Hollywood
Director from the Philippines bags top prize at Locarno, dedicates it to father
NEW DELHI: Filipino director Lav Diaz’s five-and-a-half-hour epic ‘From What is Before Mula’ received the top prize at the 67th Locarno Film Festival.
The 338-minute black-and-white film, about life in a rural village two years before the government declared martial law in 1972, won the Golden Leopard for best film. The award comes with a cash prize of $ 99,700 which will be shared equally between Diaz and his producer.
The film, which has the Filipino title ‘Mula sa kung ano ang noon’, also picked up the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, the Environment is Quality of Life Prize, and the International Federation of Film Societies’ (IFFS) Don Quixote Prize.
The film also won the top prize at the World Premiere Film Festival in Manila last month.
Alex Ross Perry’s ‘Listen Up Philip’ won the Special Jury Prize, Portugal’s Pedro Costa won the Best Director Leopard for ‘Cavalo Dinheiro ‘and Brazil’s ‘August Winds’ received a special mention.
The international competition jury was headed by Italy’s Gianfranco Rosi and also included Chinese director Diao Yi’nan, filmmaker Thomas Arslan, as well as actresses Alice Braga and Connie Nielson. Diaz was the president of last year’s international competition jury in Locarno.
The two other Asian winners in this year’s festival were both in the Best First Feature section. ‘Songs from the North’, a documentary by the South Korean filmmaker Yoo Soon-mi won the Leopard for the Best First Feature. France-based Japanese filmmaker Sawada Masa also received a special mention for ‘I, Kamikaze’.
Hollywood
David Zaslav could net up to $887m as Warner Bros Discovery sells up
Media mogul strikes gold as Paramount Skydance deal triggers massive windfall
NEW YORK: While the average office worker might hope for a nice clock and a round of applause upon leaving, David Zaslav is looking at a slightly more substantial parting gift. The chief executive officer of Warner Bros Discovery is positioned to receive a windfall of up to $887 million following the company’s blockbuster $110 billion sale to Paramount Skydance.
In a twist of corporate fate that feels scripted for the big screen, the deal marks the finale of a high-stakes bidding war. It comes after Netflix, once the frontrunner, decided to exit stage left and abandon its pursuit of the HBO Max parent company.
While most people receive a standard final paycheck, the filing released on Monday suggests Zaslav’s exit package is built a little differently. If the deal closes as expected in the third quarter of 2026, the numbers break down like this:
The cash out: A severance package of $34.2 million, covering his salary and bonuses.
The equity: $115.8 million in vested shares he already owns.
The future fortune: A massive $517.2 million in unvested share awards, essentially “future stock” that turns into real money the moment the ink dries on the merger.
Perhaps the most eye-catching figure is the $335 million earmarked for tax reimbursements. However, this particular pot of gold has an expiration date.
The company noted that these reimbursements are tied to specific tax-code rules that significantly decline as time passes. If the deal hits a snag and drags into 2027, that tax payout drops to zero. With hundreds of millions on the line, the chief executive officer likely has every incentive to ensure the closing process moves at double-speed.
