When TV’s Emmy-winning ‘Fleabag’ ended in April 2019, the show’s loyal followers weren’t quite ready to accept that its eponymous heroine’s journey would end with season 2.

However, Phoebe Waller-Bridge surprised her fans last summer when she announced the play upon which the TV show is based would be back in theatres for a limited run in August. Unsurprisingly, the show was immediately sold out.

In light of the coronavirus crisis which has largely affected the industry, Waller-Bridge has decided to revive the play which will be available to view online for two weeks. All proceeds will go towards four charities dedicated to supporting those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including National Emergency Trust, NHS Charities Together, Acting For Others and Fleabag Support Fund, an initiative which will provide grants of £2500 to freelancers working in the theatre industry.

In the UK you can watch the show via Soho Theatre On Demand right now and it costs £4 (or more, if you wish to further support the causes). ‘Fleabag’ will also be made available to US audiences via Amazon Prime, starting Friday, 10 April.

PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE © JASON HETHERINGTON

Directed by Vicky Jones, the play, which originally premiered in 2013, was staged at the Edinburgh Fringe, at the Soho Theatre, off-Broadway and at the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End.

On the streaming initiative, Waller-Bridge commented: ‘I hope this filmed performance of “Fleabag” can help raise money while providing a little theatrical entertainment in these isolated times. Thank you to all our partners and to the creative team who have waived their royalties from this production to raise money for such vital causes in this unbelievably challenging situation.

‘All money raised will support the people throughout our society who are fighting for us on the frontlines and those financially devastated by the crisis, including those in the theatre community. Thank you in advance to those who donate. Now go get into bed with Fleabag! It’s for charity! Px’

There are wonderful news coming from the United States! Amazon Prime Video have teamed up with SXSW to launch ‘Prime Video presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection’, which offers filmmakers in the 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup an invitation to opt in to take part in this online film festival.

The 10-day film festival part of this year’s SXSW was among the many casualties of the last-minute cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was meant to be a joyous cinematic celebration that included everything from Hollywood blockbusters to sleeper indie flicks and Academy Award-winning documentaries.

In fact, SXSW Film is a crucial part of a small, yet important network of festivals meant to help artists find distributors and get onto the screens. Its cancellation means the abrupt end of a years-long dream for many filmmakers, depriving audiences of new, fresh works of film.

THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE IN AUSTIN ©SHELLEY HIAM

Fortunately, this new collaboration will ensure that these movies will be screened through Amazon’s streaming platform, for the very first time. The Texas-based festival and the tech giant announced the creation of a one-time online film jamboree where filmmakers who were meant to debut their work at SXSW 2020 can do so on Prime. Running the length of SXSW itself, the movie fest will stream for 10 days in the United States, and it will be available for free, with or without an Amazon Prime membership.

Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said in a press release: ‘We’re honoured to be able to provide a space for the SXSW filmmakers to share their hard work and passion with audiences for the first time.’

According to the same release and while the dates are yet to be determined, the Prime film fest could begin by late April. Not much is known about the line-up, either, but filmmakers who were originally slated to appear at SXSW have received details on how to take part. On top of that, they will also be paid a screening fee for the ten days of the festival.

‘I’m thrilled that these two great champions of indie film (SXSW and Amazon Prime Video) are teaming up to resurrect this year’s cancelled film festival’, Jay Duplass, independent filmmaker and SXSW alum, said. ‘These are unprecedented times, and it’s going to take unprecedented solutions to carry on and celebrate these great films and the people who worked so hard to make them.’

On 24^th March of this year, SXSW Film announced the 2020 Jury and Special Award winners of what would have been the 27^th festival. Hopefully, the 28^th will find us all back in Austin.