Nearly five years after the Noel Clarke scandal, Britain’s independent bullying and harassment complaints body is finally about to launch its landmark whistleblowing service.

The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) will roll out its hotline in September and says those who report concerns to CIISA may be entitled to additional legal protections under UK whistleblowing law, including where they may have previously signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).

That is because CIISA has become an officially recognized whistleblowing body by the UK government, giving it additional protections and allowing people who have signed NDAs to report behavior. What is termed a Public Interest Disclosure Order will come into force on June 2, meaning CIISA will be designated a ‘Prescribed Person’ for whistleblowing disclosures relating to the film, TV, music and theater sectors.

Setting out its strategic vision for the next three years in a report titled Empowering Creativity by Protecting People, CIISA said the reporting service will launch this September, focusing on “building a clearer picture of the behaviours and practices affecting people across the sector.” It will be followed in 2026-27 by an independent reporting service to help create data sets and an “early intervention function” the following year to “identify patterns and deal with problems before they escalate.”

The idea is that CIISA could log bullying and harassment complaints about a certain individual working across different projects and help intervene at an early stage. CIISA emerged from the Clarke scandal and Time’s Up UK movement in summer 2021, when the Doctor Who star was accused by more than 20 women of misconduct, allegations that he has always denied.

Since then, there have been several high-profile incidences including Gregg Wallace and Russell Brand, both of whom also deny the allegations made against them.

But funding has been hard to come by and CIISA, which is backed by stars like Keira Knightley and Naomie Harris, has been slow to get its reporting service off the ground. CIISA has been seeking annual donations from the big broadcasters and streamers and the likes of the BBC, ITV, Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery have pledged to donate annually. Others like Channel 4, Disney and Amazon hadn’t as of last summer, while Netflix was declining comment.

As of today, Channel 4 said it “has made substantial financial contributions over the past two years towards [CIISA’s] development and we will be registering with CIISA.” Disney remain in constructive discussions with CIISA, Deadline understands. Netflix once again declined comment on whether it will fund the body and Amazon hadn’t responded to a request for comment by press time.

Deadline understands a register of CIISA donors will launch publicly but not for another year or so. The body will also move to a “register model” to help fund its activities, which it said will “enable registered organisations to celebrate their association and commitment to embedding the CIISA Standards.” Those standards were forged last year and include a commitment to ‘Safe Working Environments’, ‘Inclusive Working Environments’, ‘Open and Accountable Reporting Mechanisms’ and ‘Responsive Learning Cultures’.

The NDA news is a big boon for CIISA. Victims of Harvey Weinstein have spoken in the past about being gagged by NDAs. In the UK, new legislation recently banned NDAs being used by employers to silence employees subjected to harassment and abuse.

CIISA boss Jen Smith said: “I’m proud to set out our strategic vision for the next three years, which feels particularly significant in a moment of real momentum as CIISA is recognised as an independent whistleblowing body for film, TV, music and theatre, and as we open our registration model. Registering with CIISA enables organisations to make a visible commitment to collectively preventing the harmful behaviours that have no place in our sector; together we will drive real change that will benefit all those who make the UK’s creative sector so extraordinary.”

Pretty Little Liars alum Lucy Hale is set to lead a new romance, A Young Widow’s Guide to Life, with international sales launching in Cannes.

The film will be directed by rising filmmaker Mackenzie Munro and produced by Pascal Borno, Alain Gillissen, Silvio Muraglia and Jack Greenbaum. Principal photography will commence this September in Italy.

Written by Katrina Day Schaefer, A Young Widow’s Guide to Life follows Tess Fuller (Hale), a 30-year-old widow who remains emotionally stuck five years after the death of her husband. “On the anniversary of his passing, Luke’s childhood friend publishes a letter he left behind asking the town to help Tess create a list of things to try to start over and move on with her life,” a plot synopsis reads.

“Reluctantly, Tess starts checking items off the list and slowly reconnects with life, love, and herself. As she develops a connection with a charming single father and professor named Marcus, Tess must decide whether she is ready to open her heart again — or if she still needs time to find herself first. After an emotional turning point, she embarks on a solo road trip that ultimately helps her let go of the past and embrace a new chapter.”

The project marks another commercial movie role for Hale, whose recent film F*** Marry Kill topped Hulu in 2025. The star is best known for TV hit Pretty Little Liars, as well as Truth or Dare and The Hating Game.

Munro, meanwhile, began her career in film production as a teenager and went on to direct projects for Facebook Watch, Crypt TV and The Shade Room before making her feature debut with Salvation. She recently wrapped production on Stampede and Wattpad’s Chasing Red, starring Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch and The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Gavin Casalegno.

Producers Pascal Borno and Alain Gillissen of Angel Oak Films are bringing A Young Widow’s Guide to Life to Cannes with the aim of securing international distribution partners ahead of production. A deal with Andreas Klein’s German powerhouse, Splendid Films, was closed here on the Croisette for German-speaking territories.

“We are so excited to bring this unique project to Cannes and introduce it to our key buyers,” said Borno. “We are particularly proud of being involved with an established as well as dynamic star, Lucy Hale, and pairing her with another young female rising star, director Mackenzie Munro. This incredible unique script combined with these two incredible women is a winning combination.”

Marco Perego, a conceptual artist whose work has been displayed around the world, grew up on world cinema and tends to watch a movie every day. Yet the Italian native has operated mostly outside filmmaking circles — until now. Coming off of his feature directorial debut from 2023, The Absence of Eden — which starred his wife, Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña — Perego launched the production company Leaf Entertainment alongside Michael Cerenzie. The goal was simple: Work with the best, most decorated global auteurs and help them get their next projects made. Easier said than done, right?

Perhaps, but Perego has hit a remarkable benchmark in a very short period of time. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, he will make history as the first producer to have three movies in the main competition — and they’re among the most pedigreed and anticipated: Minotaur, the first film in nine years from Russia’s Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless); Fjord, the Sebastian Stan-led drama from Romanian master Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days); and Paper Tiger, the starry latest from Croisette regular James Gray toplined by Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller. That doesn’t even cover Perego’s full Cannes slate: He’s also behind Kantemir Balagov’s Butterfly Jam, screening in Directors’ Fortnight.

As Perego tells The Hollywood Reporter, he knows he’s new to the producing game and that he does things differently. He sees each highly anticipated film on his slate as part of a larger collective project: “My ultimate goal is to build this idea of a company of artists,” he says. “I feel very lucky to give these directors a voice.”

You have a background as a visual artist. Now you’re a producer on three competition films in Cannes. How did that happen?

Growing up in a small place in Italy, my father and my mother showed me films all the time. I was very curious — it can be a great voice for all these different places around the world, where you can talk about social commentary, or just tell a story about the human condition. The first question I asked myself was: Where is the space to support that? We set up a company called Leaf Entertainment. I asked my partner Michael [Cerenzie], “What do you think about starting to really produce auteurs?” I was very lucky to be part of this very strong community of all these great filmmakers. … There is a necessity culturally to really help and protect the voice of these great auteurs, now more than ever.

It’s been almost a decade since Andrey Zvyagintsev’s last film, and he’s been open about health issues in the intervening years. How did you get involved with him on Minotaur? 

I’ve known a friend of his for a long time, and I kept telling him that anything he wants to do, I want to support it. Leviathan really changed something in my life: It was an incredible movie, I’ve watched it so many times. And I’m an artist: My job is not really like a normal producer. I don’t want to come in and invade this space. I want to just say, “Hey, I’m here. I can be an asset. Tell me how I can help you.” With this movie, MK Productions and Charles Gillibert, a great producer, were already involved. I asked, “Can I Zoom with Andrey?” Then I told him, “I’m not here to give you a note. I’m here to support you.” You will see, it is a very important film. I just supported him to make the best film he could. 

You mentioned the necessity of backing these auteurs right now. Is that a unique problem in the U.S. from your perspective? What was it like getting Paper Tiger off the ground for James Gray? 

Again, I came in last [among the producers]. You cannot understand right now how, for somebody like James, it really has been a challenge to put a movie together. 

There were some recastings as it remained in development. Did you come in after that?

I read the script before that; after that, yes, I came in. I was at lunch with James and we had a call with the producers, like Rodrigo [Teixeira], and they said, “The movie is not happening.” He had a film before that was supposed to go with Zoe, my wife, and he’s really a friend. I said “OK, let me think about this.” Within a week we put the rest together and he went to make his film. 

How did it turn around, if it looked like it wasn’t happening?

It was missing the money aspect and I helped figure out the money aspect. I supported that aspect and the movie came through.

What are some of the biggest challenges right now in getting movies like Paper Tiger made?

There are so many. It’s very difficult to generate a real business right now. Around the world, people go to the cinema to watch this type of film. There’s more [understanding] around what it means to be an auteur, so I hope America really, really will [embrace that], too. The big challenge here is pure economic business. There is a struggle right now to just put together these types of films, and that’s where I see an opportunity: to come in and try to support it. 

I know you’re focused on the distribution end, and strategizing ways to get these movies widely seen. Paper Tiger recently sold to Neon in the U.S. I imagine a lot of the filmmakers you’re working with are resistant to streaming. Are you finding that?

Everything is finding the balance. The question we need to ask is not about being for or against streaming, but how we can support filmmakers on that [topic] correctly. Thinking about it, streaming will be part of the future, but the question is can we protect and continue to make this type of film that goes to cinema, that creates an experience — and after, if they need to go to streaming, they go to streaming. It’s very important to have that experience. I believe in the spirit of the cinema because when I was very lonely, I spent so much time in the movie theater. 

I don’t think one thing takes away from the other. I just think it’s important to be sure: Can we support one another? What does the filmmaker want? That’s what we need to consider very carefully. It’s about asking the filmmaker how you see your film, where you see your film. I’m asking the question all the time: What James wants, what Andrey wants, what all these people want.

Coming off of this first round of producing, what are some of the big lessons learned for you in how to move forward?

The first big lesson is, more than ever, I believe that directors need to be speaking together. Just to understand where everything started for me here, there’s this photo of all these great artists together at Mr Chow. I asked myself: Why doesn’t a photo like this exist for today’s auteurs? I grew up with Coppola, Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas — they were all together. So I created a manifesto of a creative community, why we need to do this again. My first step was, “Let me see if you want some help from a complete outsider.” The second part, now, is to try to put the community together and see where in the next five years film will change, and how we can support these filmmakers in that. That’s really what I want to do now: Build this community. I want to have the same picture of all these great filmmakers together, who can learn [from] each other, exchange ideas with each other, and protect each other.