Hollywood
Asian Film Summit to have a masterclass by China’s Ning Hao
NEW DELHI: The 3rd Asian Film Summit, part of the 39th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will have an additional masterclass with China’s Ning Hao this year. The summit will be held on 9 September.
Ning began his career with independent films Incense (2003) and Mongolian Ping Pong (2005) before directing comedy Crazy Stone (2006) that transformed the business model of Mainland Chinese cinema. Ning’s road movie Breakup Buddies has its world premiere at the Canadian festival ahead of its domestic theatrical release on 30 September staring Huang Bo, Xu Zheng and Yolanda Yuan.
Chinese-language cinema has a strong presence at this year’s Summit with guests Peter Loehr, directors Andrew Lau and Wang Xiaoshuai, and producers Isabelle Glachant and Abe Kwong.
Loehr will host the event’s keynote speech, in which he will recount his experiences working in China from an independent producer, to head of Creative Artists Agency (Beijing), to his current role at Legendary East.
A Going Global panel includes guest speakers Richie Mehta, Doris Pfardrescher (Well Go USA Inc), David Linde (Lava Bear Films), Kwong (Wanda Media Co Ltd), and Beijing-based Leslie Chen (IM Global).
The Big Voices from Asia panel includes Gareth Evans and Nate Bolotin (XYZ Films), who collaborated on The Raid 2 The Raid 2: Berandal, and Wang and Glachant, whose thriller Red Amnesia which will also be screened.
TIFF opens on 4 September and continues till 14 September.
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
