BFI Boss on U.K.’s ‘Transformative’ New Indie Film Tax Credit: ‘My Phone Is Full of Euphoric Producers’

a deeply personal interview with Vanity Fair, Anne Hathaway shot back at critics from early on in her career who said she had no sex appeal. “I was like, ‘I’m a Scorpio,’ ” Hathaway, 41, said.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has reportedly been offered the role of James Bond, taking over from Daniel Craig in the 007 franchise. It's alleged that the 33-year-old British actor has signed on the dotted line, after "endless discussions" with producers and studio executives. Insiders claim that bosses have tried hard to secure Aaron, who is married to director Sam Taylor-Johnson, for up to four films as Bond.

Brian Cox has been announced to voice Santa Claus in an upcoming Netflix film.The Succession actor has been announced as part of the cast for That Christmas, an animated film courtesy of Simon Otto (How To Train Your Dragons). That Christmas is reported to be an adaptation of the children’s book series written by award-winning director Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Bridget Jones).Starring alongside Cox will be Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy.

Neon has formed a strategic financial partnership with Ken Kao’s Waypoint Entertainment, the ​​full-service production company behind The Favourite and The Nice Guys, to deliver a slate “of bold, genre-spanning films for savvy theatrical audiences,” the distributor said. The partners will focus on larger indies in the $10+ million range.

A British actor has reportedly been offered the role to be the next James Bond and will be signing a contract in the coming days.

Blade Runner Live has announced a number of new tour dates across the UK.The classic Ridley Scott sci-fi film’s Final Cut version is set to play in venues across the country in September accompanied by The Avex Ensemble, which will showcase the film’s classic Vangelis score.Starting at Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo on September 18, the tour will include stops including Manchester’s O2 Apollo and London’s Eventim Apollo, before concluding at Bournemouth’s International Centre on September 28.Tickets will go on sale this Friday (March 22) at 10am – and can be found here.“AEG Artistic is thrilled to be presenting Blade Runner Live across the UK next September,” said AEG Presents artistic director Lucy Noble.“It’s amazing after 42 years the film and soundtrack still stand the test of time. This will be a truly amazing and unique way for audiences to revisit this iconic piece of cinema with Vangelis’ iconic score as they’ve never experienced it before.”The film previously screened with an orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019.SEPTEMBER:18 – SEC Armadillo, Glasgow 19 – O2 Apollo, Manchester20 – Eventim Apollo, London21 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham23 – Brighton Centre, Brighton28 – Bournemouth International Centre, BournemouthBlade Runner stars Harrison Ford as cop Rick Deckard, who is tasked with hunting down replicants – bioengineered humanoids that are indistinguishable from humans.The film spawned a 2017 sequel called Blade Runner 2049 from director Denis Villeneuve, which saw Ford return as Deckard alongside new lead Ryan Gosling as Blade Runner K.

The 2024 Oscars clocked up a number of historic firsts and achievements - and topping the bill was British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who ended his 22-year wait for an Academy Award.

It may not have taken the Palme d’Or, but Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” is now a part of Oscar history. The A24 release won the International Film Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards, becoming the first submission from the United Kingdom to take the honor.

Chris Meledandri’s Illumination and video game giant Nintendo have partnered on a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. with theatrical release set for April 3, 2026 in the U.S. and international markets.

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here taking you through what has been a whirlwind of a week in international TV and film. Do not stop here — please do read on. And sign up here.

EXCLUSIVE: UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said the 40% indie film tax relief will bring balance to a movie sector that has swung too far towards big-budget fare in recent years.

EXCLUSIVE: Equity has said that it wants guidelines on self-tape auditions to be inserted into collective film and TV agreements with producer trade body Pact.

The UK government is to introduce an extended indie movie tax credit for films that have budgets between £1M and £15M, along with bringing in business rates relief for big studios.

Millie Bobby Brown finds herself in the grips of a fiery dragon in Netflix's upcoming action release Damsel. A twisted fairy tale, the film will introduce us to a heroine who must become her own knight in shining armour - rather than a damsel in distress.

The stars of the new Blumhouse horror movie Imaginary stepped out for the premiere event in L.A.

The Georgia House has just approved HB1180, legislation closely followed by the entertainment industry as it alters elements of the transferable tax credit that has drawn film and television production to the Peach State for the last 15 years — capping the amount that can be transferred in any one year.

Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers won Film of the Year and LGBTQ Film of the Year honors from the Dorian Film Awards, the annual honors bestowed GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been told to use his forthcoming Spring budget to make an “urgent intervention” to support the UK indie film sector in a letter published by Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee. 

The heads of UK financiers Film4 and BBC Film voiced concern this morning for the future of the indigenous UK film sector, which has seen its market share dwindle in the shadow of big U.S. inward investment and budgets stall at the big UK funding bodies.

Warning: Spoilers ahead A new study has revealed the films which have left British viewers the most confused by their endings, with one director’s output dominating the list.Conducted by the group BonusFinder, the list has been compiled by aggregating the total number of UK-based Google searches related to explaining the endings of films, with Martin Scorsese’s 2010 psychological thriller Shutter Island coming out on top.In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the US Marshall Teddy Daniels, who travels to a hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of a patient. However, as the film progresses, it is revealed that Daniels is in fact a hallucinatory persona and that “Teddy” is in fact Andrew Laeddis, another US Marshall who had been imprisoned at the facility for murdering his wife after she had killed their three children.The film ends on a philosophical note, as DiCaprio’s character appears to simulate another psychological relapse in order to bring about a lobotomy procedure, as living with the knowledge of his reality has become too much to bear.Not taking the top spot, but with four different entries in the top ten are the films of Christopher Nolan.