Hollywood
Satish Kaushik’s ‘Dead End’ wins $15,000 in Seoul
MUMBAI: Independent Film Week is one-of-a-kind event which brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects and support the future of storytelling by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers.
Through the Project Forum, held at the Independent Film Week, creatives connect with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. This one-of-a-kind event will take place from 14-18 September 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists. And Satish Kaushik’s ‘Dead End’ has found place in the coveted few from entries coming from world over.
After winning HAF at Hong Kong, ‘Dead End’ has scored in Korea. The script is making its rounds in the Network of Asian Fantastic Film (NAFF) countries and has made yet another mark by winning the best script at Seoul at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Pifan).
Dev Benegal’s pitch for a dark comedy ‘Dead End’ was named as the best project at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films. The Bucheon Award is worth $15,000.
‘Dead End’ is a story of a man who is declared as dead by a shady government department and has to take extreme measures to prove that he is alive. The script is written by Dev Benegal and Sarat Rao and is to be produced by Satish Kaushik Entertainment and Benegal’s August Entertainment. Satish Kaushik will play the main lead.
Talking about the win Satish Kaushik said,” The project has been garnering positive response and now with two awards in its kitty and a cash prize win we can look at kick- starting pre production. ‘Dead End’ will see one of the most successful complex cross country funding and I’m sure it will firm up India’s position in the global cinema market. I have always believed that cinema has no language and ‘Dead End’ has proved it so. A simple village folk from India is now known to all top notches in the cinema circuit. Who could even imagine of such a scope? I had the rights to the story. Dev and I developed it and I want him to direct this project as well.”
After the win at HAF and NAFF, the script has garnered interest from world over. Kaushik has been in talks with The Weinstein Company and the legendary Karl Baumgartner’s partners. Enquiries have been trickling down from countries like Germany, France, Japan, UK, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and US to meet Kaushik and Benegal to lap up the project.
The project is up for funding and will be developed as an international venture. It will release world over as the story caters to international sensibilities and a wider audience beyond India.
The NAFF project platform is a successful market to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Pifan). Now in its Eighteenth edition the festival has not only made a mark in Korea but also on the global map. This year it hosted 27 local and Asian projects, welcoming 259 executives to 449 formal one-on-one pitch meetings.
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.
