The Screen Podcast

In the second episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team takes a look at the UK’s presence in the market and the private equity boom.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and senior UK and Ireland reporter Mona Tabbara to debate whether UK sales agents are making a comeback and why the programme is not so light on UK presence as it first appears. The trio also discusses the increase in private equity options following the launch of the Cannes Marche’s Investors’ Circle back in 2023.

In the second episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team delves into the market from the US and French perspectives.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay and France correspondent Rebecca Leffler to discuss the lack of films from Hollywood studios and the shake-up in US distribution. They also delve into why the French sales agents are dominating the market more than ever.

The Screen Podcast will be running daily episodes during the festival, dropping each morning at 7:30am CET.

In the first episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team previews the market and festival.

Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s deputy editor Louise Tutt and UK and international reporter Ben Dalton to discuss the opening of the Cannes market and why buyers and sellers are arriving earlier every year. The trio also delves into Thierry Fremaux’s press conference which tackled politics, gender parity, and Oscar rule changes.

The Screen Podcast will be running daily episodes during the festival, dropping each morning at 7:30am CET.

Fionnuala Jamison, managing director at French sales and production powerhouse mk2 Films, speaks to Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller ahead of the Cannes Film Festival.

In the interview, Jamison discusses her ambitions for mk2’s Cannes festival and market slate, and her views on what the market is looking for.

She also talks about mk2’s multi-year financing deal with investment fund manager IPR.VC, which kicked off in 2024; working with Justine Triet again on Fonda, the writer/director’s follow-up to Anatomy Of A Fall; and reviving Todd Haynes’ 1930s-set gay love story De Noche, which originally starred Joaquin Phoenix before he quit unexpectedly shortly before production.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, Italian-UK producer Carlo Cresto-Dina advocates for protecting the role of film producers, who he says are essential for managing “complex creative processes.”

Cresto-Dina, founder of the Italy- and UK-based Tempesta, is best known for producing Alice Rohrwacher’s features: Corpo Celeste. The Wonders, Happy as Lazzaro and La Chimera. His other credits include Cathy Brady’s Wildfire, Margherita Vicario’s Gloria!, Michela Cescon’s Blue Eyes, and Leonardo Di Costanzo’s Ariaferma. He is also an experienced co-producer.

In the full podcast interview, Cresto-Dina also talks about how to “sniff” new talent - like helping Rohrwacher get her debut feature Corpo Celeste off the ground even before she had directed shorts.

The Screen Podcast is hosted by Wendy Mitchell and produced by Ellie Calnan. New episodes are out every Thursday.