Videoage International June-July 2019

12 June 2019 V I D E O A G E L.A. Screenings Review time during its luncheons, probably due to its recent merger with Fox Studios, since wine was always a staple at Fox screenings’ luncheons in the past. The only remaining studio not serving wine during its L.A. Screenings lunch is now Warner Bros. Disney also did away with its L.A. Screenings opening party. But it’s un- clear if this was in order to save money or due to the time-consuming complexity of the integration with Fox Studios. In any case, that function was taken over by Lionsgate, which on Sunday hosted a well- attended reception at the garden terrace of the Be- verly Wilshire Hotel. Similarly, in the absen- ce of Fox’s traditional closing party, Paramount stepped up with a shindig of its own on its studio lot on Wednesday. (The Fox party would have been held on Thursday in years past, but the L.A. Scre- enings ended a day ear- lier this year, hence the Wednesday date for the Paramount event.) While the studioportion of the L.A. Screenings lost Fox this year, Paramount regained strength with four screenings, which began on Thursday, May 16with LATAM. For the first time, both CBS and Paramount used the Para- mount Theater on Paramount’s lot for their screenings, with CBS taking the mornings (and continuing at the nearby Sher- ry Lansing Theater after lunch) and Paramount moving in in the afternoons. And, at theWarner Bros. scre- enings, Jeff Schlesinger, presi- dent of Worldwide Television Distribution, pointed out that with the group now owned by the telco AT&T, programming sales of the HBO and Turner divisions are now under his de- partment. In other news, one of two recurrent questions that buyers kept asking was if, in view of the emphasis on OTT services, studios will continue to sell their content internationally, and if the L.A. Screenings will even continue to exist. During their welcoming remarks, a number of studio executives reassured buyers that they will remain open for business. As to the second query, the informal answer was that, yes, the L.A. Screenings will continue, but the event will most likely morph into a different form that has yet to be envisioned. A more extensive L.A. Screenings review will be featured in VideoAge ’s October (MIPCOM) edition. (Continued from Page 10) Calinos’ Duda Rodrigues At the indies’ opening party (l. to r.): Dinter’s Tomás Silva, Disney’s Dorothy Crompton, Lucid Dream’s Nulüfer Küyel, Netminds’ Rene Leda