Hollywood
India in focus in the ‘New World View’ at Zurich Film Festival
NEW DELHI: A total of 12 Indian features and six shortfilms are being showcased in the ongoing Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) in which India is the focus in the ‘New World View’ section.
The Festival is being held from 25 September to 5 October. Chaitanya Tamhane’s ‘Lion of the future’ winner Court and recent festival favourites Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus and Kanu Behl’s Titli are among the selected films.
A package of shorts curated by Swiss Short Film Festival Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur will be on display as well. There are six shorts made by Anurag Goswami , Varun Chawla , Hossein Mozdgir Roozane , Rodd Rathjen , Payal Kapadia and Gitanjali Rao.
The other features include Fandry by Nagraj Manjule; Gulabi Gang by Nishtha Jain; I.D by Kamal K.M.; Katiyabaaz by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa; Liar’s Dice by Geethu Mohandas (which is India’s selection for the Oscars); Lucia by Pawan Kumar; Monsoon Shootout by Amit Kumar; Soodhu Kavvum by Nalan Kumarasamy, and Sulemani Keeda by Amit Masurkar.
Festival’s artistic director Karl Spoerri, one of the festival founders in October 2005, said, “The event will also include a Game Changer award for Mediakraft Networks president Christoph Krachten, honouring a visionary who breaks new ground while choosing to ignore convention and popular opinion”.
ZFF will also introduce an out-of-competition strand to present television productions that have garnered international attention.
The third International Film Music Competition will also be held during the festival and brings with it Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award and a concert of his most famous works.
ZFF’s partnership with San Sebastian Film Festival will continue, with each hosting a window dedicated to films from their respective countries rather than competing for titles.
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.
