Hollywood
Australian films to dominate Melbourne International filmfest
NEW DELHI: Australian crime thriller ‘Felony’ directed by Mathew Saville is the closing film of the Melbourne International Film Festival later this month
The film that follows three detectives who are variously involved in committing a crime and covering it up had its premiere in Toronto last year. It stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Wilkinson and Jai Courtney. It is set for commercial release in Australia on 28 August.
The Festival showing about 341 films in 17 sections is being held from 31 July to 17 August.
‘Predestination’ by the Spierig brothers is the opening film while Tony Ayres’ crime thriller ‘Cut Snake’ is the centerpiece
The international panorama section features James Gray’s ‘The Immigrant,’ and Catherine Breillat’s ‘Abuse of Weakness.’
The Accent on Asia section includes Tsai Ming-liang’s ‘Stray Dogs,’ Mongolian documentarian Byamba Sakhya’s fiction debut ‘Remote Control’ and Japanese documentary ‘Love Hotel.’
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.
