Hollywood
Dharmashala International Filmfest to showcase features, shorts and documentaries
NEW DELHI: ‘The Lunch Box’ by Ritesh Batra and ‘Tasher Desh’ by Qaushiq Mukherjee are among the Indian films while The Act of Killing (Denmark) by Joshua Oppenheimer and With You Without You (Sri Lanka) by Prasanna Vithanage are among the films at the Second Dharmashala International Film festival later this week.
Organised by White Crane Arts and Media; the festival from 24 to 27 October in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, will showcase feature films, documentaries and short films.
A new section ‘Art and Film’ has been introduced at the festival in collaboration with Vienna-based Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Foundation this year to feature art films made by international artists Sean Snyder, Wael Shawky, Marine Hugonnier, Omer Fast, Walid Raad and Rabih Mroué.
The Best of recent Indian Shorts curated by filmmaker Umesh Kulkarni will also be showcased. Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky’s Watermark will make its world premiere at the festival.
The other Indian films are Filmistaan (Nitin Kakkar); Gulabi Gang ( Nishtha Jain), Fandry (Nagraj Manjule), Crossing Bridges (Sange Dorjee Thongdok), Jai Bhim Comrade (Anand Patwardhan), and To Let the World In (Avijit Mukul Kishore).
The international films are The Strange Little Cat (Germany) by Ramon Zürcher; Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (Germany) by Alison Klayman; Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (UK/Russia) by Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin; Lasting (Poland) by Jacek Borcuch;Lore (Australia) by Cate Shortland; The Rocket (Australia/Laos) by Kim Mordaunt; Thursday Till Sunday (Chile) by Dominga Sotomayor Castillo; Neighbouring Sounds (Brazil) by Kleber Mendonça Filho; Menstrual Man (Singapore) by Amit Virmani;Bushido Man (Japan) by Takanori Tsujimoto; Piercing Brightness (UK) by Shezad Dawood; Roots (Japan) by Kaoru Ikeya; and La Voz De Los Silenciados (USA) by Maximón Monihan.
A large number of the filmmakers or their representatives are expected to attend the Festival.
Hollywood
Disney sells out ad slots for 98th Oscars broadcast
Strong demand for live events turns the Academy Awards into a global, multi-platform marketing moment
NEW YORK: Hollywood’s biggest night has also become one of advertising’s hottest tickets. Disney has sold out all advertising inventory for the 98th Oscars, underscoring the growing demand from brands eager to ride the cultural wave of major live events.
The sell-out marks the sixth consecutive live tentpole success for Disney Advertising. The streak includes last year’s 97th Oscars, the 59th Annual CMA Awards, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, signalling strong appetite among marketers for moments that bring audiences together in real time.
For advertisers, the Oscars are no longer just a single night of glitz and gold statues. Disney’s “Content Everywhere” strategy has expanded the awards show into a sprawling, multi-platform brand playground spanning linear television, streaming, social media and digital content.
“Live continues to be one of the most powerful ways for brands to connect with engaged audiences at scale, and the Oscars represent the very best of culture, creativity and community,” said Disney Advertising SVP, entertainment and streaming solutions John Campbell. He added that the company has reshaped the show’s commercial potential into a connected experience that stretches well beyond the broadcast.
Brands such as Mazda, Pfizer and Volkswagen of America are tapping into Disney’s wider ecosystem, appearing across original content segments including Know Your Movies on Hulu and Critically Acclaimed on Disney+. Partnerships also extend to social media through TikTok Pulse Premiere and to custom brand storytelling created by Disney CreativeWorks.
The result is what Disney calls the “Oscars Everywhere” approach. Rather than a few high-profile ad breaks, advertisers now find themselves woven through a series of moments before, during and after the ceremony.
These include On The Red Carpet at The Oscars, a live pre-show syndicated across major local markets and streamed nationwide, and the After the Oscars Show, which keeps the conversation going once the final award has been handed out.
This year’s sponsors include Rolex, returning for its ninth year, and Burger King, which joins the Oscars advertiser roster for the first time. Other brands in the mix include Disney Cruise Line, Dunkin’, Eli Lilly and Company, Eucerin, Intuit TurboTax, L’Oréal, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Miebo, Paris Baguette, Peacock, Starbucks, State Farm, Toyota and Verizon.
The 98th Oscars will take place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu, reaching audiences in more than 200 territories worldwide.
