Notícias

Major Hollywood studios and unions have partnered with “special ambassadors” Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone to ask that President Donald Trump consider backing their bid for further tax incentives for film and television productions.

In a letter to the president on Monday, Voight, Stallone and a lengthy list of industry players including the Motion Picture Association, producers’ groups and top industry labor organizations called for Trump to support their efforts to include Hollywood-friendly tax measures in a reconciliation package being put together in Congress.

The letter notably did not mention tariffs, which Trump advocated for in a caps lock-laden social-media post on May 4.

The letter specifically advocated for the package to revive Section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code, which once allowed film and TV productions to be eligible for a tax deduction as a form of “domestic manufacturing.” The letter stated that the signatories “strongly support” Trump’s proposal to institute a reduced,...

Executives from several of Hollywood’s major studios met Friday by phone with the Motion Picture Association to discuss the foreign film tariff Donald Trump called for earlier this week.

Details about the meeting, organized by MPA CEO Charles Rivkin, have not been made public. However, two individuals with knowledge of the proceedings told TheWrap that it began with discussion of what studio bosses want Trump to know about the current state of play for production, before eventually turned to California’s film and TV tax credit incentives.

Their conversation reflected public sentiments shared by several studio executives who spoke Wednesday at the Milken Global Conference, TheWrap learned: that U.S. film and TV production problem is, essentially, a California problem.

“So, while it’s true a lot of production has left the United States, it’s even worse for California, and there are a lot of people — including our...

The leaders of the major Hollywood studios and streaming companies gathered on Zoom on Friday for a special meeting with Motion Picture Association chief Charles Rivkin to strategize about how to address President Trump’s threatened film tariffs.

The goal was to find a delicate way to educate the White House on the complexities of the film business, as well as the difficulty of applying a tariff on a product that is not a traditional good in the sense of a car or a hammer. Moreover, many films are shot in multiple foreign locations both because a story calls for a certain setting, and because of the costs. Post-production work on visual effects and editing also can take place in different countries to take advantage of subsidies.

The executives argued on the call that many films are still shot in the U.S, including in such production hotspots as Georgia,...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has approved a state budget that increases the cap on the state’s film and TV subsidy to $800 million, nearly double the amount from 2022.

The expansion creates a $100 million pool earmarked solely for independent projects and ups the payout for production companies that frequently film in the state. It also includes changes around the margins aimed at remedying longtime grievances with the program, including delays in receiving the credit and restrictions around above-the-line costs eligible for the rebate.

The revisions come amid a tit-for-tat race between production hotspots vying for Hollywood dollars. California is mulling an overhaul of its film and TV tax incentive program that will see the cap increase from $330 million to $750 million and up the base credit to 35 percent while expanding the category of productions that qualify.

Also at play: A potential federal tax incentive that, if signed off on as currently...

The New York legislature has approved a bill to increase its annual film tax incentive package by 14% to $800 million — a move that comes days after President Trump said he was considering stiff tariffs on foreign films to help save a “dying” movie industry.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill on Friday. It raises the film subsidy from $700 million, which has been the annual allotment since 2023, and includes $100 million designated specifically for independent flicks. To qualify, indie films cannot have more than half of its financial backing stem from publicly traded entertainment companies.

Motion Picture Association president Charles Rivkin thanked Gov. Hochul and praised the deal on Friday.

“The enhanced and extended film incentive program will further cement New York as a leader in the entertainment and creative sectors,” he said in a statement. “As the outpouring of support from across the state has made clear, New York crews, creatives and...

President Donald Trump’s sudden announcement on Sunday that he intends to impose a “100 percent tariff” on movies produced abroad jolted advocates who have been working for months to return more film and television production to California.

Between the Stay in LA coalition, the Hollywood guilds, the state legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom, production insiders thought they knew the players and what their positions were. But, as the White House and Trump ambassador Jon Voight took a stab at offering up a plan, studio chiefs are mostly staying silent (publicly) while union leaders’ considered statements have signaled guilds are keeping their options open.

There’s general skepticism that the tariff will actually be implemented and raised eyebrows about Trump’s motives, as many of these industry types express caution and say they’re waiting for details on the policy. A group of film studio executives are expected to speak with...

Top Hollywood studio execs are scheduled to hold a call with Motion Pictures Association chair-ceo Charles Rivkin on Friday to discuss President Donald Trump’s surprise proposal to impose tariffs on movies shot outside of the United States, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The film industry was left reeling over the weekend after Trump took to social media on Sunday to proclaim that it’s time to “make Hollywood great again” and that shooting films in other countries is nothing short of a threat to national security.

The very next morning, however, the White House seemed to downplay Trump’s decree when issuing a statement clarifying that “no final decisions have been made” regarding such tariffs.

So far, the MPA — which is the main trade organization representing movie studios and their parent companies — has yet to officially respond to Trump’s comments regarding tariffs. (Also on Sunday, he suggested reopening...

India’s booming film, television and streaming industry generated $61.2 billion in total economic contribution during 2024, according to a new report from the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in collaboration with Deloitte.

The findings, unveiled at Mumbai’s inaugural World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (Waves), paint a picture of a thriving creative ecosystem supporting 2.64 million jobs nationwide.

The report, supported by the India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India’s top streamer JioStar, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), the Producers Guild of India, and Creative First, reveals the sector’s direct gross output reached $16.8 billion in 2024, demonstrating resilience following pandemic challenges.

Looking ahead, researchers project 6-7% compound annual growth over the next four years, potentially reaching combined revenues of approximately $17.5 billion by 2029. More optimistically, with effective regulatory measures, growth could accelerate to 9-10%, pushing revenues to nearly $20 billion.

MPA chair and CEO Charles Rivkin addressed the...

Netflix’s “Zero Day” added $146 million to New York’s economy, the streamer and the Motion Picture Association revealed in new data released Monday.

The Robert De Niro-led limited series, which supported 2,073 local cast and crew, filmed for 103 days in Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios, Manhattan and Queens; across Westchester County, including Briarcliff Manor, Pleasantville, Purchase, Rye Brook, and Sleepy Hollow; Nyack in Rockland County; and on Long Island, specifically in Oyster Bay Cove.

The production’s local spend included over $1 million on catering and other food items; more than $1 million on lodging and accommodations; over $1 million on transportation, including truck and car rentals; more than $450,000 spent locally on hardware and lumber; more than $24 million spent locally on purchases and rentals, and more.

“Zero Day” also participated in New York’s film and TV tax credit program, which Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed extending and enhancing this year.

Over 103 days of filming,...

Senate and House lawmakers Wednesday reintroduced legislation that will give individuals the right to control the use of their digital likeness, as part of an effort to limit the use of AI deepfakes and voice clones.

The No Fakes Act was introduced last year but failed to advance in Congress even with bipartisan support and changes that alleviated First Amendment worries.

The legislation gives individuals the right to authorize the use of their voice and likeness in digital replication. The digital replication right does not expire at a person’s death, and can be transferred and licensed by heirs, executors and others. That post-mortem right, though, terminates no longer than 70 years after an individual’s passing.

The legislation is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tn), Sen. Chris Coons (D-de), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-Nc) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-mn). In the House, the sponsors are Rep.

At the theater owners confab CinemaCon, Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin asserted that the U.S. needs to increase production incentives on the federal level.

“Together with our union and guild partners, we will be pushing for more incentives at the federal level this year,” he told delegates gathered at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace. “We will keep fighting to extend tax measures that encourage investments by studios. We will explore new policies designed with a singular goal in mind: to ramp up filmmaking and create jobs for our workforce.

“Incentives bring production. Production brings jobs,” he emphasized, saying production of a major motion picture can bring on average $1.3 million per day into the local economy, while paying over $17 million in wages.

Noting that incentives are already finding success on the state levels, he suggested that “more can be done to bring production to our hometowns and reinforce...

Exhibition and distribution must work together to usher in “the next great era of cinema”, urged Cinema United president & CEO Michael O’Leary in his state of the industry speech at CinemaCon on Tuesday.

In an emotive address at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, O’Leary underscored a commitment to a theatrical-first cinema ecosystem. He asserted the need for a minimum 45-day exclusive theatrical window, better marketing and outreach, and refurbished locations. “We are recovering,” he said of the turbulent last few years, “but we are not recovered.”

Warning against ”clinging to the norms of a pre-pandemic world or...

Usually, it’s the films that are loud at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin. This year, however, the parade of personalities in the City of the Violet Crown will be creating plenty of thunder including Blake Lively, Jenna Ortega, Michelle Obama, Disney co-chairman Alan Bergman, Amazon and MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Conan O’Brien fresh off the Oscar Dolby Theatre stage.

There are an intriguing amount of sit-downs here at SXSW this year after the fest kicks off Friday, rivaling the number of sidebar chats at a San Diego Comic-Con and certainly towering over the few at this past year’s Sundance, where the best chats were off-menu and not contained in any program: Elvis Mitchell’s conversations with Bill Murray and Quentin Tarantino.

In a déjà vu to Comic-Con, O’Brien will be on stage twice: once in a Sunday comedy event with...

The Motion Picture Association is heading to SXSW this year to host industry-centric sessions on global location shooting, digital piracy and a conversation on the future of filmmaking with MPA chief Charles Rivkin and Amazon MGM’s Jennifer Salke and Courtenay Valenti.

“The MPA is excited to spotlight key issues around policy, production, and piracy at a festival filled with people who love movies, believe in their power, and want to learn about the next big things coming their way,” said Rivkin, MPA’s chairman and CEO.

As the festival kicks off in Austin, Texas on March 7, the MPA will host “Location, Location, Location: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Real-World Production.” The panel is scheduled to feature:

Bryan Abrams, editor-in-chief of The Credits, MPA Adriana Cruz, executive director of the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office Paul Jensen, producer at Lucky Number 8 Productions Steve Joyner, production designer

Rivkin’s conversation with Salke,...

U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Dem-CA) has introduced H.R. 791, the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (or Fadpa), to prevent foreign-run piracy sites from exploiting loopholes in U.S. law. The Act sets site-blocking laws that require U.S. internet providers to make “a good faith effort” to disable access to pirate websites.

Lofgren is Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a senior member of the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet. After working for over a year with the tech, film, and television industries, she said, “we’ve arrived at a proposal that has a remedy for copyright infringers located overseas that does not disrupt the free internet except for the infringers.”

Foreign digital piracy, she adds, presents a “massive and growing threat,” costing American jobs, harming the creative community, and exposing consumers to dangerous security risks. The Foreign...

Josh Rubin, a foreign policy official in the Obama and Biden administrations, is joining the Motion Picture Association as senior vice president of global strategy and chief of staff.

Rubin, who will be based at the MPA’s global headquarters in Washington, D.C., will work with regional leaders on international government and industry engagement, and he will serve as a member of the MPA’s senior management team. He starts on Feb. 28 and will report to chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin and Hunter Paletsas, executive vice president and global chief financial officer.

Rubin is taking on some of the responsibilities of Urmila Venugopalan, who was executive vice president of strategy and global operations, and was recently appointed president and managing director of the MPA’s Asia Pacific region.

Josh Rubin

Rubin was most recently director for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council. Before that post at the White House,...

The Motion Picture Association has named Urmila Venugopalan as its new president and managing director of the Asia-Pacific region.

Venugopalan, formerly the MPA’s executive vp of strategy and global operations, will succeed Belinda Lui, who is stepping down after five years. The leadership change becomes effective on Jan. 31.

Venugopalan joined the MPA in 2017 and has worked to align the association’s U.S. and international teams, streamline global operations and increase coordination between the legal and policy functions.

Based in Tokyo, Venugopalan will report to Gail MacKinnon, the MPA’s senior executive vp of global policy and government affairs.

In the new role, the MPA says Venugopalan will continue to expand the U.S. studios and streamers’ “access to local markets, promote production in new areas, and strengthen advocacy, operations, and personnel across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Working closely with the MPA’s anti-piracy arm, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment...

The Penguin may be one of Batman’s greatest villains, but it turns out Oswald Cobblepot is a hero for New York City’s economy.

According to the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, the HBO series contributed over 134.7 million during filming, citing internal data from Warner Bros. Discovery.

That investment included over $73 million in wages to more than 2,200 local cast and crew, $60.8 million in local economic activity, $6.3 million on location fees and permits, $5.4 million on props and set dressing, $5.3 million on transportation and car rentals, $2.1 million on local catering and $1.5 million on hotels and lodging.

The drama, which filmed for 112 days around New York, including all five NYC boroughs, as well as in Westchester County and on Long Island, earned the “Made in NY” production title – an honor granted only to projects filmed 75% or more in New York.

We're over the moon that #MadeinNY series "The Penguin" was predominantly shot in NYC,...

Top motion picture lobbyist Patrick Kilcur has joined Ballard Partners, a leading national public affairs firm with close GOP ties, as a partner in Washington, D.C.

Kilcur was most recently Executive Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs at the Motion Picture Association.

“Patrick is a highly respected and accomplished government affairs professional with a proven track record of success,” said Ballard’s founder and president Brian Ballard. Kilcur’s “longstanding relationships with leadership in the U.S. Senate and his expertise in the entertainment industry broaden our firm’s reach substantially in Washington and Hollywood.”

At the MPA, Kilcur oversaw all government relations functions and policy initiatives in the U.S. for the association and its member companies, which include the traditional Hollywood studios as well Netflix and, recently, Amazon Studios. He played a key role in representing the motion picture industry’s interests in the passage of...

The California Production Coalition, a group of 33 film, television and streaming production businesses and associations, has just launched with the stated mission of bucking up the state’s “outdated and underfunded” production tax credit program that’s been steadily losing business to rivals.

Tax incentives from Canada to Georgia to the UK have taken a massive bite out of production in the home of Hollywood where even major studios now look elsewhere to shoot on many projects. The Coalition launches as Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing to increase California’s incentive under the Film & Television Tax Credit Program to $700 million annually, a massive increase from the current $330 million, as motion picture production faces increasingly stiff competition from rival jurisdictions that offer larger and more flexible incentives.

The increase, announced Oct., 27, is subject to approval by the Democratic majority legislature in the Golden State’s 2025-2026 budget.

The new coalition’s...

California Production Coalition, an advocacy group of 33 small businesses, studios, and professional organisations, has launched to keep production in Hollywood.

The launch comes amid growing concern over runaway production to other US states and international jurisdictions offering more competitive incentives, and nearly two months after California Governor Gavin Newson proposed to double the state’s film and TV tax incentive to $750m.

Hollywood’s production sector is a critical revenue earner for the state. A 2022 study by Los Angeles Economic Development Corporationfound that every dollar of California incentives delivers a return of $24.40 in increased economic activity, $16.14 in Gdp, and $8.60 in wages.

The Motion Picture Association is gearing up to push for significant changes in the California film incentive, which would make it more generous to individual productions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged in October to more than double the state’s annual support for Hollywood to $750 million. At the time, the governor did not propose other changes to the program.

On Wednesday, the MPA launched an effort, the California Production Coalition, to highlight deficiencies in the “outdated and underfunded” incentive program, and to galvanize support for modifications. Primary among the concerns is that other states are more generous on a per-project basis.

In California, the incentive is limited to 20% of below-the-line costs for most projects. Georgia and New York offer 30% and also cover big-ticket salaries for directors and actors. New York increased its incentive last year to $700 million annually while adding eligibility for “above-the-line” salaries up to $500,000 per person.

California also caps...

As Gov. Gavin Newsom readies a plan to double California’s film and TV incentive program from $330 million to $750 million a year in tax relief for producers who shoot in the state, a new coalition is forming to lobby aggressively to keep Hollywood in Hollywood.

The group, titled the California Production Coalition, comprises 30-plus businesses and organizations including studio operators like Hudson Pacific Properties and Raleigh Studios as well as payroll providers like Entertainment Partners and Wrapbook, film equipment providers and the studios’ main trade org the Motion Picture Association.

It launched with an independent poll commissioned that pushes its narrative that voters in the state also care about keeping the motion picture industry filming in Hollywood. And the formation arrives the same day as the California Film Commission touted that it had enticed season two of Apple TV+’s Bad Monkey to relocate from Florida with $20 million in tax credits.

The Motion Picture Association has named Urmila Venugopalan as its new president and managing director of the Asia-Pacific region.

Venugopalan, currently executive vice president of strategy & global operations, will succeed Belinda Lui, who is stepping down after five years. The appointment is effective on Jan. 31.

Venugopalan joined the MPA in 2017. In her new role she will work on expanding access to local markets and promoting production in new areas, as well other advocacy activities across the region. She also will work with the MPA’s anti-piracy arm, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or Ace. Venugopalan will retain her duties as the MPA’s corporate board liaison.

She will be based in Tokyo and report to Gail MacKinnon, MPA senior vice president, global policy and government affairs.

Charles Rivkin, MPA chairman and CEO, said in a statement that Venugopalan “is a veteran leader who thrives at the complex intersections of business,...

Exclusive: The Motion Picture Association posted a surplus of just over $2 million in 2023, reflecting increased revenue from dues and a content protection initiative, as well as other sources.

According to the most recent filing from the Internal Revenue Service, the trade association also reduced some costs, including those going to grants to other organizations and groups.

According to the filing, MPA revenue rose to $79.2 million, from $74.5 million a year earlier. Membership dues reached $62.3 million, from $58.7 million in the previous year. A portion of the funds are for tenant improvements at the trade association’s Sherman Oaks office, according to the MPA. Costs will be depreciated over seven years rather than expensed in 2023, according to the trade association.

The MPA also saw a boost in revenue from the Trusted Partner Network, a film and television content protection initiative, with $3.3 million, from $1.22 million a year earlier. The MPA’s film rating service collected $5.5 million,...

Thailand’s government is set to increase the cash rebate for foreign shoots from 20% to 30% after a meeting with senior Hollywood execs.

Plans to increase the rate have been in the works since early 2023, but progress has since slowed.

However, Thai representatives talked up the plans at recent Asian confabs, and sources say they were the centerpiece of a networking reception for LA execs at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel hosted by Thai Prime Minster Paethongtarn Shinawatra.

According to a post on a Thai government website, in attendance at the Wiltshire were Motion Picture Association CEO and Chairman Charles Rivkin, Disney’s Cathleen Taff, HBO/Warner Bros Pictures’ Jay Roewe, Amazon MGM Studios’ Vernon Sanders, NBCUniversal’s Chris Miller, Netflix’s David Hyman, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Jill Rather and Paramount Pictures’ Sharon Keyser.

The result looks likely to be a 30% rebate on foreign shoots in the country with no cap.

Rep. Adam Schiff signaled support on Thursday for a federal incentive to keep film and TV production from fleeing to other countries.

Schiff, who is poised to become a California senator, sent a letter to the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics seeking data on the impact of overseas incentives on the domestic industry.

“In order for the U.S. to maintain its standing as a leader in the film and television production industry and spur more American jobs, we must create competitive labor-based incentives for U.S. production,” Schiff said in the letter.

The industry has long sought a nationwide film incentive, which would supplement the state-by-state tax credit programs in places like Georgia, New Mexico, California and New York.

Production levels in the U.S. have dropped sharply over the last three years, in part due to the 2023 strikes but also amid an industrywide contraction.

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposal on Sunday to increase California’s film incentive to $750 million, responding to calls to boost the struggling industry.

At an event at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles, Newsom said it was important to “send a statement” by more than doubling the subsidy, which is currently set at $330 million.

“We needed to be big and bold,” Newsom said, flanked by supporters from labor. “We’re in a position where we can afford this, and we need to do this.”

The increase must be approved by the Legislature next year, and would take effect in July 2025.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass applauded the proposal, saying it would make a “huge difference” in making the state competitive with tax incentives in New York and Georgia.

“Just like we need to do in the World Series, we have to make sure we stay ahead of New York,” Bass said.

Hollywood lobbying and advocacy group the Motion Picture Assn. has appointed Emilie Anthonis as president and managing director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, effective Jan. 1. She will take the reins from Stan McCoy, who is stepping down after more than a decade in the role.

The MPA represents the interests of its members, which are Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios and Netflix.

“Emilie is a veteran of the MPA and the European audiovisual sector, and she’s earned a strong reputation as a powerful advocate for the creative industry, an expert in policymaking, a respected voice in European capitals, and a leader of integrity,” said Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the MPA. “Emilie is ready to take the reins of our operations and serve as an effective voice for our industry across this region,...

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has promoted Emilie Anthonis to president and managing director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) region.

Anthonis, who takes up the role on January 1, 2025, will succeed Stan McCoy, who is stepping down after more than a decade at the lobby organisation for US studios and streamers.

Anthonis has worked at the MPA since 2017 as SVP of government affairs for Emea. She is a former director of legal and public affairs at the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (Act) and in-house counsel at Viacom. She began her career as an IP lawyer in...

Emilie Anthonis will replace Stan McCoy as the new president and managing director of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) regions, the MPA said Monday.

Anthonis will take over on Jan. 1, 2025. McCoy is stepping down after leading the MPA in the region for over a decade.

“I’m proud to pass the baton after an exciting decade leading what is undoubtedly the Emea region’s most skilled trade association across public policy, antipiracy, and all its other fields of expertise,” McCoy said in a statement.

“I am looking forward to serving the MPA members in this new capacity while continuing the spirit of teamwork that Stan has inspired across all of our MPA Emea operations,” said Anthonis. “Europe is such a key market for the MPA’s members, and they have a very long history of storytelling and partnerships in the region.”

Prior...

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has set Emilie Anthonis as its new President and Managing Director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) region. Anthonis will take up the post as of January 1, 2025, succeeding Stan McCoy, who is stepping down after more than a decade.

Based in Brussels, Anthonis will report to Gail MacKinnon, Senior Executive Vice President, Global Policy & Government Affairs.

Prior to joining the MPA in 2017, Anthonis was Director of Legal and Public Affairs at the Association of Commercial Television in Europe. Before that, she served as in-house counsel at Viacom. She began her career as an IP lawyer in a Brussels law firm focusing on copyright and media law.

“Emilie is a veteran of the MPA and the European audiovisual sector, and she’s earned a strong reputation as a powerful advocate for the creative industry, an expert in policymaking, a respected voice in European capitals,...

Amazon will become the newest member of the Motion Picture Association next month, adding its tech industry clout to the Hollywood lobbying group.

Amazon is both a streamer and a traditional studio, operating Prime Video and MGM Studios, which it bought for $8.5 billion in 2021. Its decision to join the MPA is a symbol of the convergence of entertainment and Big Tech, which were separated by a sharp divide not that long ago.

“Amazon’s mission is to entertain customers around the world with compelling film and television,” said Mike Hopkins, the head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “In order to do that, we must support storytellers, while also helping to sustain a robust entertainment industry that works for both studios and our creative partners. We are proud to join the MPA and its member studios in their collective efforts to protect creators, content, and consumers worldwide.”

Amazon will...

The Motion Picture Association, the Hollywood trade group that represents film and TV studios, is adding a high-profile new member.

Amazon is joining the MPA, via its Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios subsidiaries.

Amazon, the producer of films like Saltburn and TV series like Fallout, joins Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery as a member, as well as Netflix, which was the most recent member, having joined in 2019.

The MPA fights on behalf of its members, taking a particularly strong stance on issues like copyright and intellectual property protections, anti-piracy efforts, production incentives, and other issues that sit at the intersection of public policy and entertainment.

“The MPA is the global voice for a growing and evolving industry, and welcoming Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios to our ranks will broaden our collective policymaking and content protection efforts on behalf of our most innovative and creative companies,...

Last month, Amazon vowed it would put 16 films in theaters, annually, by 2027. Today, the company’s Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios put their money where their mouths are as (collectively) the seventh member of the MPA (Motion Picture Association).

The Amazon companies will formally join the MPA on October 1, when together they will make up the first addition to the group since Netflix came aboard five years ago. The other current MPA members are Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

In recent years, the two richest companies in the streaming-video space (and pretty much any space), Amazon and Apple, have faced faced scrutiny over their respective commitments to theatrical — including from their own filmmakers, like Amazon/MGM’s “Road House 2” director Doug Liman. Netflix has become a known quantity in terms of its own commitment to theatrical movie releases, which is to say basically zero commitment.

The Motion Picture Association has added Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video as its newest member.

The Amazon outlets will officially join on Oct. 1 as the seventh member of the industry trade and lobbying organization. Netflix joined the association in 2019, a move that reflected the shift of the industry toward streaming, and the influence of tech giants on the business.

The other members of the MPA include Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery.

“The MPA is the global voice for a growing and evolving industry, and welcoming Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios to our ranks will broaden our collective policymaking and content protection efforts on behalf of our most innovative and creative companies,” MPA Chairman Charles Rivkin said in a statement.

In a memo to MPA staffers, Rivkin wrote that the addition of Amazon was “reflecting the realities of our industry and...

Amazon has joined the Motion Picture Association, Hollywood’s leading lobbying group, the MPA announced on Thursday. The tech giant ‚ which includes its streaming service, Prime Video, and Amazon MGM Studios — becomes the newest member since streaming heavyweight Netflix joined in 2019.

“Welcoming Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios to our ranks will broaden our collective policymaking and content protection efforts on behalf of our most innovative and creative companies,” MPA CEO Charles Rivkin said in a statement.

Amazon Prime Video has 200 million monthly viewers, the company said earlier this year. Beyond Amazon and Netflix, other MPA members include entertainment stalwarts Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Amazon’s entry into the MPA comes as the company has continued to funnel money into its entertainment efforts; in 2023, the company spent $19 billion on content — up 14% from the year before.

MGM, which Amazon bought for $8.5 billion in 2021, had been a member of...

It has been a bad day for FMovies, which is being described as "the largest pirate streaming operation in the world." The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment came down hard on the piracy site with the help of the Hanoi police to shut down FMovies and its affiliated sites for good.

Per Variety, the Ace worked in conjunction with the Hanoi police and Vietnamese law enforcement to bring an end to FMovies and other streaming sites engaged in illegal piracy activity. Other sites included in the bust were bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer and aniwave, which attracted more than 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024, according to the findings of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment.

The FMovies Bust Also Resulted in Two Men Being Arrested

FMovies was based in Vietnam, and the sting resulted in two Vietnamese men being arrested by Hanoi authorities for their connection to the site. Also taken down was Vidsrc.

An anti-piracy billboard.

Law enforcement authorities in Vietnam have shut down one of the world’s largest online services for pirated movie content, according to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (Ace).

Their action targeted Fmovies, a Hanoi-based operation that has offered illicit access to feature-length movies, anime and other content since at least 2016. Through Fmovies, the pirates operated a number of other websites and services, including bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer and aniwave, which drew more than 6.7 billion web visits between January of last year and this past June, Ace claimed.

“The takedown of Fmovies is a stunning victory for casts, crews, writers, directors, studios, and the creative community across the globe,” said Charles Rivkin, the Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Chairman of Ace. “With the leadership of Ace and the partnership of the Ministry of Public Security and the Hanoi Municipal Police, we are countering criminal activity,...

Fmovies, the largest pirate streaming operator in the world, has been shut down by Vietnamese authorities, according to the Motion Picture Association, which had been working with police in the broad sting operation.

The piracy ring was taken down by the Hanoi Police, who disabled hundreds of affiliated streaming sites. Fmovies launched in 2016 and included websites like bflixz, movies7, myflixer and heymovies.

The Vidsrc.to domain was also taken down, as the Ace describes it as “a notorious video hosting provider operated by the same suspects.” The syndicate attracted more than 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024, according to Ace. With nearly 374 million monthly visits, the syndicate was the largest piracy ring in the world.

“The takedown of Fmovies is a stunning victory for casts, crews, writers, directors, studios, and the creative community across the globe,” Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of Ace,...

Fmovies — described as the biggest pirate streaming operator in the world — has been shut down by police in Vietnam, working in coordination with the MPA-led industry antipiracy group Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment.

The takedown by Hanoi Police disabled Fmovies and dozens of its affiliated piracy sites. Fmovies was launched in 2016 and encompassed sites including bflixz, movies7, myflixer and heymovies. The Vidsrc.to domain, which according to the Ace was “a notorious video hosting provider operated by the same suspects,” was also taken down. Between January 2023 and June 2024, the Fmovies syndicate attracted more than 6.7 billion visits, according to Ace.

“We took down the mothership here,” Charles Rivkin, CEO of the Motion Picture Association and chairman of Ace, told Variety. “There was a time when piracy was Whac-a-Mole… Today, we go after piracy at its root.”

At its peak in 2023, Fmovies was the 11th most popular website globally in the TV,...

Fmovies, a Hanoi-based streaming operation, has been shut down in what an industry group says was the source of the world’s largest piracy ring.

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, a global anti-piracy coalition, said that Hanoi police shut down the streaming operation as well as associated sites. The authorities acted in partnership with Ace, which includes studios and other content companies to wage legal efforts against infringing sites.

Charles Rivkin, the chairman and CEO of the MPA and chairman of Ace, said that the shutdown of Fmovies was “the largest takedown in history and a huge victory for IP holders.”

According to Ace, Fmovies and associated sites generated more than 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024. The site featured recently released movies and TV shows, with easy streaming links and the tagline, “Just a better place for watching online movies for free!”

The website TorrentFreak had reported on Fmovies stoppage earlier this summer,...

An anti-piracy coalition composed of major studios in the U.S. and across the globe is claiming victory against Fmovies, a significant streaming operation based in Vietnam.

On Thursday, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment revealed that it had worked with Hanoi police to shutter Fmovies and affiliated sites, which together made up “the largest pirate streaming operation in the world,” according to the organization. With sites including bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer and aniwave in addition to Fmovies, the operation attracted more than 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024, Ace says.

The effort also shut down video hosting provider Vidsrc.to and its affiliated sites, which were “operated by the same suspects,” per Ace. Two Vietnamese men were arrested by Hanoi police in connection with Fmovies and have yet to be charged.

Charles Rivkin, the chairman and CEO of Hollywood trade group the Motion Picture Association and the chairman of Ace,...

As the landscape for film, TV and commercials expands well beyond Hollywood, the Assn. of Film Commissioners International is appropriately opening its doors wider than ever before. In 2024, the organization has expanded its annual Afci Week conference to invite a broad range of industry executives, producers, location managers and government decision makers.

“This year’s Afci Week promises to break all records for global attendance and geographical diversity,” says Jaclyn Philpott, Afci’s executive director. By opening Afci Week to non-members, she hopes a more inclusive approach will help bring the industry together, adding that the turnout “underscores a strong commitment to face-to-face engagement and collaboration.”

Held from Aug. 25-28 at UCLA’s Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center, the event will feature more than 142 film commissions from all over the globe as it seeks to enhance connections between the commissioners and key players in

content production.

“Afci Week offers a unique platform to connect,...

As SAG-AFTRA been pushing for protections against AI, the studios have been reluctant to support any legislation that might crack down on its uses too broadly. But now, it appears that the parties are on the same page as they’ve both thrown their support behind a newly introduced bipartisan Senate bill.

The No Fakes Act (read it here) finally received support from the studios via the Motion Picture Association on Wednesday, after the group had warned of potential First Amendment violations earlier this year.

The bill is sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-de), Marsha Blackburn (R-tn), Amy Klobuchar (D-Mn) and Thom Tillis (R-nc).

“We support protecting performers from generative AI abuse – and this bill thoughtfully establishes federal protections against harmful uses of digital replicas, while respecting First Amendment rights and creative freedoms,” a statement from MPA CEO Charles Rivkin read. “We particularly appreciate the sponsors’ inclusion of safeguards...

MPA chief Charles Rivkin is set to deliver the opening keynote address next month at the Association of Film Commissioners International’s expanded Afci Week conference in Los Angeles.

The Afci hopes to enhance its four-day annual conference this year by inviting a wider range of industry executives, producers, location managers and government decision makers in the effort to faciliate connections between film commissioners from around the world and key players in content production.

“The purpose of Afci Week is to facilitate connections between our film commission members and the executives who decide where film and TV projects are produced,” said Jaclyn Philpott, executive director of Afci. “Expanding attendance this year means that those with decision-making power will not only participate as speakers but also engage as attendees, enhancing opportunities for dialogue and collaboration.”

The Aug. 25-28 event will be held for the first time at UCLA’s Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center.

Amid concerns about an industry wide contraction in production activity, the Association of Film Commissioners International is readying its annual event gathering location managers, policy pros and executives in Los Angeles.

This year’s Afci Week event will be held at UCLA’s Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center from August 25-28 and feature a keynote address by Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin.

The nonprofit organization says this year it’s expanding its focus to members outside of Afci film commissioners in order to convene a larger group of industry pros together. “The purpose of Afci Week is to facilitate connections between our film commission members and the executives who decide where film and TV projects are produced,” stated Afci executive director Jaclyn Philpott. “Expanding attendance this year means that those with decision-making power will not only participate as speakers but also engage as attendees, enhancing opportunities for dialogue and collaboration.

In a move to broaden industry membership, Association of Film Commissioners International (Afci) has for the first time invited all screen sector professionals to attend next month’s annual conference.

Afci Week 2024 runs August 25-28 at UCLA’s Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center in Los Angeles.

The Association has a strategic plan to grow its base through tiers for studio executives, producers, vendors, and other industry professionals. Up until now only Afci members could attend the four-day event.

The conference will kick off with a keynote address by Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin, and will feature panels and educational workshops,...

Illinois is hoping to lure more talk show and game show productions to the state now that Gov. Jb Pritzker has signed a bill that removes some restrictions that kept unscripted shows from participating in the state’s production tax credit program.

The Illinois Production Alliance announced Monday that Pritzker has signed bill Hb 5005 into law, which allows national talk shows, contest-based shows and game shows to participate in the state’s Film Production Services Tax Credit program. The expansion of production tax credits was part of an omnibus economic development bill also includes incentives for quantum computing development and redevelopment zones across Illinois.

Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, praised Pritzker as “a champion of the film, television and streaming industry,” and asserted that with his signing of Hb 5005, “Illinois will continue to be a global leader in motion picture production.”

Illinois leaders have made...

Juan Antonio Bayona and two other figures from Spain have been presented with MPA Awards by the US studios’ trade group the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Presented outside the US for the first time, the awards were handed out at a ceremony this week in Madrid co-hosted by MPA chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin and US Ambassador to Spain Julissa Reynoso.

Bayona, director of this year’s international film Oscar nominee for Spain Society Of The Snow and a number of other award winners, received the MPA Creator Award for, according to an MPA statement, “his stellar career delivering stunning creative masterpieces to audiences worldwide.