With just over one month to go until the start of the EFM in Berlin, packaging activity has understandably slowed down in Los Angeles as people deal with the ongoing wildfire crisis.
Work ground to a halt last week when the Palisades Fire erupted, according to half a dozen LA-based sales agents and buyers contacted by Screen, as priorities shifted to keeping loved ones safe and helping staff deal with the unfolding tragedy.
Most said it was too soon to predict to what extent if at all the events of the past week would impact the upcoming German film market, marking the latest entry in a challenging five-year cycle shaped by Covid and the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
That said, the start of the year can be slow after the holidays, and packages tend to come together in the week or two prior to major markets. Since the pandemic, it has become commonplace for packages to drop during the first few days of a market.
“If you’re directly affected you’re probably not thinking about much else,” one independent veteran said. “If it’s more peripheral I feel people need somewhere to put their energy and anxiety.”
That seemed to be the consensus view, with hopes that activity will pick up in the weeks ahead. People said the appetite for film remained the same, although conversations have focused on person well-being and that of staff, business partners, and friends.
Sundance starts in just over a week on January 23, and the crisis will be top of mind among buyers, sellers, and filmmakers.
Production was virtually at a standstill in Los Angeles. The vast majority of the Hollywood majors and larger independent companies had no film production scheduled for the area. As of Friday Disney had put its sole production – The Hand That Rocks The Cradle – on hold.
Film LA has said it will deny new applications in or near evacuation zones until local permit authorities instruct otherwise, and was likely to revoke permission previously granted for shoots in or near those zones.
As previously reported, many TV shoots have been put on hold, including the latest season of Hacks, as well as Suits LA, Abbott Elementary, and S.W.A.T..
On Tuesday the anticipated strong Santa Ana winds had not arrived, although the National Weather Service said gusts in the mountains could reach 70mph and those in the coasts and valleys could peak at 50mph.
Winds were expected pick up into the night and through Wednesday mid-afternoon. While they were not forecast to be as strong as those that blew into the region last week, the Service said they would still be strong and would be situated more in Ventura County to the North.
At time of writing there had been 24 reported deaths and officials warned the number was likely to increase in the days ahead. The Cal Fire website said the Palisades Fire containment has increased to 17%, with 23,713 acres engulfed, while Eaton had burned through 14,117 acres and was 35% contained.
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