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AEA Open Access - Reopening & COVID Rise - Festival Schedules & Line-Ups

By Sean Gregory, July 27, 2021

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying these summer days, wherever you're finding yourself this month. How about this shake-up with Actors' Equity last week? I honestly couldn't believe that they opened everything up the way that they did. Certainly was the talk of the town the last few days! We'll go into more detail on that and a bunch of other bits and bobs ahead, so let's get to it!

Peace & Love ✌️

Actors' Equity Changes the Game: Open Access, Extended Eligibility, and More

In an unprecedented move from Actors' Equity Association, eligibility for joining the union has been opened up to any stage actor that can prove they have worked professionally (i.e. received payment) within AEA's jurisdiction. Under the old system, actors could only join the union one of three ways: through an outrighted Equity contract, accruing 25 Equity Membership Candidate points through participating EMC programs, or through existing membership in a sister union (SAG-AFTRA, AGMA, etc). Open Access will remain in place through May 1st, 2023, allowing any actor who meets the new criteria to send in their application and down payment within that time frame.

The implementation of this new pathway to membership comes after a months-long case study from a union workgroup that determined the barriers to entry to AEA were significantly higher for actors and stage managers from marginalized and underrepresented communities. "The entertainment industry is disproportionately white, including and especially theatrical leadership," AEA president Kate Shindle wrote. "The union has inadvertently contributed to the systemic exclusion of BIPOC artists and others with marginalized identities by maintaining a system in which being hired to work those contracts was a prerequisite of membership. We hope that artists from all backgrounds will join us in building a union that uplifts the entire theatre community, especially those who have not felt included or welcome in the past."

Reaction from the industry has been a mixed bag. There is no doubt that the American theatre community remains overwhelmingly white, and many hope that this move from AEA will continue to spur on the shift towards a more equitable, inclusive landscape. I would love to see the union make plans to develop accessible ways of spreading information on the pros and cons of joining the union for actors at various levels. Casting director Michael Cassara took to Twitter with a similar concern: "Genuinely hopeful that the rollout includes an FAQ for performers where the pros/cons of joining a union are weighed + industry veterans stress that no one should join a union until they're ready to join a union. Access is powerful, but career journeys are not one size fits all."

On the screen side of the union scene, SAG-AFTRA reported a $14 million loss in union dues for the last fiscal year ending April 30th, 2021. While staggering on its own, the figure is still "significantly higher" than what union leaders had believed the numbers would be, thanks to a surprisingly high number of members continuing to pay their dues despite a scarce job market and notable delays in unemployment assistance. The board of directors announced that jobs and earnings for SAG-AFTRA members had "rebounded and reached a new high" in the first half of 2021, particularly for commercials and streaming projects, signaling a hopeful uptick in opportunities for the remainder of the year.

Reopening Plans Uncertain as COVID Cases Rise

Fears surrounding the rapidly emerging Delta variant on film sets around the country are prompting studios and producers to rethink an already moving target of on-set protocols that can now include mandatory vaccinations for Zone A cast and crew members and relaxed masking rules for outdoor locations. In LA County, positive rates have climbed above 4%, with vaccinated people accounting for 20% of those new infections. It feels unlikely that the country would go back to any sort of lockdown, but it stands to reason that a major shift in the current numbers must take place in order for any industry to continue on without interruption.

NYC Councilman Mark Levine is among the growing number of leaders calling for a more mindful response to the looming threat of the Delta variant. "It's time to renew the indoor mask mandate, including for those who are vax'd," Levine tweeted, citing increasing numbers in COVID cases in the city over the last two weeks. It's no surprise that the generally unclear reopening response and conflicting messages coming from various levels of government have continued on even during this latest uptick in cases across the country, and other parts of the world aren't much better off. Andrew Lloyd Weber's latest attempt at mounting his London production of CINDERELLA may be completely axed before they even take the stage, after news that a cast member tested positive and the production was halted completely. "It’s hard to see a route forward under the current rules, but we will do everything we can to come back,\” ALW said, prompting continued uncertainty surrounding how feasible it will be to bring back large-scale live theater amidst the rising number of COVID cases.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is still moving forward with his reopening plan regardless, announcing the launch of a two-year, $100 million initiative to revitalize Broadway and remove some of the financial burden of reintroducing shows to 42nd Street. The New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit will be eligible to receive 25% tax credits for applicable expenses in mounting their shows, up to $3 million per production. The program will also prioritize opening access for lower income folks in New York to see shows at little to no cost, as a part of a state-wide diversity and inclusion initiative over the next several years.

Festivals Remain Cautiously Optimistic About In-Person Events

Venice and Woodstock and TIFF and NYFF? That's a lot to keep track of. Here's a breakdown of where a handful of the major festivals currently stand in their 2021 timelines:

New York Asian Film Festival (August 6 - 22nd) - Blending virtual and in-person screenings is the name of the game for this year's NYAFF, which will present over 30 titles from Asian filmmakers that may otherwise not receive their fair share of time in cinemas across the country. Check out the trailer!

Dances with Films Festival (August 26 - September 12th) - It's go big or big home for this year's LA-based indie film show, as the event expands to a three-week timeline to accommodate all 250 films and make room for other smaller events, kickstarting with a Meet the Filmmakers night on the first evening of the festival.

Venice Film Festival (September 1 - 11th) - Organizers for this year's Venice fest are airing on the side of caution with the announcement that all 2020 COVID protocols will remain in place for this year's event, restricting theaters to 50% capacity and maintaining all previous testing and distancing protocols. Quarantine periods will also remain intact for some international travelers.

Toronto Film Festival (September 9 - 18th) - The Canadian government announced last week that beginning August 9th, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens will once again be permitted into the country, with all vaccinated international travelers allowed beginning two days before the festival's kickoff on September 9th. TIFF is typically seen as the gateway to the fall and winter award season, and organizers have already begun naming their highly coveted slate for the September event.

New York Film Festival (September 24 - October 10th) - NYFF is set for a star-studded homecoming at Lincoln Center this fall, welcoming the highly anticipated TRAGEDY OF MACBETH starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand for its opening night selection. The event will blend indoor, outdoor, and virtual elements to showcase its yet-to-be-fully-announced slate.

Woodstock Film Festival (September 30 - October 3rd) - The Hudson Valley-based festival will return to its in-person format this fall after jumping to virtual screenings last year, with plans to honor Neon found and CEO Tom Quinn for his career achievements, leading the studio through multiple high profile successes, most recently with Bong Joon-ho 's PARASITE.

After the high-profile success of Cannes early this month, organizers for many of the industry's biggest film fests are hoping their own events will mark a continued return to normalcy in the entertainment world. It's a pipe dream in more than a few ways, particularly considering the growing uncertainty about COVID numbers around the globe, but the folks at IndieWire argue that, in the words of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN's Lord Cutler Beckett, "perhaps their usefulness has run its course." Creating a universe streaming platform, updating the festival revenue and reporting structure, and switching up film-only offerings with VR crossovers are just a few of the suggestions IW's team has for the future of the festival business.

A Tale of Two States

California and Georgia have been duking it out in the land of increased tax incentives in the past few years, with both of them upping the ante to millions in credits for interested productions looking for a place to park their budgets big and small. In the past year, Oklahoma and New Mexico have made their own passes at luring productions to their states with increased investment in soundstages and other incentives. California's latest injection of $180 million of film tax credits and $150 million for soundstage construction is meant to appeal to companies like Apple, who are looking to establish a permanent base as they eye increased in-house production. Georgia has its own numbers to boast about, however - the film and TV biz tossed the Peach State an estimated $4 billion in direct spending in the last year, undoubtedly a result of the state's impressive $870 million production incentive budget. Let the battle rage on! 🎬

HBO Setting Big Plans for 2022 and Beyond

Execs at AT&T and WarnerMedia have high hopes for what's coming down the pipe for their relatively new streaming service in HBO Max over the next few years. After a strong 2021 Q2 report found that HBO and HBO Max net gained 2.85 million subscribers, it stands to reason that WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar is feeling good about the company's strategy moving forward. "Clearly motion pictures matter and will continue to matter," Kilar said during last week's earnings call, going on to share that HBO Max will play host to at least 10 exclusive titles in 2022 and that the company will most likely resort to a 45-day theatrical release window before moving the titles to streaming, evaluating each on a film-by-film basis. However, episodic offerings aren't going anywhere: HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, the much-anticipated GAME OF THRONES prequel, is already receiving buzz for how well it will be able to pull more users to the platform and offset any potential losses from cinematic releases, serving as the tip of the iceberg for even more shows and limited series expected to be on HBO's slate in 2022-onward.

Industry Intel

Part of California's newest tax incentive program was a requirement of studios to make their future productions "broadly reflective of California’s population." Variety took over 20 Hollywood unions to task to see what the current level of diversity is in production crews in the state, and while the data was muddy at best, a clear pattern was still discernible: individuals from marginalized and underrepresented communities account for far less filled positions than their white counterparts at present. The hope is that the introduction of these tax incentives will spur productions on to creating a more equitable environment in front of and behind the camera, but there is still much work to be done in Hollywood to make that a reality.

Wondering what the current theatrical release schedule looks like for Hollywood's biggest studios? IndieWire has you covered 🎥

Samuel French's 46th annual Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival has named Heidi Schreck this year's honorary festival playwright. Schreck gained national recognition for the acclaimed run of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, for which she earned two Tony nominations and a streaming deal with Amazon. This year's winners will be announced at an online event on August 12th, receiving a publishing and licensing deal from Sam French.