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Independent Cinemas In Canada Say They’re Being Shut Out By Cineplex

How’s this for a near monopoly? Cineplex owns 75 percent of movie screens across Canada – and indie theatres say the behemoth is shutting them out of Oscar winners and nominees like Parasite and Little Women. “Industry insiders say the practice of exclusive runs at certain cinemas isn’t new. But independent theatres say that exclusivity has become excessive and keeps them from showing award-winning movies for longer than ever.” One wrote a petition saying this practice is “crushing indie theatres across Canada.” – CBC

While Boris Johnson Wants To ‘Massively Prune’ The BBC, Senior Tory MPs Say No

One MP called the idea an “act of cultural vandalism,” and another wrote, “”his is not a fight the BBC is picking nor a contest my party promised if we got elected. … If the BBC ends up in decline, it will be the government which will be accused by the very people we will rely on for support at the next election.” But Johnson is determined to pick the fight. – BBC

More Eyes On South Korea’s Class Divisions After ‘Parasite’ Hits Big On The World Stage

The semi-basement that the Kim family lives in is a reality for about 2 percent of South Koreans living in Seoul – one of the most expensive cities in Asia. One of them, who shares a name with the daughter in the film, says it’s very similar. “Kim, who moved into her $211-a-month banjiha apartment after leaving her job to take care of her mother, is no fan of her current accommodations, which flood during the rainy season.” – The Washington Post (AP)

The Royal Shakespeare Company Hires Its First Spanish Actor

David Luque, a 47-year-old actor from Madrid, has been working steadily in theatre for decades, starting when he was a student using the EU’s programs to study in Germany. But really, right as Brexit hits? He says, “The RSC is in an opening moment, breaking old schemes to try to reflect on the stage the diversity. …  It may seem paradoxical at this time when Brexit has just taken place, although perhaps it is precisely the reaction of the art world.” – El País (Spain)

Adding Back In The Workers That Art About Los Angeles So Often Forgets

For instance, David Hockney’s “splash” paintings created an idea of Los Angeles that was cool and secluded. Artist Ramiro Gomez imagines what was going on behind the scenes in No Splash – and other scenes of “cool” LA. “He creates these paintings more as questions than as heavy, social statements, using the words ‘subtle anger’ to explain his motivation. ‘I try to stay away from didactic work,’ he says. ‘I leave that to the activists. I’m trying to find the middle ground.'” – The Guardian (UK)

The Wedding Dress That Cost The Cooper Hewitt Director Her Job

In a reversal of fortune story that seems nigh-on impossible given certain trends in federal government, Caroline Baumann “was forced to resign as director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan last week following an investigation by the Smithsonian’s inspector general into potential problems regarding the procurement of the dress and the wedding space.” – The New York Times