Hollywood
Eight city-based artists shortlisted for the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund
NEW DELHI: Eight projects have been selected by the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund with a total of $100,000 in grants to eight digital media artists’ projects from the city in amounts ranging from $3,500 to $19,000.
Grants from the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund support independent film and video projects intended to raise awareness about current social issues. These projects are scheduled to be available for free online viewing by 15 May 2016. Now in their fourth year, the funding is done by Voqal Fund and Chicago Filmmakers.
“The Production Fund allows us to support artists who are creating work with the intention of sparking meaningful conversations around social change,” said Brenda Webb, Chicago Filmmakers’ executive director.
“The projects of the eight media artists receiving grants exhibit a range of compelling ideas. They include a narrative web series that tells unapologetically authentic stories through characters who are as diverse as they are genuine; a documentary web series that examines the historical to present day occurrences of police violence in Chicago; a four-part docu-series that explores the consequences of industrialization and urbanization on the environment and community of Wolf Lake, Illinois; an experimental documentary portrait piece highlighting real working women in Chicago and their ability to “make things move”; a video-based online instructional tool that helps sighted students gain a more nuanced understanding of people with visual impairments; a docu-series that asks key questions revolving around civil liberties in the United States; the second season of a previously funded cartoon web series that cleverly tackles issues like racism, gender, religion, feminism, and LGBTQ equality via humanoid food characters; and a narrative short that uses a non-linear style to tell the story of a young teen who will do anything to get his hands on the latest must-have pair of basketball shoes, despite dangerous, or even fatal, consequences.”
The Chicago Digital Media Production Fund is a project of Voqal Fund and is administered by Chicago Filmmakers. The Production Fund is intended to support digital media works that encourage social change and requires that all works funded are available for free online viewing upon completion in order to reach the widest possible audience. The fund supports artists with varying levels of experience, both to recognize accomplished individuals, as well as to provide opportunities for young and emerging artists.
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.
