Hollywood
Mikhail Red shares joint director award with Axelle Ropert at Vancouver
NEW DELHI: Mikhail Red is the joint winner of the inaugural Best New Director Award at the 33rd Vancouver International Film Festival for his debut feature, the surveillance thriller Rekorder.
The jury – comprised of Sydney-based professor Ben Gibson, Vancouver-based critic Kim Linekin and Québec-based programmer Roland Smith – called it ‘an ambitious, urgent and passionate film about the underside of contemporary urban life.’
Rekorder stars Ronnie Quizon as a one-time cinematographer who now illicitly records films in cinemas that he sells to counterfeiters. When he inadvertently sells footage of a violent robbery, the video goes viral.
Red shared the prize with Axelle Ropert for her French romance Miss and the Doctors (Tirez la langue, mademoiselle), which the jury described as ‘a beautifully realised romantic drama, intelligent and full of love for its characters’.
Red’s thriller premiered in the New Breed section of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last summer and had its international premiere in the Asian Future section of last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
Other Asian films eligible for the award were Suzuki Yohei’s Ow from Japan, Andri Cung’s The Sun, the Moon and the Hurricane from Indonesia, and ChiennHsiang’s Exit from Taiwan.
Hollywood
Disney to cut 1,000 jobs in major restructuring drive
Layoffs span ESPN, studios and tech as company pivots to growth
MUMBAI: The magic isn’t disappearing but it is being reorganised. The Walt Disney Company has announced plans to cut around 1,000 jobs as part of a sweeping restructuring effort aimed at sharpening its edge in an increasingly unpredictable entertainment landscape. The move, led by CEO Josh D’Amaro, reflects a broader internal reset as the company rethinks how it operates, allocates resources and competes in a fast-evolving industry. In a memo to employees, D’Amaro acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but framed it as a necessary step to ensure Disney remains “efficient, innovative, and responsive” to rapid shifts in consumer behaviour and technology.
The layoffs will span multiple divisions, including marketing, film and television studios, ESPN, technology teams and corporate functions. Notifications have already begun, signalling that the restructuring is not a distant plan but an active transition underway.
Importantly, the company has clarified that the cuts are not performance-driven. Instead, they form part of a wider transformation strategy aimed at building a leaner, more agile organisation, one better equipped to respond to streaming dynamics, digital disruption and evolving audience expectations.
The timing is telling. The global entertainment industry is in the middle of a structural shift, with traditional television revenues under pressure and box office returns becoming increasingly volatile. Meanwhile, streaming platforms and digital-first competitors continue to redraw the rules of engagement, forcing legacy players to rethink scale, speed and storytelling formats.
For Disney, long synonymous with blockbuster franchises and timeless storytelling, the pivot is both strategic and symbolic. The company is doubling down on technology, direct-to-consumer services and content ecosystems that align with modern viewing habits, where audiences expect immediacy, personalisation and cross-platform experiences.
Even as the restructuring unfolds, D’Amaro struck a note of optimism, reiterating Disney’s commitment to creativity and long-term growth. Support measures for affected employees are expected as part of the transition, though details remain limited.
In essence, this is less about cutting back and more about reshaping forward. As Disney redraws its organisational map, the message is clear, in today’s entertainment world, even the most magical kingdoms must evolve or risk being left behind.
