Hollywood
The Edinburgh International Film Festival includes a German Focus
NEW DELHI: As submissions opened this week, the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) announced that a German Focus celebrating the best in German cinema will be part of the Festival in 2014.
The new additions will include a ‘Gala’ strand which will present major UK premieres of both British and international films and a strand of family films entitled For the Family. Genre films and edgy fare from around the world will be featured in an even more adventurous and farther-reaching strand than the previous Night Moves, and the New Perspectives strand will showcase new fiction and documentary filmmaking that raises challenging questions about the medium.
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Strands continued from 2013 include American Dreams; Director’s Showcase; Films on Film and the continuation of EIFF’s strand of films programmed by 16-to-19-year-old Young Programmers for their peers. The Michael Powell Award and International Competition will continue at EIFF 2014 with titles selected from across the programme.
Continuing its long history of championing German cinema, next year EIFF will present a German Focus in partnership with German Films. Since the Festival’s inception in 1947, German films have regularly screened at EIFF. Major retrospectives and premieres of ground-breaking work by renowned German directors including Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, and Reinhard Hauff have brought German cinema to international attention. The 2014 German Focus will include screenings of new and retrospective titles which will run parallel to a bespoke programme of Industry Events, with members of the German Film Industry in attendance. Further details of the German Focus will be announced in due course.
EIFF Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara said: “Building on the success of our 2013 Festival, we were keen to revisit how we structure the EIFF programme and especially the strands we use to help our audiences find the films they wish to see. With the new strands to be introduced in 2014, we hope to make it easier for audiences to navigate the richness of our programme; to explore the work of the emerging filmmakers we champion at Edinburgh each year, and to celebrate unconventional filmmaking. I’m also delighted to be working with German Films to bring together what will be an engaging and revealing selection of the best of new German cinema.”
Hollywood
Disney chair confident CEO Josh D’Amaro will ‘rise to the occasion’ in Trump–Kimmel row
Board backs new chief as ABC controversy tests leadership early on
NEW YORK: The Walt Disney Company has placed the responsibility of handling the escalating dispute between Donald Trump and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel squarely on its new chief executive, Josh D’Amaro.
Speaking at a business conference in Oslo, Disney chair James Gorman said it would be up to the CEO and his team to determine the company’s response to the controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He noted that such challenges are not uncommon for large corporations and require careful handling at the leadership level.
The row intensified after both Donald Trump and Melania Trump publicly called for Kimmel’s dismissal following remarks made on his show. The comments, which referenced the First Lady, sparked backlash in the days leading up to a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Kimmel addressed the issue on-air, clarifying that his joke was intended as a reference to the couple’s age difference and not an incitement to violence. He also expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident and reiterated his stance against violent rhetoric.
Despite mounting pressure, Gorman refrained from offering specific guidance on the future of the show or the host. Instead, he voiced confidence in D’Amaro’s leadership, describing him as “world class” and capable of navigating the situation effectively.
The episode presents an early and high-profile test for D’Amaro, who stepped into the top role just last month. How Disney balances editorial independence, public sentiment and political pressure will likely shape not just the outcome of this controversy, but also the tone of its leadership in the months ahead.
