Hollywood
Japanese film bags top prize at ‘Moscow International Film fest’
NEW DELHI: Kumakiri Kazuyoshi’s Japanese film My Man won two major prizes at the 36th Moscow International Film Festival which concluded recently.
The drama, about a relationship between a man and his young adopted daughter, won the Golden George for Best Film and the Silver George Best Actor prize for actor Asano Tadanobu.
The film — co-starring Nikaido Fumi and Fuji Tatsuya — is now being screened on 9 July at the New York Asian Film Festival. It opened in Japan on 14 June through Nikkatsu Corporation.
The Japanese film and South Korea’s The Avian Kind were the only Asian films in this year’s competition. Tsai Ming-liang’s Stray Dogs, Japanese comedy, animated film Giovanni’s Island were also screened along with a section devoted to Chinese cinema.
The Jury Prize went to Turkey’s Eye Am, and Russia’s Veleria Gai Germanika won the Best Director prize for Yes and Yes.
Festival organisers announced that this year’s edition was attended by 75,000 people.
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.
