DirectorsDigest:21May2026

This week, Channel 4 sets a review into Married at First Sight UK, a Dogma UK filmmaking programme is greenlit, and women directors struggle to break the “auteur glass ceiling” at Cannes.

HEADLINES

• Channel 4 announces that it commissioned an external review into contributor welfare on Married at First Sight UK last month after allegations of rape and sexual assault of contestants emerged through a BBC Panorama investigation. (Televisual)
• The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority is formally recognised as an external whistleblowing body by parliament – those who report concerns may be entitled to additional legal protections under the whistleblowing law, including where they may have previously signed NDAs. (Broadcast)
• A Dogma UK filmmaking programme is greenlit – a series of feature projects following a set of rules similar to the Dogme 95 and Dogma 25 movements will be made. (Screen Daily)

DIRECTORS ON DIRECTING

• Ron Howard on Avedon: “[F]or human beings to feel a kind of depth or connection with an image, it needs to run through the filter of an artist to give it a soul and an intention.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Kiyoshi Kurosawa on The Samurai and the Prisoner: “Are we actually able to use our current situation as a kind of fuel, and turn it into cinema?” (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Curry Baker on Obsession: “[Actors] want to be directed and you’re going to let them down if you don’t give them direction.” (Variety)

INDUSTRY VOICES

• This year’s Cannes competition section includes five women directors, down from last year’s seven: “There is still the perception that auteurs are men.” (The Hollywood Reporter)

OBITUARY

• Pioneering wildlife filmmaker Mike Salisbury OBE has passed away. With a career spanning more than four decades, he helped define the modern language of natural history television, which combined editorial ambition, technical innovation, and a deep understanding of the natural world. (Televisual)