Industry

To most film fans, Indian cinema is synonymous with Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) known for its commercial films with melodramatic plots, song-and-dance numbers, star-crossed lovers, mustache-twirling villains, and prostitutes with hearts-of-gold. But South Indian cinema has been thriving for decades even though it has been mostly ignored by Western audiences until the success of the blockbuster RRR cast a spotlight on Tollywood, the Telugu-language film industry based in Hyderabad.

As the world of technology continues to rapidly advance, particularly in the sphere of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the film industry has also begun incorporating AI into all aspects of the filmmaking process, transforming the way in which films are made and seen. For people who may not have a background in technology, it can be challenging to fully understand the implications and potential benefits of using AI within the industry.

Casual channel zapping lets you follow the labor pains of the music streamer Spotify (The Playlist), or lets you get into the conflicted mind of the “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski (Ted K), or lets you observe a boxer named Stuart Long changing his work clothes as he becomes a fighter for God (Father Stu), or lets you get a glimpse into the histrionic insularity of the British Royals (The Crown) and their offspring’s revelations (Harry & Meghan). Stories of real people’s lives and actual historical events are ubiquitous and it seems they are more numerous than ever.

Back in the dawn of cinema, in the silent era, a star died young – 31 years old – as a result of something that seemed to follow the new industry: serious safety risks on set. In 1919, Wallace Reid, a rising actor whose goal was to become a director, was seriously injured in a train wreck while on his way to the set of The Valley of the Giants in Portland, Oregon.

Citizen Kane has been dethroned. Vertigo has been put in its place.

Is it easier to talk about ourselves or about others? Several actors have written memoirs and presented stage monologues about themselves, but not so many have done both. Gabriel Byrne, Golden Globe-winning actor, has just brought to Broadway a limited run of “Walking with Ghosts,” after premiering it in his hometown Dublin, then Edinburgh, and London's West End.

His name is synonymous with independent cinema, both in his home country, Brazil, as in Hollywood, where he was involved in films like Call Me By Your Name, The Witch, The Lighthouse, Frances Ha, Mistress America, and Patti Cake$. And he has acted as co-producer for international projects such as Mia Hansen-Love’s Bergman Island,  Olivier Assayas' Wasp Network, Leonardo Brzezicki's Wandering Heart and Jonas Carpignano's A Ciambra.

The Nigerian film industry, nicknamed “Nollywood,” is the second largest film industry in the world, just behind India in terms of output. Despite its widespread cultural influence, it hasn’t cemented its mark in the United States in the way other foreign (mainly western) film industries have.

If we talk about diversity based on numbers, the presence of Hispanics in Hollywood is far from what it should be, no matter how much we continue to think about it. The Hispanic community is 19 percent of the US population.

Ruben Impens doesn’t shy away from taking risks when looking through his camera lens. Over the last decade the Belgian cinematographer, born in Gent, has been working on numerous acclaimed movies worldwide.