Hollywood
10 Animated Shorts advance in Oscar Race, finale on 22 February next year
NEW DELHI: Ten animated shorts have been shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today for the voting process for the 87th Academy Awards. 58 pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by the title along with their production companies:
1. ‘The Bigger Picture’ director Daisy Jacobs and producer Christopher Hees. (National Film and Television School)
2. ‘Coda,’ director Alan Holly. (And Maps And Plans)
3. ‘The Dam Keeper’. Directors Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (Tonko House)
4. ‘Duet’. Director Glen Keane (Glen Keane Productions and ATAP)
5. ‘Feast’. Director Patrick Osborne and producer Kristina Reed (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
6. ‘Footprints’. Director Bill Plympton. (Bill Plympton Studio)
7. ‘Me and My Moulton’. Director Torill Kove (Mikrofilm in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada)
8. ‘The Numberlys’. Directors William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg (Moonbot Studios)
9. ‘A Single Life’ Director Joris Oprins (Job, Joris and Marieke)
10. ‘Symphony No. 42’ Director Réka Bucsi (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest)
The Academy’s short films and feature animation branch reviewing committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in New York and Los Angeles. The branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on 15 January in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Oscars will be held on 22 February at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
