iWorld
Eros Now’s Original Web-Series Smoke Nominated at the Prestigious South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Film Festival 2019
MUMBAI: Eros Now, the cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc, a Global Indian Entertainment Company, announced today that its original web-series Smoke, which was released on October 26, 2018, has been nominated by SXSW Film Festival 2019 in the ‘Title Design Category.’
The 2019 SXSW Film Festival celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. As an essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. South By Southwest dedicates itself to honoring individuals and companies that create the most innovative, creative, and inspirational work in their respective fields. The festival is scheduled to take place between March 8 – 17, 2019. The crime-drama series – Smoke is contending with the likes of Aquaman, Black Panther, Deadpool 2, Spiderman Homecoming, Mowgli, Sacred Games, amongst othersunder the Title Design Category.
Commenting on the nomination, RidhimaLulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group said, “We are delighted for this significant recognition at prestigious SXSW 2019. The nomination of Smoke at SXSW Film Festival 2019 supports Eros Now’s endeavours to offer innovative and path breaking content for its global viewers. The powerful performances by the actors, along with the skilful writing and direction makes it a strong contender for the award.”
Smoke was the first and only Indian original web-series that was premiered at MIPCOM 2018, Cannes, under the ‘Made in India Originals’ category. The 11-episode series garnered rave reviews from the audience with an 8.9 IMDB rating. The series is directed by Neel Guhaand features India’s finest actors such as KalkiKoechlin, Jim Sarbh, GulshanDevaiah, MandiraBedi, Neil Bhoopalam, AmitSial, Satyadeep Mishra and the late Tom Alter.
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Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
