BY: The DIFF Editorial Team
IATSE Strike Over Insufficient Working Conditions Narrowly Averted
After negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fell through The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, representing 60,000 workers, set a strike deadline for October 17th at the stroke of midnight. Having gained the support of many of the Hollywood unions, including the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, negotiations had truly come down to a wire. As of now, I.A.T.S.E. has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This three year deal addressed core issues such as appropriate rest periods, meal breaks, and a proper living wage for workers in the lower end of the pay scale. —Gabriel
Squid Game On Track to Become Netflix’s Biggest Show Ever
The co-CEO of Netflix announced on Oct 1st that Squid Game might not just be the platform’s most watched non English show, it might be their largest show ever, topping to previous reigning champion Bridgerton. The Korean series came out September 17th and has since then enjoyed both widespread critical acclaim and a massive audience buzz. Netflix is actually being sued by SK Broadband because the show’s unprecedented popularity caused a traffic surge. —Gabriel
Halloween Kills Earns $4.9 million in Previews
The sequel to 2018’s Halloween raked in big numbers in previews ahead of its nationwide release this past weekend. The film stars Jaimie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle, who have both once again reprised their roles of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers from previous films. Expected to finish second at the box office behind No Time to Die (2021), this film is the second installment in a planned trilogy of Halloween reboot films with Halloween Ends to be the next and final film in this trilogy. —Rett
Cillian Murphy set as lead in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023)
The Irish actor has been announced as the title star of Oppenheimer, Nolan’s first collaboration with Universal Studios, which is set to be released on July 21, 2023. Named for theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer—one of the primary leaders of the Manhattan Project—the film has been described by Deadline as a “pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Nolan maintains his infamous time-twisting approach in telling the story of Oppenheimer’s scientific interests, his political philosophies, and his thoughts about the United States eventually dropping atomic bombs on Japan. Nolan and Murphy’s extensive track record of collaborations (5 films including the Batman trilogy) probably influenced this casting, but Murphy’s extremely blue eyes also really fit the bill. Look him and Oppeheimer up. Uncanny. —Molly
Busan Film Festival Comes to a Close
Held annually, the Busan Film Festival in South Korea is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. It ended this Friday with an awards ceremony recognizing both new and more established directors from across the world. Two awards in particular were closely watched: the New Currents Awards—given to films selected from first or second projects done by up-and-coming Asian directors—and the Kim Ji-Sook Award —named for the festival’s founding director. The first went to Wang Er Zhuo for Farewell, My Hometown (2021) and Kim Se-in for The Apartment With Two Women (2021). The prestigious latter award was given to Rapist (2021), by Aparna Sen, and Gensan Punch (2021) by Brillante Ma Mendoza. —Sophie
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