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
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.
