“You may not know his name, but once you’ve read ‘The Upper World’ you won’t be able to forget it,” said Tendo Nagenda, Vice President, Netflix Films, in a press statement. “Films can impact and expand the way people see and experience life. ‘The Upper World’ will be one of those films. I’m neither from the place nor ‘time’ depicted in the pages of the debut novel. However, through staggeringly skilled storytelling, I was taken on a mind-and-heart altering adventure through the book’s characters and experiences....

The “Green Knight” star and Oscar nominee intervened after witnessing a fight during which a woman stabbed a man in the chest. Patel’s representatives confirmed to IndieWire that, as first reported by 7News Australia, that the incident took place in Adelaide, Australia and added that there were ultimately “no heroes” in the situation. “Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight,” Patel’s representatives said....

Out of 4,300 episodes surveyed, the usage of directors of color increased five percent from 27 percent to 32 percent, while women directors increased three percent to 34 percent. (Men remain an overwhelming 66 percent of directors behind the camera). However, once you break these numbers down by race, Caucasian directors, including women, are the majority, though both categories were slightly decreased from the prior year. African-American directors made up 18 percent, while Latinos and Asian Americans remained at seven and six percent, respectively....

After the bungled response — or lack thereof for a while — to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” The Walt Disney Company stopped sitting out cultural fights. So when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the new PR machine at Disney was ready. Armed with a preplanned statement addressing the repeal, Disney sought to ensure employees that it would take care of them even in the face of backsliding civil rights....

Among the signatories are Academy Award winners Emmanuel Lubezki (“Gravity”), John Toll (“Braveheart”), Roger Deakins (“1917”), and Erik Messerschmidt (“Mank”), as well as Oscar nominee Rodrigo Prieto (“Brokeback Mountain”). Also signed by John Lindley — president of the International Cinematographers Guild, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 600 — the letter asks producers “to create meaningful change” now. The letter was obtained by Deadline and written ahead of Tuesday’s contract negotiations between IATSE and the Producers alliance....

But this years Emmys are meant to feel different. Ian Stewart and Reginald Hudlin, the executive producers behind the upcoming 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, recently spoke to Variety about their plans to ensure this year’s ceremony boasts more visual flair and live elements than recent television events. Organizing what’s billed as the most important night for television in the middle of a pandemic comes with a myriad of difficulties (including the lack of a red carpet), but as Stewart told Variety, “We’re not trying to make the Zoomies, we’re trying to make the Emmys....

“Congress can save cinemas by including $15 billion for grants for independent venues in a COVID-19 relief package,” the National Association of Theater Owners announced in a November 9 press release touting the Save Our Stages Act. “Without industry-specific assistance, movie theaters simply will not survive the economic impact of the pandemic.” It’s a dire pleading that evokes the hologram of Princess Leia imploring Obi-Wan Kenobi as her only hope (a speech recently repurposed as a way to ensure proper hand-washing practices)....