International
Dustin Hoffman to receive Donostia award at Spanish film fest
MUMBAI: Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman will be honoured with a special lifetime achievement award by Spain‘s top film festival, the San Sebastian International Film Festival. The festival will take place from 21 to 29 September.
Seventy five year old Hoffman will receive the Donostia award marking the 60th anniversary of the festival in northern Spain, the oldest and most prestigious event of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world.
“The award will be a tribute to one of Hollywood‘s greatest actors, winner of two Academy Awards and a brilliant career behind him,” according to a statement from the festival organisers.
Hoffman has starred in films like The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Straw Dogs, All the President‘s Men, Marathon Man, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie and Rain Man. Hoffman will also show his directorial sensibilities at the San Sebastian festival where he will present his directorial debut Quartet; a film set in a home for retired opera singers.
The film centers around three of the residents organise a concert every year to celebrate Giuseppe Verdi‘s birthday. But their peaceful life is disrupted by the arrival of one of the trio‘s ex-wife, and the potential of her expanding their group to a quartet.
Others to be honoured with awards during the festival are director Oliver Stone, John Travolta, Tommy Lee Jones and Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.
International
Council of Europe to unveil new TV and streaming co-production convention
Series Mania Forum to host landmark signing to boost global TV collaboration
LILLE: The small screen is getting a big policy push. At this year’s Series Mania Forum in Lille, Alain Berset will take centre stage to chair the opening ceremony for a new international convention aimed at reshaping how television and streaming series are co-produced across borders.
Set for March 26 at the Théâtre Marie Curie in Lille Grand Palais, the signing marks the debut of the first legal framework dedicated specifically to the independent co-production of series. In an industry where stories travel faster than ever, the move aims to make collaboration smoother, fairer and more transparent.
Backed by the Council of Europe, the convention is designed to strengthen cultural ties, give independent producers a firmer footing, and bring greater clarity to deals in a rapidly evolving content landscape. With streaming platforms fuelling a surge in global storytelling, the timing feels deliberate.
Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset, underscored the cultural heft of series today, noting how they carry voices and viewpoints across borders. He called on member states and countries beyond Europe to sign on, framing the initiative as a way to turn culture into a tool for cooperation and democratic exchange.
For Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg, hosting the signing is both symbolic and strategic. She described the convention as a step that could widen the range of stories reaching audiences, staying true to the forum’s long-standing mission of championing diverse storytelling.
The ceremony will unfold alongside the Lille Dialogues, a high-level summit that gathers policymakers and industry leaders to debate the future of Europe’s audiovisual sector. Berset is also set to deliver the opening address there, adding political weight to a week already rich in creative ambition.
In short, as screens multiply and borders blur, Europe is putting a framework in place to ensure that storytelling keeps pace, collaboratively and coherently.
