Hollywood
Cannes: French director’s film on Tamil Tigers wins Palme D’Or
NEW DELHI: While Dheepan by French director Jacques Audiard won the Palme D’Or for the best film, renowned filmmaker Agn?s Varda received the highest distinction of an honorary Palme D’Or at the conclusion of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival in France.
The director and all-rounder swells the ranks of the exceptional award winners that include great names such as Woody Allen (2002), Manoel de Oliveira (2008), Clint Eastwood (2009), and Bernardo Bertolucci (2011).
The film, which won the top award is a moving drama dealing with three Tamil Tigers – a former soldier, a young woman and a child – who pose as a family to escape the civil war in Sri Lanka and get French asylum. It will be released in the US by IFC/Sundance Selects.
The director is also known for earlier films like A Prophet and Rust and Bone.
The awards were announced by the jury headed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and also included directors Guillermo del Toro and Xavier Dolan, actor Jake Gyllenhaal, actresses Sienna Miller, Sophie Marceau and Rossy de Palma and composer Rokia Traore.
The Best Actor award went to Vincent Lindon in La Loi Du Marché (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane Brizé while the Actress awards were shared by Emmanuelle Bercot in Mon Roi by Ma?wenn, and Rooney Mara in Carol by Todd Haynes.
The second-place award, the Grand Prix, went to first-time director Laszlo Nemes’ harrowing Holocaust drama Son of Saul, while the third-place Jury Award went to Yorgos Lanthimos’ surreal The Lobster.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien was named the festival’s best director for his lavish martial arts epic The Assassin.
The Best Screenplay award was given to writer-director Michel Franco for Chronic, the Camera d’Or to La Tierra Y La Sombra (Land and Shade) by César Augusto Acevedo.
The Short Film Palme D’Or was given to Waves ’98 by Ely Dagher from Lebanon.
Eight of the 19 films in the main competition took home awards. Favourites, which failed to make include Matteo Garrone’s twisted fairy tale compilation Tale of Tales; Justin Kurzel’s MacBeth, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard; Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs with Jesse Eisenberg and Isabelle Huppert.
The winners:
Palme d’Or: Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
Grand Prix: Son of Saul, Laszlo Nemes
Prix du Jury: The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
Best Director: The Assassin, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Best Screenplay: Chronic, Michel Franco
Camera d’Or (Best First Feature): La Tierra y la Sombra (Land and Shade), Cesar Augusto Acevedo
Best Actor: Vincent Lindon, The Measure of a Man
Best Actress: (tie) Rooney Mara, Carol, and Emmanuelle Bercot, Mon Roi
Palme d’Or, Short Film: Waves 98, Ely Dagher
Meanwhile, the Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury headed by Abderrahmane Sissako awarded the 2015 Cinéfondation Prize Share by Pippa Bianco of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, USA. The Second Prize went to Locas Perdidas directed by Ignacio Juricic Merillan from Carrera de Cine y TV Universidad de Chile, Chile; and the third prize jointly went to The Return Of Erkin directed by Maria Guskova from High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, Russia, and Victor XX directed by Ian Gamdo Lopez from ESCAC, Spain.
The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 18 student films, selected from among 593 entries from 381 film schools around the world.
The first prize winner received €15,000, with €11,250 going to the second and €7,500 to the third.
Hollywood
Paramount seeks FCC nod for foreign-backed $110 billion WBD deal
Gulf funds back merger as foreign stake nears 50 per cent, control stays with Ellison
NEW YORK: Paramount Global has approached the Federal Communications Commission seeking approval for foreign investments tied to its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, marking another key step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
According to regulatory filings made public this week, the investment backing the deal includes major Gulf sovereign funds such as the Public Investment Fund, the Qatar Investment Authority and L’imad Holding Company. Together, foreign investors are expected to hold just under 50 per cent of Paramount’s equity once the transaction is complete.
Despite the sizeable international backing, Paramount has made it clear that voting control will remain with the family of chief executive David Ellison, ensuring the company stays firmly under US control as required by broadcasting rules.
A company spokesperson described the FCC filing as routine for transactions involving foreign capital and stressed that it does not impact the closing of the deal. Under US law, any significant foreign ownership in broadcast licence holders must undergo regulatory review.
The merger itself has already cleared a major hurdle, with Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approving the deal on 23 April. The transaction values the company at $31 per share, a 147 per cent premium to its earlier trading price, reflecting strong strategic intent behind the tie-up.
If completed, the combined entity will bring together a vast portfolio including Warner Bros. film studios, HBO Max, and networks such as CNN, TNT and Discovery Channel. The deal is currently expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
However, scrutiny is intensifying. The US Department of Justice has issued subpoenas seeking details on the merger’s potential impact on cinema competition, streaming services and content licensing. Reviews are also anticipated in international markets, including the United Kingdom.
There is also a financial safety net built into the agreement. If regulators ultimately block the deal, Paramount would face a $7 billion break-up fee. Additionally, the company has taken on $2.8 billion in obligations previously owed by Warner Bros. Discovery to Netflix following an earlier terminated arrangement.
Paramount maintains that easing foreign ownership barriers will unlock fresh capital and strengthen its ability to compete in a rapidly evolving media landscape. For now, the spotlight remains on regulators, whose decision will determine whether this global media consolidation moves from script to screen.
