#018 | Wenders, Box Office Hits by YouTube Creators & Netflix's Power Play

#018 | Wenders, Box Office Hits by YouTube Creators & Netflix's Power Play

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 Controversy Sound of Falling swept Germany's most prestigious film awards. But the night's most talked-about moment came when honorary Lola recipient Wim Wenders addressed a very uncomfortable question on stage: actress Nastassia Kinski has been asking him for years to cut a scene from his 1974 film Wrong Move, a scene in which she appeared as a 13-year-old. Wenders asked the audience: Would cutting it set a precedent? Fabian and Joanna dig into the bigger question: How should the creative industry handle the ethics of its own heritage? Note: This topic includes a brief description of a disturbing scene involving a minor. The hosts flag this at the top of the episode. 📱 YouTube Creators Are Winning Hollywood. What Does Europe Do? Kane Parsons (aka Kane Pixels) just opened Backrooms, released by A24, to $81M domestically in its first weekend. The biggest-ever debut for a non-sequel, non-IP horror film. The original "IP"? A single creepy photo on 4chan. Meanwhile, 26-year-old TikTok creator Cory Baker's Obsession, shot for $750K, has grossed over $100M. A new talent pipeline is reshaping Hollywood, one built on audience trust, not development deals. Does Europe have an equivalent? And if not, why not? ⚖️ Streamers vs. Europe: The Direct Investment Battle Gets Serious Germany just tabled an 8% streaming reinvestment obligation. Belgium took Netflix to its Constitutional Court, and the AVMS directive revision is open for consultation right now. This is the moment for European professionals to have a say. 🖥️ EU Tech Sovereignty Package. What to Watch. The European Commission is about to publish its cloud and AI development act, with a goal of tripling EU data center capacity within five to seven years. We're gonna follow this. Links: 🔗 WSJ on “Backrooms” and “Obsession” [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/gen-z-filmmakers-box-office-d05813d9?st=FFCaQX&reflink=article_copyURL_share] 🔗 THR on “Backrooms” and “Obsession” [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/gen-z-filmmakers-box-office-d05813d9?st=FFCaQX&reflink=article_copyURL_share] 🔗 about “Crocodile“ (2026) [https://boxd.it/10mJ6] 🔗 Süddeutsche Zeitung about Wim Wenders/Nastassja Kinski controversy (in German language) [https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/kommentar-nastassja-kinski-13-jahre-alt-nackt-film-wim-wenders-schweigen-li.3489705] 👉 Connect with The Sideletters community on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sideletters].  The Sideletters is a weekly European B2B conversation on film, tech & future business. New episodes every Wednesday. Hosted by Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sabbah-immagine/] (Paris), Joanna Szymanska [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-szymanska-25085622/] (Warsaw) and Fabian Massah  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianmassah/](Berlin/Hamburg).

#017 | Guillaume Esmiol about the Evolution of the Marché du Film. Plus: Cannes Winners, Enhanced Games, and the Vatican’s take on AI

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's largest film market continues bridging the gap between traditional markets, the creator economy, investors and the integration of AI in our industry. Plus: Why the Enhanced Games did not turn out to be the media phenomenon it wanted to be. And even the Vatican wants to say something about AI. Links: 🔗 Cannes Winners 2026 [https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-releases/the-79th-festival-de-cannes-winners-list/] 🔗 Enhanced Games [https://www.youtube.com/@enhanced_games1] 🔗 Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas [https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html] 👉 Connect with The Sideletters community on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sideletters]. The Sideletters is a weekly European B2B conversation on film, tech & future business. New episodes every Wednesday. Hosted by Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sabbah-immagine/] (Paris), Joanna Szymanska [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-szymanska-25085622/] (Warsaw) and Fabian Massah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianmassah/] (Berlin/Hamburg).

#016 | Full Package: Agora EU, Canal+ Blacklists, Producers Mental Health, and the "Netflix Effect"

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 into why cultural sovereignty, a new report from EAVE on producers‘ mental health are now at a critical breaking point and into Netflix's recent "Global Economic Cultural Engine" report and the massive expansion of their ad-supported tier. Is Netflix saving the industry or merely recreating "old TV"? Links: 🔗 Screen quotes Henna Virkkunen [https://www.screendaily.com/news/eu-underlines-support-for-european-film-the-industry-shouldnt-be-too-nervous/5216811.article] 🔗 The Guardian on Canal+ vs 600 industry professionals [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/17/frances-top-film-producer-says-it-will-blacklist-figures-who-petitioned-against-rightwing-billionaire] 🔗 EAVE Report on Producers Mental Health [https://eave.org/impact/eave-impact-think-tank-2026] 🔗 WSJ on Streamers taking over Ad Market [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/streaming-platforms-are-swallowing-the-tv-ad-market-333aacfb?mod=media_more_article_pos4] 👉 Connect with The Sideletters community on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sideletters]. The Sideletters is a weekly European B2B conversation on film, tech & future business. New episodes every Wednesday. Hosted by Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sabbah-immagine/] (Paris), Joanna Szymanska [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-szymanska-25085622/] (Warsaw) and Fabian Massah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianmassah/] (Berlin/Hamburg).

#015 | Cannes Episode. Supporting the Next Generation: Inside La Fabrique with Thibaut Bracq, plus Statements from Emerging Producers

Join us as Thibaut Bracq, Head of La Fabrique, a game-changing program at Cannes that supports emerging filmmakers and producers from around the globe, reveals the secrets to launching your first feature film at the world's biggest film market. In this episode, Thibaut shares, what industry professionals look for in emerging projects, how La Fabrique selects 10 projects from 150+ applications, why bold cinema attracts major players, and pitching & networking strategies that actually work at Cannes. Plus, more about the future of the industry: Joanna caught statements from Lodz Film School students who will be in Cannes for the first time. Pretty insightful. Thanks to Ola Nowakowska, Marta Witkowska and Julia Pietrasik. And our support of the open letter “Cinema needs Europe. Europe need Cinema.” - signed by more than 5,000 professionals including Juliette Binoche, Sandra Hüller, Joachim Trier - calling on the EU to continue dedicated support of the movie sector within the MEDIA frameworks. Links: 🔗 Sign the Open Letter: Cinema needs Europe. Europe Needs Cinema. [https://form.jotform.com/261123392857056] 🔗 La Fabrique Cinéma [https://www.institutfrancais.com/en/programme/consulting-and-expertise/fabrique-cinema] 👉 Connect with The Sideletters community on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sideletters]. The Sideletters is a weekly European B2B conversation on film, tech & future business. New episodes every Wednesday. Hosted by Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sabbah-immagine/] (Paris), Joanna Szymanska [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-szymanska-25085622/] (Warsaw) and Fabian Massah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianmassah/] (Berlin/Hamburg).

#014 | SPECIAL - Inside the Marché du Film: Alexandra Zakharchenko on How the World's Leading Film Market Connects the Global Industry

On the eve of Cannes 2026, The Sideletters go behind the scenes with Alexandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the Marché du Film, the beating heart of the global film business. In this special episode, Alexandra reveals how the Marché connects thousands of producers, distributors, investors, and creators annually, explains the innovative Investor Circle program that bridges public and private financing, highlights emerging regions (sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan), and discusses what independent cinema actually needs to thrive in 2026 and beyond…and at the end, we found a unique German language expression that describes it very well 🙂 Links: 🔗 Marché du Film Industry Programs [https://www.marchedufilm.com/mdf-programs/] 👉 Connect with The Sideletters community on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sideletters]. The Sideletters is a weekly European B2B conversation on film, tech & future business. New episodes every Wednesday. Hosted by Jennifer Sabbah-Immagine [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sabbah-immagine/] (Paris), Joanna Szymanska [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-szymanska-25085622/] (Warsaw) and Fabian Massah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianmassah/] (Berlin/Hamburg).