Directors Digest — Thursday 21 January

Licence fees, quiz shows, new presidents and the campaign to save our cinemas — there’s news galore in this week’s Directors Digest. 

Television

Plans to decriminalise non-payment of the BBC licence-fee have been shelved following consultations. (Guardian)

Sky have set themselves a target of having 20 percent Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees by 2020. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Change — which includes Directors UK — is putting recruitment in its crosshairs. (Broadcast)

The Guardian looks at the enduring popularity of the quiz show. 

Our Friends in the North is 25 years old — Stuart Heritage pays homage. 

Film

Screen International looks at what a Joe Biden administration could mean for Hollywood. 

The 2021 Cannes film festival faces a delay until July, according to reports. (Guardian)

The LA Times dives into the Oscar’s new inclusion rules — will they actually work?

And finally, the UK Cinema Association has launched a campaign to help save the cinema sector, which has been badly impacted by the pandemic. If you’d like to help, you can write to your MP to ask for government support here. 

Are you a member with an opinion on one of these stories? Is there an issue affecting directors that you think isn’t getting enough attention in the media? Why not write for us and make yourself heard — email [email protected] with your article idea.