The Sideletters

Instagram is moving into long-form video. It now allows horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes, a TV app is rolling out, and one US analyst says Hollywood should be “terrified.” But what does it mean for film and TV producers in Europe? In this solo episode of The Sideletters, Fabian Massah looks at the numbers behind the hype: How big is Instagram in Europe? TV vs. social in Europe: Europeans stil...

Can a film change the world and make business sense? This week on The Sideletters, Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah talk with Sarah Mosses , founder and CEO of Together Films , about impact producing . Sara explains her “3 Rs” framework (Reach, Revenue and Reaction), her CAST audience model (Commercial, Affected, Supportive and Tactical audiences), why independent producers should pitch issue fu...

In this episode of The Sideletters , Joanna Szymańska (Warsaw) and Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine (Paris) cover the week’s biggest topics in European film financing and the creative industries: 🇪🇺 AgoraEU budget cut. The Irish Council presidency has proposed cutting the EU’s next culture and media programme by almost 30%, from about €8.6 billion to around €6 billion for 2028–2034. Why cultural sovereign...

Québec is one of the busiest film and TV production hubs in the world. Hollywood blockbusters, high-end series and world-class VFX all happen there, and foreign productions now account for more than half of the province’s screen business. So what happens when Washington wants those shoots back? And what’s in it for European producers? In this episode of The Sideletters , J ennifer Sabbah-Immagine...

In this episode, Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine and Fabian Massah discuss: The Paramount-Warner merger: More releases, fewer decision-makers. Does consolidation help or hurt European films? Plus a look at the box-office flop of Tom Cruise's Digger . Neon's open-source horror film: The studio plans an anthology based on the community-written SCP Foundation universe under a Creative Commons licens...

Two films based on the same Polish classic, released within weeks of each other. Is that a risk or an opportunity? And what does an Oscar campaign for Best International Feature really cost? Producers Joanna Szymańska and Fabian Massah look at two hot topics for the European film industry. ​ Poland's "Barbenheimer" moment: Lalka (The Doll) The 1890 novel Lalka is back with two very different adapt...

The Paramount-Warner merger is settled, and David Ellison got his way. In this episode of The Sideletters, Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah look at what the deal means for Europe's film and TV industry. The EU regulated distribution, but not commissioning. With fewer buyers and SkyShowtime possibly winding down, European producers lose another financing partner. Fabian and Joanna discuss Eur...

Only 1 of ~20 Venice competition films was directed by a woman. And she won the Golden Lion. Joanna Szymanska, Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine and Fabian Massah break down the numbers and the backlash. Woman Unknown , directed by Denmark's May el-Toukhy, just won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the only woman-directed film in a competition of roughly 20 titles. Under jury president Maggi...

This week Joanna and Fabian discuss: An extremist party just won big in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt region, and public broadcasters are already bracing for what comes next. The US is fast-tracking a national film tax incentive that could stack up to 60% with state rebates. And France and Korea used the Lumière Summit in the south of France to put audiovisual culture on the geopolitical agenda. Then Je...

This week on The Sideletters, hosts Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine, Fabian Massah and Joanna Szymanska tackle the question every producer wants answered: what actually makes film and TV attractive to private capital? Sparked by Screen Scotland's new "Lights Camera Capital" initiative, pairing local producers with angel investors, the team digs into why equity money is suddenly flowing into...

Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah recap the standout moments from Sarajevo CineLink, including Celine Sciamma's Sister Sister Initiative, preview Oct. 1st Explorer Konferenz at the FilmFest Hamburg Industry Days, and sit down with  Everbright Everready , founder of Tanzanian startup  Bright and Ready Labs  and winner of this year's  EFM Startup Award . Everbright walks us through  Open Ai...

Joanna Szymanska sits down live at  CineLink Industry Days  with  Maša Marković , Head of Industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival. They dig into how CineLink builds a 20-year talent pipeline from film school to Cannes and back, why the industry needs better success metrics than box office numbers, the rise of microdramas as a format for public broadcasters, and why Southeast Europe's film indus...

Everyone's saying "cinema is back". But is it? In this episode of The Sideletters, Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah dig behind the headlines to find out what's really happening at the box office. We open with a wrap-up on the  Wim Wenders–Nastassja Kinski controversy , now resolved with a joint statement and an apology, before turning to the never-ending  Warner Bros.–Paramount  merger drama, co...

It's summer. This week we want to give you a one of our earlier episodes which is already a classic. We'll be back next week with a new recording. Enjoy! In Episode #005 of  The Sideletters,  Joanna and Jennifer have a conversation with  Kristina Trapp, CEO of EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), on 35 years of training international producers and why success isn't just about mon...

Fabian Massah sits down with Nairobi-based producer and entrepreneur Osoo Omondi . Ahead of the release of his groundbreaking book, " Film Business in Africa ", Osoo challenges the outdated perceptions of the African market and explains why African stories are the ultimate unexploited, renewable resource in the global industry. We explore the urgent need to build an architecture for local IP owner...

In this episode, Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah explore: •  Netflix's "What We Watched" Report (H1 2026):  A deep dive into the latest engagement numbers. With more choices leading to "comfort food" viewing, has Netflix lost its curatorial edge? We discuss the platform's evolving DNA, the decline of the middle ground, and how Apple TV+ and Prime Video are stepping up to compete. •  Christopher...

This week, Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine and Fabian Massah break down the latest shifts in the audiovisual industry. EAVE's New Era:  Jennifer discusses her exciting new role taking over as Co-Head of Studies for the prestigious EAVE Producers Workshop , her vision for equitable co-productions, and empowering the next generation of independent producers. Then it’s Netflix vs. YouTube:  Netflix is pivot...

Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah dive deep into the heated debate surrounding streamer investment obligations in Europe. With tech giants like Netflix and Amazon pushing back against regulations in Germany and France,   what does this mean for the local creative economy?  Is it an unfair tax on success, or a necessary contribution from an "extraction business" to fuel cultural diversit...

This week, we're starting with some exciting news close to home: our own Jennifer is taking over as co-head of studies at the prestigious EAVE Producers Workshop. 👏 Plus: We dive deep into A24 's controversial $75M deal with Google’s DeepMind and what it tells us about Big Tech’s tightening grip on indie film. We also dissect Amazon MGM ’s sudden cancellation of Luca Guadagnino’s Sam Altman movie...

In this episode of  The Sideletters , Jennifer, Joanna and Fabian discuss European Social Media: Is  WSocial  the new European alternative to X? We discuss the push for digital sovereignty and new platforms emerging in the EU. A24 & Google's DeepMind : With Google investing $75 million in the indie darling A24, what does the future of AI-powered filmmaking tools look like? Are the tech gia...

We dive into the ever-shifting landscape of the European creative industries, starting with two major stories: the sobering  Europe 2031 report on AI and digital sovereignty (including the recent Anthropic model shutdown for European users), and the  $250M launch of Compound Creative Holdings by CAA and TPG . Then stay tuned for a thought-provoking conversation on what we need to focus on: We sit...

The  Backrooms  /  Obsession  debate gets sharper. And one of Europe's most experienced distributors asks the question nobody can answer: is all this hype a wave, or just a drop? Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine, Joanna Szymanska and Fabian Massah cut through the noise, and sit down with  Torsten Frehse, CEO of Neue Visionen and founder of European Work in Progress . In this episode of  The Sideletter...

German film had its biggest awards night, and it got complicated. Two young YouTube creators just shattered US box office records. And Netflix is quietly trying to rewrite European media law. All in one week. In this episode of  The Sideletters ,  Joanna Szymanska  and  Fabian Massah  unpack what's really moving the creative industries in Europe right now: 🏆 The Lola Awards & the Wenders...

The dust has settled on the Croisette, and Episode 17 of The Sideletters delivers a wrap-up of Cannes 2026. Joanna and Fabian discuss the major winners, including a historic Golden Palm, a landmark award for African cinema, an outstanding deal, before diving into an insightful interview that Jennifer had with  Guillaume Esmiol ,  Executive Director of the Marché du Film . Discover how the world&#3...

While the Cannes Film Festival 2026 buzzes on the Croisette,  Joanna Szymańska  and  Fabian Massah  analyze the industry from an observer's distance. This episode tackles the major political and structural shifts that impact European production. From the much-discussed  AgoraEU  mega-program to  Canal+  leadership's shock announcement of blacklisting industry professionals, we dive deep in...