Directors Digest — Fri 13 June 2025

This week, we were saddened to hear about the passing of our member, the pioneering director and producer Michael Lachmann, aged 54. Figures from around the industry have paid tribute. 

Elsewhere, a BFI report finds scripts from more than 130,000 films and TV shows have been used to train generative AI models, Disney and Universal sue AI-powered image generator Midjourney for copyright infringement, and ITV launches new quiz channel: ITV Quiz.

Read about it in this week’s Digest.

News

•  Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Spending Review contained a real terms overall reduction of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s budget by 1.4%. Chair of the CMS committee Caroline Dinenage said the Chancellor had made the “wrong choice” with the cuts and that the proposals lacked the detail needed to scrutinise them. (Broadcast)

•  Scripts from more than 130,000 films and TV shows have been used to train generative AI models, according to a new BFI report. (Deadline)

•  Disney and Universal sue AI-powered image generator Midjourney for copyright infringement. (Reuters)

•  The Film and TV Charity has published a new report highlighting the impact of loneliness on the UK’s screen industries. (TVB Europe)

•  Congrats to everyone selected as Visionaries at this year's Edinburgh TV Festival! We’re proud to see Directors UK Board member Carolyn Saunders (Associate Member Representative), and members David Allain and Kaljeven Singh Lally, selected for the programme. (Broadcast)

•  The BBC plans to ensure more of its landmark dramas and factual series made in the devolved nations are set in and “authentically portray” those countries, according to nations director Rhodri Talfan Davies. (Broadcast)

•  ITV has announced the launch of a new quiz channel – ITV Quiz – a “dedicated destination bringing viewers non-stop brain-teasing entertainment from 9am to 1am every day.” (Televisual)

•  Former UKTV commissioner Sarah Asante has revealed her next venture will be a creative TV consultancy focussing on supporting “outsiders and underdogs”. (Broadcast)

•  Emma Hewitt, communications lead at BBC Film, is joining the UK’s Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) as director of corporate affairs. (Screen)

Features 

•  How the twinning on Sinners with Michael B. Jordan was achieved. (Before and Afters)

Opinion

•  In Broadcast, Directors UK member Georgie Yukiko Donovan responds to the latest Diamond Report from the Creative Diversity Network which shows that British East and Southeast Asian creatives remain almost entirely absent from the UK television landscape. (Broadcast)

Director Interviews

•  Celine Song on why her film Materialists skipping festivals for theaters was the right move. (IndieWire)

Obituaries

•  We were saddened to hear about the passing of member Michael Lachmann. A pioneering Director/Producer, his productions won a Bafta, several RTS awards and an Emmy nomination. (The Times) Figures from across the industry have paid tribute this week. (Broadcast)