Hollywood Week: WGA Negotiations Talks Positive, SAG/AFTRA Still Out, Studio Ghibli Sells Stake, FAFF Cancels

Details: Category: Entertainment News; Published on Saturday, 23 September 2023 14:27; Written by Janet Walker

Striking Hollywood unions remain dedicated and resolute to achieving a transformative deal as both the WGA and AMPTP announce the mood is upbeat and positive even as a deal has yet to be hammered out.

In a surprise move, and show of a good faith and determined effort to bring the second longest writer's strike to a close, the CEOs of the Big Four studios, Disney's Bob Iger, Netflix's Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav of Warner Bros., and Donna Langley of NBC Universal, made the unprecedented move this week to attend the WGA negotiations.

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"Four Hollywood CEOs returned to the bargaining table Thursday for a second day of talks with the Writers Guild of America, as the industry looked for signs of progress toward a deal that would end the 143-day strike. As of shortly after 6 p.m., the CEOs were still in the room in Sherman Oaks, as a marathon bargaining session continued," Variety reported.

Even as the Alliance of Movie Picture and Television Producers negotiators have taken to social media to float hopes of an end to the continuing strike, the WGA has cautioned its membership not to place too much substance in the burst of micro messaging.

However, the facts remain hopeful, the appearance of the CEOs, lend credibility to the truthfulness of the negotiations and while the talks ended without a tentative contract both sides indicated they would meet again on Sunday, September 24, before the start of Yom Kippur.

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The most challenging issue arising is, of course, A.I. as fly on the wall reports indicate the two sides have not gained any ground on regulations of total bans on the use of the writing assisted technology. Other issues including a streaming sliding scale residual payments based on the amount of views, and the total time spent viewing as a benchmark, seem to address the issue of residual streaming payments, which in the early days of contributor platforms such as Yahoo!Voices were used in determining payment to writer/contributors. Although not set in stone, progress is being made.

"The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining today and will meet again tomorrow. Though it's not atypical during entertainment labor negotiations for a union and the AMPTP to issue a joint press release during talks, often amid some kind of media blackout affecting the two parties, it is the first time that the WGA and the AMPTP have done so in this contentious negotiations cycle," The Hollywood Reporter.com reported.

No word on when the SAG/AFTRA negotiations will resume.

And the strike continues . . .

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Studio Ghibli Sells Stake

Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio which has introduced into mainstream audiences the unique vision of founder Hayao Miyazaki, 82, has sold its majority stake to Nippon Television Broadcasting company this week.

Festivals Cancelled

Franco American Cultural Fund, formerly COLCOA, has cancelled the 27^th annual international American French Film festival, planned for October citing striking Hollywood unions.