Category: media

Spain’s First Movie With Sound To Be Directed By A Woman Discovered In Archive

“[Maria Forteza’s documentary] Mallorca, an eight-minute, black-and-white sweep across the Balearic island inspired by the music of the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz, was donated to the national film archive in 1982 … For 38 years, Mallorca languished in the collection, wrongly identified as a silent 1926 film made by a male director.” – The Guardian

Movie Theatres Can’t Reopen Yet, So They’re Finding Novel Ways To Connect

“The Music Box in Chicago has a kind of tip-line where people can call in and describe what streaming services they have and their programmers will recommend what to watch. It’s been wildly popular and it’s so funny,” she says. “The Brattle in Cambridge, Mass., had a movie trivia night to support them, which became an opportunity for people from all over the country to join each other. Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, N.Y., has been working with their audience to care for them. Calling them on the phone just to make sure they’re doing all right.” – NPR

How ‘Sesame Street’ Has Reflected 50 Years Of American Society Back To Itself

Jill Lepore traces the history (and prehistory) of “the most extensively researched television program [ever made]” — from the educational and social ideals of its creators (and the entertaining arguments over the show’s name) to the ways the show has responded to criticism (and how important those critics thought Sesame Street was) to the long slide into commercialism that began in the Reagan years. – The New Yorker

Philippine Government Orders Country’s Largest Broadcast Network Off The Air

ABS-CBN, for years a target of President Rodrigo Duterte for its reporting, was shut down on May 5 as its broadcast license expired. The network’s application to renew, which must be renewed by the Philippine Congress (dominated by Duterte’s allies, and not currently in session due to the pandemic), has been held up for months, and regulators refused to issue an extension until Congress reconvenes. – The Guardian

Disney Company’s Massive Size Was Always A Strength — Until The Pandemic Hit

“After a decade of spectacular growth, the entertainment conglomerate has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Its 14 theme parks (annual attendance: 157 million) delivered record profits in 2019. They’re now padlocked. Its movie studios (there are eight) controlled a staggering 40 percent of the domestic box office last year. Now, they’re sitting at a near standstill.” – The New York Times

‘This American Life’ Wins First-Ever Pulitzer For Audio Journalism

“In partnership with the Los Angeles Times and Vice News, This American Life won for an episode called ‘The Out Crowd’ — which illuminated the personal impact of the Trump Administration’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy. In the episode, listeners hear from asylum seekers in a refugee camp in Mexico just across the border, as well as the officers who sent them there. In fact, many of the U.S. asylum officers felt awful about sending the migrants back to Mexico, as Los Angeles Times reporter Molly O’Toole learned.” – Poynter

Will Audiences Really Pay For Online Content?

The rationale is clear enough. With families trapped inside by COVID-19, and children out of school and starting to climb the walls, a hyperactive new movie ought to be just the ticket. Also, twenty bucks is less than you’d pay at the cinema for yourself, your kids, and your silo-size Cokes. Yet the sum feels extortionate when you’re shelling out at home, perhaps because it carries a sweaty whiff of boxing bouts on pay-per-view. – The New Yorker