"The (culture) minister, Miki Zohar, of Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, has pledged to 'revoke funding that promotes our enemy's narrative' and withhold grants from films that 'present Israeli soldiers as murderers'. … Israeli cinema, including its high-profile documentary industry, is heavily reliant on the state grants." - The Guardian
"Cédric Klapisch’s Rise, about a ballet dancer (Marion Barbeau) who, after an injury, seeks a new future in contemporary dance, picked up 9 César nominations." - The Hollywood Reporter
"Rupert Murdoch sent letters to the board of directors of News Corp. and Fox Corp. on Tuesday, informing both groups he had decided to withdraw his recent proposal to recombine the two companies, which his family, controlling shareholders of both, split apart in 2013." - Variety
The Modi Question examines the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat state in 2002 and the role in it played by Modi, who was then the state's premier and is now the nation's prime minister. After clips appeared on social media in India. Modi's government used emergency powers to block it. - Time
With the Academy's nod for his score for Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans, the 90-year-old composer has tallied 53 nominations (and counting), trailing only Walt Disney (with 59) for the most individual Oscar nominations in history. - The Hollywood Reporter
"The solution ... is simple: Put new releases exclusively in theaters and give them a real chance to succeed with paying moviegoers. No more muddled hybrid releases, no slow and modest rollouts, and certainly nothing like Netflix’s baffling compromise with Glass Onion." - The Atlantic
The fun, searing, rapidly movie Everything Everywhere All at Once led with nominations, but some actors, movies, and directors were - explicably or not - snubbed, and some surprises sneaked in at the last minute. - Los Angeles Times
"The test allows users to listen to the audio featured in TikTok videos in the background. Until now, putting TikTok into the background paused playback. The audio portion of TikTok videos is hardly what most creators would consider a podcast. But it's the word the app is using." - Inside Radio
"A person with knowledge of the project who was granted anonymity ... said that as of Thursday, the movie was still on track to be completed with Mr. Baldwin in the lead role and Joel Souza, who was wounded in the shooting, returning as director." - The New York Times
Basically, what referrals Twitter provided - and the percentage wasn't large for most publishers - has dropped to near nothing after Musk's recent decisions. "Only two publishers in the sample set — The New York Post and Fox News — saw their traffic increase." - Digiday
Maybe the reason is that blockbusters churned out in the U.S. have been hit with a similarity stick, or with a cynicism audiences can sense - so "a film that's as sincere and well-crafted as RRR was bound to break in eventually." - BBC
The problem illustrated a much larger issue: "According to multiple sources, the jury has repeatedly expressed concerns to both Sundance and filmmakers that movies playing at this year’s festival should come with open captions" - but many do not. - Variety
For instance: "It is not often that a movie featuring alternate universes, kung fu and a Chinese-American owned laundromat is in the running for best picture, best actress (Michelle Yeoh), best supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan) and best director." - The Guardian (UK)
The plan is to reject the nearly 40 theatres' leases after a bankruptcy filing. "The Chapter 11 process makes it easier for companies to walk away from leases without incurring major penalties and to press landlords for better terms." - Insider
"Producers and Hutchins’ family members have been eager for the film production to resume," but that was before the charges were revealed. - Los Angeles Times
