Hollywood
American Film Market 2013 to screen 402 films from 51 countries
NEW DELHI: American Film Market 2013 will screen 402 films, including 321 market premieres and 75 world premieres, from 51 countries.
Films in 30 languages will be screened for more than 8,000 buyers and industry professionals from more than 70 countries, according to Independent Film & Television Alliance, AFM managing director and executive VP Jonathan Wolf.
The market is being held from 6 to 13 November in Santa Monica in California by the Independent Film & Television Alliance.
Films premiering include the works of Zach Braff, Abigail Breslin, Pierce Brosnan, James Caan, Nicolas Cage, Helena Bonham Carter, Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Judi Dench, Gerard Depardieu, Richard Dreyfuss, Jesse Eisenberg, Chiwetal Ejoifor, Idris Elba, Dakota Fanning, Jenna Fischer, James Franco, Bill Hader, Josh Hartnett, Val Kilmer, Ben Kingsley, Mila Kunis, Cory Monteith, Thandie Newton, Haley Joel Osment, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Roberts, Peter Sarsgaard, Amy Smart, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Kanye West, Jay Z and many more.
Films making their market premiere include: Kiss Me (American Cinema International) starring Jenna Fischer, Emily Osment, Missi Pyle and John Corbett; Around the Block (Arclight Films) starring Christina Ricci, Hunter Page-Lochard and Mark Coles Smith; Le Grand Cahier (Beta Cinema) starring Laszlo Gyemant, Andras Gyemant, Piroska Molnar, Ulrich Thomsen, Ulrich Matthes and Sabin Tambrea; McCanick (Bleiberg Entertainment) starring David Morse, Cory Monteith, Mike Vogel, Ciaran Hinds, Tracie Thoms and Rachel Nichols; Cas and Dylan (Breakthrough Entertainment) directed by Jason Priestley, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Tatiana Maslany; The F Word (Entertainment One) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver and Rafe Spall; World Petank Tour (Europa Corp) starring Gerard Depardieu, Atmen Kelif, Edouard Baer, Daniel Prevost, Virginie Efira and Roschdy Zem; The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (Gaumont) starring Helena Bonham Carter, Kyle Catlett, Callum Keith Rennie and Judy Davis; Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (Huayi Brothers) starring Mark Zhao, Angelababy Yang and Carina Lau; The Sea (Independent) starring Ciaran Hinds, Charlotte Rampling and Rufus Sewell; Some Velvet Morning (International Film Trust) starring Stanley Tucci and Alice Eve; Walking with the Enemy (Koan Inc.) starring Ben Kingsley and Jonas Armstrong; Half of a Yellow Sun (Metro International Entertainment) starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejoifor; The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him & Her (Myriad) starring Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, James McAvoy, William Hurt, Isabelle Huppert, Ciaran Hinds and Bill Hader; Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Pathe International) starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris; God Only Knows (Synchronicity Entertainment) starring Ben Barnes, Toby Jones, Leighton Meester and Harvey Keitel.
Additional market premieres include Palo Alto (Pathe International) starring Emma Roberts, James Franco and Val Kilmer; Philomena (Pathe International) starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan; Love Punch (SND M6 Group) starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson; Tar (Spotlight Pictures) starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, Henry Hopper and Bruce Campbell; Before the Winter Chill (TF1 International) starring Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leila Bekhti and Richard Berry; C.O.G. (The Exchange) starring Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare and Corey Stoll; Made in America (The Exchange)directed by Ron Howard, starring Jay Z and Kanye West; Night Moves (The Match Factory) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard; Two Night Stand (The Solution Entertainment Group) starring Miles Teller, Analeigh Lipton and Jessica Szohr; and Joe (West End Films) starring Nicolas Cage and Tye Sheridan.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
