Gov. Gavin Newsom Endorses $1.65 Billion California Film and TV Tax Credit (EXCLUSIVE)

The California Film Commission announced today 18 upcoming projects that will benefit from the state’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program, receiving a combined $93.7 million break for generating an estimated $915 million in spending.Todd Phillips’ “Joker” sequel “Folie à Deux,” a remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” starring Michael B. Jordan, and “Rebel Moon Part 2” are among the big-budget films selected for the program. An untitled Netflix production, which qualifies for more than $20.5 million in tax credits, is the priciest project at $107.7 million in qualified spending.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer“Joker” was a very New York movie — so much so that tourists flocked to the Bronx staircase where Joaquin Phoenix danced in a montage.But the sequel, “Joker: Folie á Deux,” will shoot in Los Angeles, thanks to $12.6 million in tax credits to Warner Bros. from the state of California.The California Film Commission announced its latest round of credit allocations on Monday morning, awarding $93.7 million to 18 projects.

Christopher Vourlias Croatian writer-director Juraj Lerotić’s “Safe Place,” an emotional story of a family reeling in the wake of a suicide attempt, took the top prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which wrapped a record-setting 2022 edition in the Bosnian capital on Friday night.The Heart of Sarajevo Award for best feature film was given by a jury headed by Austrian filmmaker Sebastian Meise (“The Great Freedom”), which included French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (“Earwig”), Croatian writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (“Murina”), Serbian actor Milan Marić (“Dovlatov”) and Israeli producer and consultant Katriel Schory.“Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story — a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo. Fresh off a triumphant world premiere in Locarno, where the film won three awards including best first feature, “Safe Place” was described by Variety’s Guy Lodge as a “supremely poised and moving first feature” and a “shattering” debut, “with a long trail of further festival bookings surely ahead.”Ukrainian director Maryina Er Gorbach was named best director for “Klondike,” which portrays the brutal realities of the war unfolding in Ukraine’s Donbass region through the lens of a pregnant farmstead owner whose life and home fall apart.

Hollywood soon might be required to do more than just talk about the importance of diversity in the industry, if a new addition to an extension of California’s lucrative film and television tax credits becomes law.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterCalifornia is poised to add a diversity requirement to its $330 million tax incentive for film and TV production, as lawmakers seek to use their leverage to make the industry better reflect the state’s demographics.Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign a bill, SB 485, that will extend the tax credit through 2030.

Kelli Evans has been nominated as a California Supreme Court associate justice. If confirmed, she will be the first self-identified lesbian and second Black person to serve on the bench. Photo: Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Having moved from Korea to the San Fransico neighborhood of Chinatown in the 1960s as the only Korean kid in the community with no English communication skills, Chol Soo Lee found himself known as an “at-risk youth.” A decade later, the 20-something immigrant was racially profiled and convicted of the murder of local gang member Yip Yee Tak.  READ MORE: ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ Review: An Unflinching Portrait Of The Trauma Inflicted On An Innocent Man [Sundance] While Lee maintained his innocence, being convicted of first-degree murder landed him in one of California’s most dangerous and violent facilities for life.

statement on his website. “Extending this program will help ensure California’s world-renowned entertainment industry continues to drive economic growth with good jobs and a diverse, inclusive workforce.”If the bill, dubbed “SB 485,” is passed, it would extend the credit past 2025, which is when the current tax credit is expected to expire.Newsom also tweeted out an ad on Wednesday slated to run in newspapers that condemns anti-abortion states like Georgia and Oklahoma, which it claims have “waged a cruel assault on essential rights.”Today, Hollywood will wake up to this ad.Time to choose.You can protect your workers, or continue to support anti-abortion states that rule with hatred.We’re here for you.

Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Bacon are offering a new twist on a pop classic by reimagining Tears for Fears' «Head Over Heels» for a fictional  segment called «First Drafts of Rock.» In the spoof clip, Fallon and Bacon perform a so-called early version of the 1985 hit -- which was re-popularized in the 2001 film -- that really doubles down on the idea of . «Got a degree in meteorology to talk about the weather,» Fallon croons, with Bacon hopping on the chorus to harmonize. «For the weather you can call Tears for Fears, we'll check the radar if the skies will be clear.»Watch the full segment below and prepare to have the tune stuck in your head all day.Bacon stopped by to discuss his return to his horror roots in the LGBTQ+ horror film , coming to Peacock on Aug. 5.

Jonathan Cohen The red-hot music rights space has a major new entrant in Litmus Music, which is being launched by veteran music executives Hank Forsyth (pictured at left) and Dan McCarroll (right) with $500 million of funding in partnership with Carlyle Global Credit, Variety can reveal. Litmus will acquire and manage music rights in both recorded music and publishing, with an eye on diverse genres and vintages.

Newsom wrote. “Most importantly, we share your values. So now, it is time to choose.” Today, Hollywood will wake up to this ad.Time to choose.You can protect your workers, or continue to support anti-abortion states that rule with hatred.We’re here for you.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise to sign a bill that would extend the state’s $330 million-a-year film and television production tax credit program until 2030 is receiving high praise from the Entertainment Union Coalition, whose members include SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, the California IATSE Council, Teamsters Local 399 and Laborers International Union of North America Local 724.

Caruso had spent more than $40 million of his estimated $4.3 billion on his campaign through the primary — far exceeding the $10.2 million LA Mayor Eric Garcetti spent on his 2013 campaign. Caruso’s expenditure includes a $37.5 million loan that the billionaire made to himself.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris jointly endorsed Rep. Karen Bass in her run for Los Angeles mayor today.

California Governor Gavin Newsom this afternoon declared a State of Emergency in regard to the spread of the Monkeypox virus. In doing so, the state joins New York City and Wisconsin, which also declared states of emergency related to the virus today.

Next week, a California assembly bill that could change one of the cornerstones of the TV business faces a crucial vote.

Charles Rivkin Enjoying the Golden Age of film and TV franchises? Legislation rapidly moving in Sacramento could bring it all to a crashing halt.Film, television, and streaming have never given us so much content to love. In 2021 alone, nearly 950 films entered production and 560 original scripted series were released to U.S.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAndrew Keenan-Bolger will direct “Mikey’s Army,” a coming-of-age story that is described as “fierce and fabulous.”“Mikey’s Army” is produced by Jamie Forshaw, executive producer of Madison Wells Live and Evan Mayer, the company’s associate producer. They are joined by Kyle Beckley (“Submissions Only”), Mike Mosallam (“Breaking Fast”) and Thomas Laub (“Slave Play”).The short film boasts a script by Eric Ulloa (“The Nana Project” and Nickelodeon’s “Meet the Alphabeats”).