Hollywood
Uncut version of ‘Nymphomaniac: Volume I’ to premiere at the Berlin Film Fest
MUMBAI: Lars von Trier’s hard-core director’s cut for his erotic epic Nymphomaniac won’t be going to Cannes but will instead premiere at the Berlinale in February. The 64th Berlin International Film Festival will present the world premiere of Volume I of the long uncut version of Nymphomaniac, out of competition.
Alongside starring actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, numerous other international stars are part of the Nymphomaniac ensemble: Stellan Skarsg?rd, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier and many others. British actress Stcy Martin celebrates her big screen debut with Nymphomaniac.
“Berlinale audiences will be the first to see the long uncut version of Nymphomaniac Volume I. Lars von Trier, a guest of the Berlinale for the first time in 1984, returns to the festival with this film. The aesthetic he has created in Nymphomaniac is impressive and radical,” said Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick in a release.
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Nymphomaniac is the wild and poetic story of one woman’s journey from birth to age 50, as told by the main character, self-diagnosed nymphomaniac Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg). One cold winter evening, the old and charming bachelor Seligman (Stellan Skarsg?rd) finds Joe beaten up in an alley. He takes her to his flat, where he tends to her wounds while asking about her life. He listens intently as Joe tells the lush, branched-out and multifaceted story of her life, in eight chapters.
Von Trier, 57, won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2000 for the death-row melodrama Dancer in the Dark starring Bjork and Catherine Deneuve and picked up its Jury Grand Prize for Breaking the Waves in 1996. The shorter version approved by Lars von Trier will open worldwide in cinemas starting 25 December, 2013.
The Berlinale will open on 6 February with an all-star romp by US director Wes Anderson at the Grand Budapest Hotel and wrap up on 16 February.
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.
