Hollywood
American, Canadian filmfests call for entries for features, documentaries
NEW DELHI: Several American and Canadian feature and documentary film festivals are calling for entries from across the world to compete their awards.
The New York International Children’s Film Festival has set its final deadline for Feature Films as 10 November.
The Festival is North America’s film festival for children and teens. Each year the Festival presents 100 animated, live action and experimental shorts and features from around the world plus retrospectives, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, audience voting and an annual Awards Ceremony.
It wants creative, original, non-formulaic short and feature films that support the mission to create a more dynamic film culture for children and teens. It also often shows films that were not created with a young audience in mind, but are received passionately and enthusiastically by attendees aged 3 to 18.
Members of the Festival jury include Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Bill Plympton, Christine Vachon, James Schamus, Henry Selick and Gus van Sant, among others.
Meanwhile, the New York Festivals Awards 2015 ceremony will celebrate the World’s Best TV & Films, as well as present the Lifetime Achievement Award, Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, and United Nations Department of Public Information Awards.
The deadline to enter the 2015 Television & Film Awards competition is 15 October. All Entries in the 2015 competition will be judged online and screened by New York Festivals Television & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200 plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the NYF Television & Film Awards website.
Meanwhile, the Nashville Film Festival will mark a celebration of the diversity of the human spirit expressed through the art of film. In year-round programs, NaFF helps build a more informed, collaborative and alive community. The call for entries for the 2015 Nashville Film Festival is open and cash and prizes valued at over $54,000 are given. Films that qualify are Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short Films for Academy Award. The deadline is 19 November.
The Hot Docs, Canada’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, will present its 22nd annual edition from 23 April to 3 May 2015. An outstanding selection of approximately 200 documentaries from Canada and around the world will be presented to Toronto audiences and international delegates.
Hot Docs will also mount a full roster of conference sessions and market events and services for documentary practitioners, including the renowned Hot Docs Forum, Hot Docs Deal Maker and The Doc Shop. In partnership with Blue Ice Group, Hot Docs operates the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, a century-old landmark located in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood.
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
