Hollywood
Anurag Kashyap on the jury of MyFrenchFilmFestival 2015
MUMBAI: Come January, celebrated filmmaker Anurag Kashyap will be seen as a part of the jury of an online French film festival – MyFrenchFilmFestival 2015. Kashyap, who is known for all things niche – especially the films he makes and likes to watch – was a part of the festival’s international jury last year.
Bringing the young generation of French filmmakers to the rest of the world, the festival will feature 10 French feature films and 10 French shorts. Beginning from 16 January 2015, the month long online festival will have these films available for viewing to Indian users who can visit VoD platform www.halfticket.tv to catch all the films, free of cost.
“If there is any language I would learn, it will be French,” said the Dev-D director while talking about his love for French cinema and the upcoming film festival. “The people in France, they support cinema, and the liberation from the moral codes in France makes me envious. French films have always taught me to be brutally honest without any fear. I will never miss any chance to watch any film, being a jury is just an excuse to watch all the films of these new filmmakers. And last year I was a jury of MyFrenchFilmFestival in France so why not now in India?”
While talking about the reaction he expects from these films being made available free of cost in India, Kashyap quipped, “I expect the traffic is so much that the VoD platform Halfticket.tv crashes, and after MyFrenchFilmFestival they have to rebuild their website to show more French and international films.”
Hollywood
Iger’s final act: Disney boss wraps up epic saga with a new captain at the helm
After 15 turbulent years, two stints in the c-suite, and billions spent on blockbuster acquisitions, Bob Iger is stepping away from the Magic Kingdom.
CALIFORNIA: The 75-year-old chief, hailed as one of the most transformative leaders in modern media, officially hands over to former parks chief Josh D’Amaro on 18 March. And this time, he’s getting the succession right.
Iger’s legacy glitters with big bets and epic wins: the $7.4bn Pixar buy, $4bn Marvel swoop, and the colossal $71bn 21st Century Fox deal. He dragged Disney into the streaming age, fought off activist investor Nelson Peltz, and saw off a political scrap with Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
But it hasn’t all been pixie dust. The forced return of Iger in 2022—after the short, shaky reign of successor Bob Chapek—tarnished an otherwise stellar run.
Now, D’Amaro takes the wheel with a streamlined leadership team and Disney firing on all cylinders. The firm’s streaming business is in the black, theme-park attendance is soaring, and five global films have hit $1billion at the box office in the past two years. Not bad for a firm that was on the ropes just months ago.
D’Amaro’s first move? A slick reorg under new president and chief creative officer Dana Walden, folding film, tv, streaming and gaming into one punchy unit. Sean Shoptaw, heading up the gaming division, now reports directly to Walden—bringing Fortnite and Epic Games collaborations closer to Disney’s creative heart.
Iger isn’t sailing off into the sunset just yet. He’ll keep busy with Angel City FC, the women’s football club he owns with his wife. And as Ann Mooney Murphy of Stevens Institute predicts: “A guy like that never truly retires.”
One era ends. Another begins. And the House of Mouse bets big on a future beyond the king.
