Hollywood
London Indian Film Festival to screen Marathi film ‘Hemalkasa’
NEW DELHI: Jeffrey Brown’s film Sold and Samruddhi Porey Marathi film Hemalkasa will be the opening and closing films, respectively, of the 2014 London Indian Film Festival.
In the festival to be held from 10 to 17 July, Sold will mark the European premiere while Hemalkasa will mark its world premiere.
Featuring Nana Patekar, Sonali Kulkarni and Mohan Agashe, Hemalkasa is a biopic that follows the selfless journey of Dr Prakash Baba Amte and his wife Dr Mandakini Amte who dedicated their lives to a project for the development of tribal people of Maharashtra.
Praveen Morchhale’s Barefoot to Goa, Amit V Masurkar’s Sulemani Keeda, Shilpa Ranade’s animation film Goopi Gawaiiya Bagha Bajaiiya, Anup Singh’s Qissa, Kaushik Ganguly’s Apur Panchali and KR Manoj’s Virgin Talkies are some of the well-known films that will be screened at the festival.
Million Dollar Arm by Craig Gillespie which will have its British premiere is the Centrepiece, while Hank aur Asha by James E. Duf and Sulemani Keeda (Writers) by Amit V Masurkar are other films among the 18 features to be screened.
The Kannada Ulidavaru Kandante by Rakshit Shetty, Bangladeshi director Munsur Ali’s Shongram and Pakistani film Anima State by Hammad Khan are also being screened among others.
In addition, there will be a Satyajit Ray Foundation’s Short Film Competition.
There will be master class by the renowned Santosh Sivan and a screen talk by Farhan Akhtar.
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.
