GECs
Disney, Weinsteins may part ways
MUMBAI: A film partnership that lasted a decade and brought lots of Oscar awards may be coming to an end. Disney is said to be looking to end its current deal with Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
Disney must give the Weinsteins at least six months notice if it does not plan to renew its deal with the filmmaking brothers who are credited with revolutionizing the independent filmmaking world. Reports state that with the pact set to expire on 30 September 2005, a resolution must be reached by March at the latest.
Disney CEO Michael Eisner has categorically asserted that Miramax would remain with Disney even if the Weinsteins exited. Disney will also retain rights to the valuable Miramax library and to any films produced during the current agreement. If the Weinsteins do leave this would be the second blow for Disney following the end of the contract with animation house Pixar.
Miramax was bought by Disney in 1993 for $80 million. The Weinsteins are likely to seek financing to start a new motion picture venture. Trade publication Variety had reported that Disney was not interested in renewing the terms of the Weinstein’s existing employment agreement. .
There was friction between the Weinstein’s and Disney over Kill Bill. Eisner had felt that Miramax pushed the envelope too far with Quentin Tarantino’s epic. Worse earlier this year Disney had blocked Miramax from distributing Michael Moore’s Bush-bashing documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. As a result the Weinsteins to personally buy the film rights and seek an independent distributor. The film releases in India today 15 October.
Another report has suggested that the Weinsteins could partner with Paramount which is struggling for hits. Paramount had partnered with Miramax on The Hours which won Nicole Kidman an Oscar.
This year Miramax is pinning its Oscar hopes on Martin Scorcese’s upcoming The Aviator in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.
GECs
Sony ties up with EU for MasterChef India finale
GI-tagged European ingredients headline finale week
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has struck what it calls a landmark association with the European Union for the finale week of MasterChef India, marking the first such collaboration between the bloc and an Indian television format.
The tie-up will culminate in the “European Union mystery box challenge”, which opens the much-anticipated finale week. The task will see the top six contestant pairs cook with a curated basket of ingredients bearing geographical indications (GIs) from across EU member states: a nod to provenance as well as palate.
Chef Ajay and Chef Guntas, introduced as chef ambassadors to the European Union, will present the mystery boxes and set the brief: use the fewest ingredients from each category and produce a MasterChef-level dish that marries European produce with Indian flavour sensibilities. Precision and restraint, rather than extravagance, will be tested.
For Sony, the move signals a push towards high-value integrations that blur the line between sponsorship and storytelling. The network said the association underscores the show’s growing global stature and its ability to attract world-renowned institutions to Indian screens.
Chef Ajay Chopra, food ambassador in the European Union, described the collaboration as a strategic opportunity to spotlight the heritage and authenticity of GI-tagged European products to India’s vast food-loving audience.
Over the years, MasterChef India has positioned itself as a gateway to global cuisines. The EU partnership sharpens that pitch, turning the finale into a stage for cross-continental culinary diplomacy.
The finale week will air from 2 March, 2026 at 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony Liv.
