Directors Digest — Thurday 27 August

David Olusoga’s essential MacTaggart lecture dominated this week’s headlines, while health and safety in production and gender neutral acting awards also feature in this week’s Digest. 

Television

David Olusoga delivered an outstanding MacTaggart lecture at this year's Edinburgh TV Festival, tackling the subject of systemic racism in the TV industry. Watch it in full here.

Olusoga also wrote for the Guardian about the thinking behind his speech. 

Rory Kinnear has criticised the TV industry for a serious lack of progress on health and safety. (Broadcast)

Meanwhile, UK broadcasters have been outbid by Netflix and forces to innovate during the production shutdown, the Guardian reports. 

Directors UK Board member Jessica Hobbs spoke to Screen about directing the latest series of The Crown, for which she has received an Emmy nomination. 

Film

Berlin Film Festival is planning to introduce gender neutral acting awards by 2021. (IndieWire)

Director Amy Seimetz speaks to Little White Lies about directing her new film She Dies Tomorrow. 

Ammonite, the new film from Francis Lee, will be closing the BFI London Film Festival. (Screen)

Meanwhile, IndieWire looks at how Christopher Nolan used Once Upon a Time in the West as a guide when making Tenet. 

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.