Searchlight pictures (The Banshee of Inisherin, three Billboard outside Ebbing, Missouri, poor thing, we are all strangers, jojo rabbit, boy don’t cry, Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine) Senior executive Katie Goodson-Thomas told the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) on Tuesday how passion and “humanity” make the streaming giant “price-out” on a daily basis. The studio becomes something different.
Sharing her thoughts and behind-the-scenes insights at the UK capital’s 68th film festival, the studio’s head of international production and development said that as a team we were “pretty relaxed” in the UK, and that the team There are eight members of the UK staff, four of whom are solicitors working across the firm.
Is the studio already owned by the Walt Disney Company? “They gave us complete creative freedom,” Goodson-Thomas shared, while allowing the studio to have “a huge creative powerhouse behind us.” However, she believes Disney has made the Searchlight team “more aware” of the importance and power of the brand.
While touting everyone at Searchlight’s “passion” for independent films, she emphasized the “collaborative nature” of the team and “how un-American and un-corporate the whole company is.” She added: “We are a flat company. Everyone has a voice. … We all have a voice. Despite some notes from the studio in post-production, Suits has never been flat in America. Filmmaker’s Voice “We’re very collaborative and respectful of each other,” she concludes.
Searchlight celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Goodson-Thomas has been responsible for the specialty films brand’s UK and international operations for more than a decade. Given the specific types of films Searchlight makes, she and her team often end up helping creatives “realize their dream projects.”
Discussing LFF’s two searchlight photos, she said real pain The film, which Eisenberg wrote, directed and produced in collaboration with Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, is a perfect fit for the studio because its films have traditionally had “both humor and something to say.” ability. She added, “That’s Jesse,” and her voice came naturally.
Another Searchlight LFF movie is night bitchstarring Amy Adams and directed by Mariel Heller, who spoke to the studio about the film/”It’s a satirical comedy but about motherhood” and other issues,” the executive explained said. “We fully funded it. ”
Under discussion we are all strangersGoodson-Thomas recalled that Andrew Haig shared the script with her and she loved it and always wanted to work with her. Casting was key then. When Haig asked her what she thought of Paul Mescal, she responded, “I really like Paul Mescal,” before repeating the same reaction. “I really liked Andrew Scott,” she recalled. She said Haigh and she agreed: “The two of them are sexy together.”
Diversity, inclusion, representation and sustainability are all key to Searchlight, Goodson-Thomas said. Showcasing “underrepresented communities” on screen and working sustainably is something her team is passionate about, while also focusing on making “commercial” films.
“We’re completely flexible” when it comes to financing decisions, studio executives also shared Tuesday about Searchlight’s approach. She also said that given the risks inherent in choosing creative projects, “filmmaking is a gamble.”
Goodson-Thomas said while discussing upcoming projects Rosestarring Benedick Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, reimagined from screenwriter Tony McNamara and director Jay Roach Wars of the Roses.
She also mentioned a film being produced by directors Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett inspired by the life of John Bishop, whose title was mentioned in previous reports Is this thing open?
The responsibility to keep independent films going falls not only on the shoulders of the studios, but also on the audiences. The Searchlight executive said “people need to get back to the theaters” to watch more challenging movies, which has been the case recently, and she hopes to continue.
When asked about artificial intelligence, she said she didn’t have much to say on the subject. “You know the future is coming,” she said. “It’s inevitable, it’s how you use it. And I can only speak for myself. I can’t speak for the company. … We just have to learn to make the most of it, but hopefully at the core … it’s still human . She added: “Everyone says theater is dead, but it’s booming. So I think we’ll see what happens and we have to be careful and careful and thoughtful. But I personally don’t have any solutions. It’s a big deal.
Searchlight executives were also asked about the state of the competitive market. “We can’t compete with Netflix. That’s not going to happen … whether it’s Apple or Amazon,” she said. “Emerald Fennell is a filmmaker I would love to work with. I know she’s going [to make an adaptation of] Wuthering Heights. We will not be able to participate in that conversation. But I think she’s a phenomenal filmmaker, and I wanted to make her movie, so I’m proud that she made it with people who could pay her the money she wanted.
She continued, “One of the great things about Searchlight, I hope, is … this human, face-to-face approach. We’re very rigorous and very thoughtful.” The executive concluded, “I’m not in this department, so I can Said. I don’t think there is better distribution or marketing. [team] Better than ours, both internationally and globally.
What would Goodson-Thomas do if she had to choose another career? “If I wasn’t working in movies, I’d probably be a therapist,” the executive quipped.
