Hollywood
Iranian animation wins award at Viewster competition
NEW DELHI: The Iranian animation film ‘Dad’s Fragile Doll’ has been awarded the top prize by the world’s only online video service, Viewster, at its film festival.
The film by Ali Zare Ghanatnowi received an amount of $70,000 in the Festival on the theme of ‘Relationship Status: It’s Complicated’.
The second prize of $20,000 went to ‘Wrong’ a short by South Korea’s Taegue Lim, while the third prize of $7,500 went to German short ‘Your Place’ by Sylvia Borges and the fourth prize was given to Polish short ‘Next’ by Adam Janisch, winning $2,500.
The Viewster Online Film Festival is a cutting-edge worldwide event where television and film lovers as well as producers gather online to discover and share creative short films, features, web series and documentaries.
The expert panel of judges included famed independent film producer Ted Hope, actress Nora Tschirner and Timo Vuorensola, director of award-winning international film, Iron Sky.
The second #VOFF edition received nearly 1,000 submissions from filmmakers representing 70 countries, with 500 films ultimately accepted to compete for awards.
“When we started this festival competition, we just wanted to create a place for filmmakers to showcase their work and for film fans to discover creative international content,” said Viewster CEO Kai Henniges. “The second festival edition surpassed our expectations and we consider it a great reward that that the winners represent such different global and cultural perspectives.”
The VOFF is the ideal platform for film producers, independent or not, to showcase their work. Attracting roughly 500,000 online visitors. The second edition of VOFF was also the most social festival to date with tens of millions of interactions on festival content across social media.
“We have seen engagement like never before this year,” said Henniges. “Viewers’ response has been overwhelming and we view the success of this festival as a sign of much greater things to come.”
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.
