Trump Talks Brings Media Into Canadian Election

Hello again, Insiders. Jesse Whittock with you today to guide you towards the big TV and movie stories from around the globe a month out from the Cannes Film Festival. Sign up to the newsletter to get this piped straight into your inbox.

Trump Rhetoric Rallies Canadians

Poilievre implosion: Ahead of the Canadian election on April 28, I took a deep dive into how media and culture have unexpectedly played a significant role in a rollercoaster race. Admittedly, perhaps not as much of a role as Donald Trump, whose constant goading of his northern neighbor has managed to enrage almost the entire country. His tariffs, in part, led to Liberal Prime Minister and election candidate Mark Carney to pledge major support for Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada, and turn what is usually a lesser battle zone into one that’s becoming a major talking point. The Liberals under Justin Trudeau were staring down the barrel of a major defeat, one that could have taken Canada down a similar route to Trump’s America. However, when the U.S. President decided to put Canada in the crosshairs of his tariff strategy and antagonize the country by repeatedly suggesting it would become the “51st state,” he unwittingly triggered a wave of patriotism that saw the Liberals, at this point led by Carney, bound back. As things stand today, it’s likely Carney’s party will win a majority at the polls, with even Trump himself contemplating the scenario. From our chats with producers, the overriding sense from the production community was that actively supporting CBC/Radio-Canada should be among the priorities of whoever wins. “There’s an understanding the value of the CBC is maybe more important now than ever,” Insight Productions veteran John Brunton told me. That sentiment was also displayed by the general public, as on Monday we first reported a poll conducted by an independent data gatherer for the Canadian Media Producers Association that showed 91% of Canadians believe Canadian culture and identity must be protected, especially “in contrast to the influence of the United States.” A bunch of other stats suggest that the new Canadian nationalism of this second Trump era is here to stay.

Inside The Sidebars

Critical choices: Following last week’s Competition announcement, the Cannes Film Festival’s sidebar strands began their rollouts earlier this week. Cannes Critics’ Week was first up with 11 titles, including the Taiwanese drama Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou. The film was co-written, produced, and edited by Anora filmmaker Sean Baker. Tsou and Baker are longtime collaborators and co-directed the 2004 feature Take-Out. Veteran German filmmaker Christian Petzold made a surprising appearance in the 18-title-strong Directors’ Fortnight lineup with his latest feature, Miroirs No. 3. Directors’ Fortnight artistic director Julien Rejl described the film as a “very mysterious” melodrama. In Cannes’ parallel section ACID, nine titles were announced. The section will open with French actress and director Sophie Letourneur’s L’Aventura (pictured) set against a family road trip to Sardinia, told by the 11-year-old daughter. Letourneur co-stars as the mother opposite Philippe Katerine, who gained international fame over the summer when he appeared nearly naked and painted blue as Dionysus in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. We have an interview with Critics’ Week Artistic Director Ava Cahen here, and you can view the full Directors’ Fortnight and ACID line-ups here and here. Also, read Mel’s sad report on the death of Fatima Hassouna, a photojournalist and subject of ACID pick Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, who was killed in a direct strike on her home in Gaza City 24 hours after it was announced for Cannes.

Hungary Law Poses Predicament

Limbo land: Film and TV makers are facing a moral dilemma in Hungary, which has become a production hotspot thanks to its generous 30% tax rebate that, crucially, pays upfront. Fast-tracked legislation was enshrined in law this week by strongman leader Viktor Orbán’s coalition government, banning LGBTQ+ gatherings such as the annual Budapest Pride and sparking street protests. MyRumors Editor-in-Chief Nellie Andreeva has been monitoring the situation, noting that two Oscar Best Picture noms, Dune: Part Two and The Brutalist, are among the films and TV shows that have filmed in Hungary in recent times. Apple’s Matchbox, Russell Crowe thriller Billion Dollar Spy and Ruben Östlund’s The Entertainment System is Down have all been shooting this year too. Hollywood studios aren’t commenting, but a producer source said, “Something draconian would have to happen to the tax credit for Hollywood to abandon the country.” However, local production services are concerned the law will lead to fewer productions lensing locally. Indeed, I heard from one European production source earlier this week, who said the political climate in the country was among the key reasons they’re looking elsewhere for future shoots.

‘Jumbo’ Jets To Record

“This is no longer just our film, it’s a collective achievement”: Indonesian animated features are few and far between, so the outsized success of Jumbo is all the more notable. And outsized is the right word – the film has become the largest-grossing Southeast Asia animation of all time, as Sara’s scoop revealed. Having released on March 31, the Visinema Studios flick had bagged more than $8M by Monday, overtaking Mechamoto Movie‘s 2022 haul. It’s also overtaken Moana 2 to become the second-highest grossing animated film in Indonesia, trailing only Frozen 2. The Ryan Adriandhy film follows an orphan bullied as ‘Jumbo’ due to his large body, who owns a storybook full of drawings and magical stories and encounters a fairy who seeks his help returning to her family. “Jumbo is my personal calling — a labor of love for my child, and for all Indonesian children who deserve to have their own choices at the cinema’s ticket box,” said Angga Dwimas Sasongko, founder and Group CEO of Visinema, adding that it proves Southeast Asian animation “has the power to grow, to travel, and to unite when given the space, the belief, and the love it deserves.” Distribution rights are still up for grabs in mainland China, North America, western Europe and Australia, so we might be seeing more of this charming little tale in the future.

‘SNL’s Star Brit Search

Talk of the town: Just months after SNL celebrated its 50th anniversary, the godfather of American sketch comedy bought a plane ticket to London for the first time. At the end of last week, Comcast-owned Sky confirmed a long-standing plan to produce a British version of SNL (Pete White had scooped this one back in 2021, no less). Here in the UK, comedy entertainment industry gossip went into overdrive, with WhatsApps pinging all over the place and chatter turning to who will make the series a reality. Sketch comedy has died an almost complete death in the UK in recent years, despite the genre’s massive heritage here, so this is, despite reservations, an Official Big Deal. Over the weekend, Jake, Max and I reported that former Late Late Show with James Corden exec producer James Longman is being lined up as showrunner, with veteran UK live show producer Suzi Aplin expected to land a senior production role. The talk is the show will focus on new writing talent and new performers, with SNL supremo Lorne Michaels, who will exec produce, sending American writers across the pond to hold masterclasses with their transatlantic counterparts. More on the developing story when we have it.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has joined Tom Cruise in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s untitled feature movie, per Breaking Baz.

🌶️ Another One: A Fred and Rose West documentary is the latest Netflix British Horror Story true crime doc.

🔥 A third One: Warm Bodies author Isaac Marion will see his new book, The Overnoise, adapted as a feature film by Made Up Stories.

🎭 Board treader: Danny Dyer is developing a play about his unlikely friendship with the late Harold Pinter… pwopa nawty!

🕴🏼 New job: McQueen financier Creativity Capital has hired Oliver Garboe as a Senior Associate.

🔎 Search: The BBC has employed a pair of headhunters to finds its next Chief Creative Officer.

🏃🏽‍♂️ FAST moving: Iconic reality show The Osbournes is getting its own FAST channel for the first time.

🚪 Cuts: At YMU’s U.S. base, where around half a dozen staff in the social media talent team were let go.

📽️ Trailer: Danny Boyle’s upcoming film 28 Years Later has another trailer and the zombies look mighty hungry.

International Insider was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Max Goldbart. Zac Ntim contributed.