DISTRIBUTION
Wendy Morgan‘s animal welfare docu-drama “Mercy” has been picked up by Los Angeles-based distributor All Channel Films, Inc. All Channel Films will represent the film, which premiered at the Awareness Film Festival in October, in the U.S. and Canada across pay and basic cable, video/DVD, VOD/SVOD, PPV and other distribution platforms.
With humans standing in for animals, “Mercy” lifts the lid on the more unpalatable side of the meat industry as told though the eyes of a pig named Mercy as she goes from a factory farm to a slaughterhouse. Maria Austin (“The Reverend and Mrs. Simpson”) plays Mercy alongside Annette Badland (“Ted Lasso”), Mark Wingett (“Quadrophenia”) and Morgan (“Mrs. Lowry and Son”), who wrote and directed the film.
“One of my goals was to bring ‘Mercy’ to North American audiences to raise awareness about the film’s disturbing but important subject matter,” said Morgan. “All Channel Films will definitely help me in achieving this goal.”
Check out the trailer below (warning: disturbing content):
SCREEN SKILLS
ScreenSkills has launched a campaign for hairdressers and make-up artists experienced in working with Black hair and make-up for people of color to join the film and TV industry, which has been backed by industry heavyweights including Netflix and “No Time to Die” producer Barbara Broccoli.
The campaign aims to encourage those with hairdressing and make-up backgrounds who may be working in other industries, such as Black hair salons, editorial, weddings, department stores or theater, to apply for a film and TV training program funded by the ScreenSkills Film Skills Fund.
An introduc tory session will take place online on Jan. 20. Attendees will then be invited to apply for the program, which will provide for 16 places to undergo training and paid placements (supported by the High-end TV Skills Fund) on high-end TV productions in spring 2022. Among the companies affiliated with the program are Netflix and ITV Studios, who will be providing some of the placements.
“This sounds like a great initiative,” said “I May Destroy You” star Paapa Essiedu. “I hope that it attracts people into the industry who haven’t known how to get in before. It is really important that the process that is creating greater equality in front of the camera is replicated in crew like hair and make-up as well.”
Broccoli added: “We have a great need of diversity behind the camera as well as on-screen and this program is a really exciting and practical way of finding talented new hair and make-up artists to support our actors of color.”
“Antim: The Final Truth”
ZEE5 Global
STREAMING
Bollywood film “Antim: The Final Truth,” starring Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma, will premiere on streamer ZEE5 Global on Dec. 24. Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar (“Natsamrat”), the film features Khan as a police officer who takes on the land mafia. The film is an adaptation of 2018 Marathi-language film “Mulshi Pattern.”
“Antim” released theatrically on Nov. 26 and was a box office success. Khan’s previous film “Radhe” bowed during the peak of the last wave of the pandemic on premium VOD service Zee Plex via ZEE5 in India, with a theatrical release overseas. His past hits, including “Hum Aapke Hai Kaun,” “Wanted,” “Partner,” “No Entry,” “Karan Arjun,” “Hello Brother,” “Hum Saath Saath Hai” and “Maine Pyar Kiya” are available on ZEE5.
optional screen reader