations announcement, originally scheduled to be announced on Jan. 17, has moved to Jan. 19." - BBC

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