Fox Searchlight co-chairs Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley today stressed the importance of independence and autonomy, during a talk at the BFI London Film Festival.
“Weve been allowed complete autonomy and the studio [Fox] has never interfered with us. No one at Fox ever said, You have to make this movie, [or] please do us a favour and take this filmmaker or stars film,” stated Gilula. “Weve had great fortune and we dont take it for granted that weve had that level of independence throughout all the different management changes.”
The prestige label – which has won a litany of awards including four Best Picture Oscars for Birdman, The Shape Of Water, Slumdog Millionaire and 12 Years A Slave – was brought into the Disney fold when the rival studio completed its game-changing $71.3bn acquisition this year.
There have been major cuts to the Fox movie division since the Disney acquisition, but to date Searchlight has been left largely intact. Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger has said that Searchlight will continue on its current trajectory, producing and releasing high-end features that will target major awards success, and will also begin producing content for Disney streaming services.
Utley noted that there have been “procedural” changes since the Disney takeover but the way the brand works is still “exactly the same”.
“Weve just put our heads down and done the work, no one has said no to us on anything. A big test was [Taika Waititis upcoming Nazi satire] Jojo Rabbit. When we screened it for Bob Iger and [Disney Studios co-chairman] Alan Bergman I didnt know what theyd say, but they really appreciated the message, and what were trying to do. I dont see any material changes,” she added.
Gilula pointed to Disneys 17-year run owning Miramax as an example of its ability to separate prestige divisions. “People forget Disney owned Miramax for many, many years, they didnt put their name on it,” he said.
The Disney deal could represent an opportunity for Searchlight, the audience heard. “There isnt a company that has more breadth of vision and depth of resource than Disney,” said Gilula.
Disney is playing the long game. Searchlight has an output deal with HBO that runs until 2022, but in the future it will pivot its catalogue and library to Hulu, which is being eyed for a global rollout, and will also make films directly for the Disney-owned service, noted Utley.
“Disney is very forward-thinking in the streaming space, whatever the future is theyll build something for it. Fox was not as highly evolved,” she said. “Im really glad were in a place thats thinking very far ahead.”
Searchlight will begin making content directly for streaming – and is also now working in television and short form – but the focus remains on theatrical releases. “Its still our core business,” affirmed Gilula, though he admitted that the bar is continually rising for theatrical releases.
Quizzed about the future of theatrical distribution, Gilula admitted that streamers had created a “dilemma” for exhibitors. He pointed to the example of Netlfixs upcoming The Read More – Source
