The Show Must Go On: Here’s What’s Still Open for Business in Hollywood

You’ve probably seen our other COVID-19 list, the one where we are examining every cancellation that has taken place as the pandemic takes hold in our community. This is the counterpoint to that “Houston, we have a problem” list; this is the one where we’ll talk about how the show must go on, how the Force will be with us, and, maybe most importantly, how we’ll be back.

IndieWire will continue to update this page with the latest breaking news regarding virtual events, work logistics, TV premieres, and general acts of bravery and kindness. This is the place where we’ll be documenting our return to normalcy — and make no mistake, we’ll get through this. The most recent updates will be posted at the top of the running list below.

March 25

• The 29th Annual Aspen Shortsfest is the latest festival to go the virtual route. It will be presented online in its entirety March 31 to April 5 through a partnership with streaming platform Festival Scope.

“Our goal from the minute we made this decision (to cancel the in-person festival) was to figure out a way to still present this incredible work. We are an Oscar-qualifier and by offering a private festival, all of the selected films are still eligible,” said Aspen Film Executive and Artistic Director Susan Wrubel. “In addition, our generous jury has agreed to review the full festival virtually and adjudicate on awards. Each of our Shortsfest awards comes with a cash prize, which in this climate is a huge boon for filmmakers.”

Viewers have two options: Purchase access codes to screen program blocks consisting of multiple films ($10 per block, $7.50 for Aspen Film members, $5 for students) or buy access to all nine blocks ($75, $60 for Aspen Film members, $45 for students). Tickets are available at AspenShowTix.com or calling 970-920-5770.

• NEON has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Amy Seimetz’s “She Dies Tomorrow.” The film was an official SXSW selection and screened for critics in New York and LA to acclaim even following the cancellation of the festival. Described as “an apocalyptic existential thriller,” the movie stars Kate Lyn Sheil (who previously appeared in Seimetz’s “Sun Don’t Shine” and in a supporting role in her series “The Girlfriend Experience”) as a woman suddenly gripped by the idea that she is going to die tomorrow, a feeling she passes on to those around her such as her friend Jane (Jane Adams).

In an A- review declaring “She Dies Tomorrow” to be a Critic’s Pick, IndieWire Chief Critic Eric Kohn said the film “combines classic David Cronenberg body horror with the scathing surrealism of Luis Buñuel… Seimetz has conjured a beguiling narrative so tapped into the current worldwide panic that it might have been made in its aftermath.” The deal was negotiated by Jeff Deutchman, and NEON will issue its release plans at a later date.

• Premiering on Netflix: “Crip Camp”, “Curtiz”, “The Occupant: Hogar”, “YooHoo to the Rescue”
• Premiering on CMT: “CMT Crossroads: Halsey & Kelsea Ballerini”
• Premiering on PBS: “Earth’s Sacred Wonders”
• Premiering on Smithsonian: “Humboldt: Epic Explorer”
• Premiering on History: “Eating History”
• Premiering on Discovery/Science: “Pandemic: COVID-19”

March 24

• The 16th edition of the Fantaspoa Film Festival has been postponed to sometime between October and December, if deemed safe at that time. The festival is launching a “Fantaspoa at Home” initiative on April 1, which it bills as a free digital platform that will stream select feature films from the festival’s prior 15 events. The platform will be available here.
• After the cancellation of this year’s TCM Classic Movies Film Festival in Los Angeles the network is dedicating April 16-19 to a slate of programming entitled TCM Classic Film Festival: Special Home Edition. The four day tribute will screen four features initially slated to play at the festival down in Hollywood, as well as a host of other movies that have played at earlier festivals. Special video introductions have been filmed with director Peter Bogdanovich with airings of past TCM Film Festival interviews with stars Faye Dunaway, Luise Rainer, and Eva Marie Saint.
• The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony has been rescheduled for November 7. It will be broadcast live from the Public Auditorium in Cleveland at 8 p.m. ET on HBO.
• Premiering today on NBC: “Council of Dads”
• Premiering today on Pop: “One Day at a Time”
• Premiering today on PBS: “East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story”
• Premiering today on Vice: “Dark Side of the Ring”
• Premiering today on Netflix: “Tom Segura: Ball Hog”

March 23

• Amazon Prime Video is streaming several of their children’s shows, as well as those of PBS, for free. The shows include “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” “Caillou,” “Pete the Cat,” “Costume Quest,” and the children’s staple, “Arthur.” You need a standard Amazon account to access the content.
• Premiering today on Netflix: “Freud”, “Sol Levante”
• Premiering today on Discovery: “Street Outlaws: Memphis”
• Premiering today on Acorn: “Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears”
• Premiering today on Nat Geo Wild: “The Hidden Kingdoms of China”
• Premiering today on Disney: “Sydney to the Max”

March 20

• “The Lovebirds” has been picked up by Netflix, though the release date is still undetermined. The SXSW premiere of “The Lovebirds” was cancelled along with the festival and the film’s original April 3 release date was axed shortly after.
• Paramount Pictures’ winter favorite “Sonic the Hedgehog” will be available for digital purchase on March 31, followed by rental and disc on May 19. It’s the highest-opening video game movie in the U.S.
• Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” is skipping the rest of its theatrical window and becoming available for digital purchase tonight at 8:00pm ET. It will then arrive on Disney+ on April 3, many months ahead of schedule. “While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said Dan Scanlon (Director, “Onward”) and Kori Rae (Producer, “Onward”).
• Premiering today on Netflix: “Archibald’s Next Big Thing”, “The English Game”, “Buddi”, “Dino Girl Gauko”, “Ultras”, “Tiger King”, “Self Made: Inspired By the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”, “Maska”, “The Platform”, “A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story”, “Greenhouse Academy”, “A Letter for the King”
• Premiering today on Amazon Prime Video: “Blow the Man Down”
• Premiering today on Disney: “Descendants Remix Dance Party”
• Premiering today on Disney+: “Disney Insider”
• Premiering today on NBC: “The Blacklist”
• Premiering today on PBS: “Great Performances: Turandot”
• Premiering today on Hulu: “Margaret Atwood: A Word After A Word After A Word Is Power”
• Premiering today on LMN: “My Daughter’s Psycho Friend”

March 19

• The Ben Affleck-led “The Way Back” will be available for digital purchase starting March 24 for $19.99. The movie premiered in theaters on March 6.
• Despite canceling its 63rd edition, which was set to run April 8 through 21, SFFILM’s San Francisco International Film Festival has announced its lineup. “While we are heartbroken that we are unable to hold the Festival itself, we are planning new ways to keep our audiences entertained, inspired, and engaged with each other,” said SFFILM executive director Anne Lai. Altogether, the planned fest features 154 films, kicking off with “Boys State” and wrapping with “Bad Education.” View the full lineup via the festival’s website.
• After its planned theatrical rollout was thwarted by theaters closing their doors, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company will release the faith-based film “I Still Believe” on premium VOD platforms on March 27. The cast includes KJ Apa, Shania Twain, and Gary Sinise.

Normally, PVOD offers audiences a chance to pay more than they typically would for a movie before it leaves theaters or is available for as a regular rental/on Blu-ray. But as theaters around the country have closed their doors, potentially for several months, studios have begun to find radical new applications for the concept in this unprecedented time.

Lionsgate’s announcement comes as Universal will make available the already-opened “Emma,” “The Hunt,” and “The Invisible Man” for a 48-hour rental for $19.99 starting Friday. There’s no word yet how much “I Still Believe” will cost.

• Premiering today on Netflix: “Feel Good”, “Altered Carbon: Resleeved”
• Premiering today on HBO: “After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News”
• Premiering today on Bravo: “Top Chef”
• Premiering today on NBC: “NBC News Special Report: Coronavirus Pandemic”
• Premiering today on BET+: “Ruthless”
• Premiering today on Sundance Now: “The Restaurant”

March 18

• “Conan” will begin airing new episodes on TBS on March 30. The new episodes are reportedly being shot on iPhones and without audiences. Guest interviews will be filmed via video chat and the show’s production staff will continue working from home. “The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible,” O’Brien said in a statement.
• The Vin Diesel-led action film “Bloodshot” will be available for digital purchase on March 24 for $19.99. The film hit theaters on March 13.
• The Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look Festival, set for earlier this month, was canceled, but at least one of its screenings is moving online. Maya Daisy Hawke will debut her third interactive social media video novel, “Unfated Yet,” on Facebook Live March 19 at 5 p.m. ET.

Featuring Werner Herzog, the project is a “screen-sharing meditation on the present moment, and the unknowability of interiority.” It was set to debut as a work-in-progress during First Look’s “Working on It” series.

• Though the Cannes Film Festival and the Marche du Film have not been canceled, the Cannes market has announced it will set up a virtual market from May 12-23 to run alongside the in-person market. The effort will allow companies to screen acquisitions titles and promo reels and conduct video conferences.

Cannes organizers have been steadfast in their decision not to cancel the festival at this point, but it’s looking increasingly likely the event will be called off. Organizers say the online market is meant to help industry players who can’t attend the festival. But laying the groundwork for the plan, backed by the major agencies, is an important step in keeping alive the important business value Cannes plays even if the festival is canceled.

• At noon today Animal Planet is starting a 94-hour “Too Cute!” marathon to celebrate the Spring Solstice. The network promises to feature “furry felines and teacup pigs to playful puppies and rambunctious rabbits” during the marathon of the two-time Emmy nominated show, which originally ran from 2011-2016.
• Premiering today on Hulu: “Little Fires Everywhere”
• Premiering today on Freeform: “Motherland: Fort Salem”
• Premiering today on IFC: “Brockmire”
• Premiering today on Travel: “True Terror With Robert Englund”

March 17

• The release of Annie Silverstein’s “Bull” has been delayed but will release on VOD and digital platforms on May 1. The drama film was originally scheduled to hit theaters on March 20.
• The 18th Garden State Film Festival is going the streaming route. Planned for March 26-29 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the festival will stream its program of over 240 films over four days to ticket holders.

Films including opening night movie “Team Macro” and the Quentin Tarantino documentary “QT8: The First Eight” will stream live during the time they were originally planned to screen in person.

“We believe the opportunity to venture into a new digital frontier can serve as a blueprint for festivals worldwide and we look forward to bringing global film fans GSFF 2020 through online and virtual exposures,” festival Executive Director Lauren Concar Sheehy said.

• The 60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival released a statement that they are on course for the event to be held in June 2020. “With the measures taken so far by different countries and the Monte-Carlo Television Festival being held in three months, we can be confident that the organization of the 60th edition will not be impacted,” according to the organization’s press release. “Unless otherwise advised by the Monegasque authorities, and depending on the evolution of the epidemic, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival will tak eplace from 19th to 23rd June at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.”
• Premiering today on Netflix: “Bert Kreischer: Hey Big Boy”, “Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom”
• Premiering today on Comedy Central: “Crank Yankers”, “Tosh.0”
• Premiering today on Food: “Supermarket Stakeout”
• Premiering today on PBS: “Niall Ferguson’s Networld”

March 16

• Magnolia Pictures is offering an annual subscription of its “DOX” documentary channel to new subscribers for $14.99, half of its regular price. The channel offers documentaries and docuseries from celebrated filmmakers. The offer is valid through the end of March.
• Shudder is offering a 30-day free trial of its horror and thriller streaming service. The service, from AMC Networks, typically offers a seven-day trial, but you’ll get a whole month for free if you use the promo code “SHUTIN.”

The service offers horror classics like “Halloween” and “Night of the Living Dead,” a full slate of original series, and exclusive newer films including “Tigers Are Not Afraid.”

• Organizers ended the 37th Miami Film Festival four days early, on March 12, but they’re still planning on handing out awards. There’s one exception: the Documentary Achievement Award, voted on by audiences, will not be awarded. Instead, the Toyota Feature Film Audience Award, originally intended just for narratives, will be altered to include documentaries screened before the festival’s closure. Twenty-one of the festival’s 87 features and six of its 48 shorts didn’t have a chance to screen to the public. Juries will finish watching the remainder of the films online.

The festival earlier presented $42,500 in cash awards for Florida film students as part of the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation Cinemaslam Competition. The overall winner was “Celestial” by Bruklyn Miller from the New York Film Academy, Miami Beach, who received $7,500.

• Per Shout Factory TV: “TokuSHOUTsu, a free streaming channel, debuts on PlutoTV this Tuesday, March 17. TokuSHOUTsu will be an incredible at-home digital destination for the imaginative worlds of tokusatsu, the revolutionary Japanese entertainment genre known for its unique special effects and epic battles. TokuSHOUTsu will be on Channel 681 in the Tech + Geek section of PlutoTV.”
• The National Football League announced that it intends to keep the 2020 season on its previously planned schedule, which includes the free agency period for players opening this week. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the National Football League’s Players Association approved the start since this part of the NFL year does not need to be conducted face-to-face; all deal negotiations on players’ behalf can be conducted remotely.
• Premiering today on HBO: “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name”; “The Plot Against America”
• Premiering today on Netflix: “The Boss Baby: Back in Business”
• Premiering today on CW: “Roswell, New Mexico”; “Supernatural”
• Premiering today on Fox: “9-1-1”
• Premiering today on VH1: “Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta”
• Premiering today on CBS All Access: “Tooning Out the News”

March 15

• Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has asked PBS stream his film “Baseball.” Watch it here or on any streaming device.
• On Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT, “The Silent Comedy Watch Party” will feature two one-reel comedy shorts with live piano accompaniment. Film introductions will be done by author Steve Massa.

March 14

• The Metropolitan Opera in New York will begin live-streaming performances for free via its website nightly, starting on Monday, March 16. The performances were previously captured and aired in theaters as part of the opera house’s Live in HD series.

March 13

• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is available for digital purchase on several retailers, including Vudu, FandangoNOW, and iTunes. The film was previously expected to release digitally on March 17.
• Disney is releasing”Frozen 2″ on Disney+ on Sunday, March 15, three months earlier than initially expected.
• The first-unit Australian production of Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has reportedly been suspended as director Destin Daniel Cretton self-isolates while awaiting the results of a coronavirus test. However, the second unit and other parts of the production are moving ahead.

The news comes as Disney has suspended production on many of its other live-action films, including Guillermo del Toro’s Searchlight thriller “Nightmare Alley.” While the studio hasn’t pushed back releases for those films still in production, the fact that the second unit is still working on “Shang-Chi” could mean that a release delay is even less likely for the superhero film starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung, slated to hit theaters Feb. 12, 2021.

• Movie theaters are still open, but in many cases operating at reduced capacity. AMC Theatres and Regal, the country’s two largest chains with a total 1,200 locations, announced they will reduce capacity of their auditoriums by at least 50%.

The move is meant to heed orders from governors in California and New York to limit gatherings to 250 and 500 people, respectively, and comes after major Canadian chain Cineplex announced a similar policy.

• Comcast Cable is offering low-income families discounted internet so they can stay connected as self-quarantine procedures go into effect. “For millions of low-income Americans who don’t have Internet service at home, this uncertain time is going to be even more difficult to manage. As schools and businesses close and families are encouraged, or even mandated, to stay home, Internet connectivity becomes even more important,” Comcast said in a prepared statement. Low-income families in Comcast’s service area can sign up for 60 days of their “Internet Essentials” package for free. They’re also increasing internet speeds for all customers, new and old, who purchase the service.
• Premiering today on Netflix: “100 Humans,” “Beastars,” “Bloodride,” Élite” — a Spanish teen soap, which, the worldliest, coolest kids in my Twitter feed say is a must to watch; plus “Go Karts,” “Kingdom,” “The Valhalla Murders,” and “Women of the Night”
• Premiering today on Amazon Prime Video: “Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse” — our review is here, in which Executive Editor, TV Ann Donahue says it’s atmospheric with tremendous production design, but viewers should be prepared for an off-kilter ending; “Jessy & Nessy”
• Premiering today on Disney+: “Stargirl” — check out IndieWire’s coverage here with director Julia Hart, who explains how she feels streaming services are a way to save indie film.
• Premiering today on Pop TV: “Flack,” with the six-episode season available to stream in its entirety besides airing a new episode weekly on linear Pop TV.
• Premiering today on Discovery: “Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail”
• Premiering today on Travel: “Portals to Hell” (No judgment, but geez, read the room, Travel.)
• Premiering today on LMN: “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished”
• It’s unrealistic that SXSW 2020 will be rescheduled, organizers wrote in a blog post Thursday. But some important elements for the entertainment industry are moving forward. The festival will still hand out film awards. All films will remain eligible for Independent Spirit Awards, and the short films from the lineup will continue to qualify for the Academy Awards.

Those who purchased a badge for this year’s festival can transfer it to 2021, 2022, or 2023.

The festival on Friday launched a press and industry streaming platform to screen some film and TV entries. Additionally, many film representatives have made available links to stream movies that were set to screen in Austin, giving publications a chance to cover and review films and offer prospective buyers a chance to consider them for acquisition.

Meantime, unofficial parties and events planned in conjunction with SXSW are still happening. That includes a cadre of music events. Among the small number of Austin film screenings still happening include the premiere of Caleb Michael Johnson’s “The Carnivores,” set for this weekend.

• The wheelers, dealers, and mercenaries of the business are grinding on. Starting this week, or on March 16 at the latest, the following agencies are instituting a work from home policy: CAA, Gersh, UTA, Paradigm, ICM, Abrams, BRS/Gage, and Global Artists Agency.
• While productions are in limbo, the executive, marketing, PR, and social media infrastructure at networks and studios are hustling to finish work on the shows that are already in the can. This is particularly vital for the TV industry, as that May 31 deadline for Emmy submissions remains unchanged. Those entities that are — at the very least — testing a work from home policy for the back office ranks include: Disney, Fox, Annapurna, Chernin, Google, Universal, Fremantle, ViacomCBS, AMC, Amazon, Echo Lake, and Spyglass.
• Mole people gonna mole. Raise a glass in particular for the editors at the above entities and in post production houses around the city who continue to eschew daylight (and germs) from the comfort of their edit bays.

View this article at IndieWire.