Alex Ben Block

One of China's most acclaimed filmmakers, Feng Xiaogang, did not comment during the closing session at today's 2017 U.S.-China Film Summit in Los Angeles – where he is being honored – about the sudden delay in the release of his latest movie, Youth, in both China and the U.S. Success at the box office seemed to be the…

Charles Rivkin, in one of his first appearances since becoming CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America nearly two months ago, took a cautious and conciliatory tone toward trade with China during his opening day speech at the 2017 U.S. – China Film Summit in Los Angeles. "We must continue to open the Chinese…

New technology not only reshapes entertainment content and distribution, but the role of performers as well, and sometimes in ways as distressing as they are promising, said actress Kate Hudson and others at today’s AT&T Shape conference. "There's a lot of talent out there," said Hudson, part of a panel titled "How…

The Weinstein Co., after shepherding one of reality TV’s first breakout series, Project Runway, along with several successful theatrical documentaries, now wants to move deeper into fact-based TV content. "A lot of our films started as true stories," noted David Glasser, the company’s COO, during a Sunday panel at the…

Typecasting happens behind the camera as often as it does in front of it. Shawn Levy, whose brand as a Hollywood director was typified by family blockbusters like Cheaper by the Dozen and Night at the Museum, wanted the production company those hits yielded, 21 Laps, to be much more than a vehicle for him to crank out…

If you are invited to lunch at Oprah Winfrey's home, don't bring flowers. That is what producer, writer and director Ava DuVernay learned when she got an unexpected invitation to a Mother's Day brunch at Winfrey's home, which she attended with her grandmother. The pair recalled the luncheon during a conversation…

After 24 years of helping buy programming for Showtime and NBC, last year Pearlena Igbokwe became president of Universal Television, where she now finds, produces and sells content for a wide range of TV platforms. As the first African-American woman to run a major Hollywood production company, Igbokwe represents…

For a couple months after Barack Obama moved toward normalizing relations with Cuba following decades of economic sanctions, a rush of movie and TV productions made its way to the island, from Universal Pictures’ The Fast and Furious franchise to reality TV’s Keeping Up With The Kardashians. But as Cuba and Hollywood…