Latest news with #76
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
As Nigerian Cinema Goes From Strength To Strength, Ramsey Nouah & Rita Dominic Return For AfroCannes Screener ‘77: The Festac Conspiracy'
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline's fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it's ever been, but breakout hits are emerging in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. That's why we're doing the hard work for you. This week, we have a film from Nigeria that was shown in Cannes. Set against the backdrop of a huge cultural festival called Festac that took place in Lagos in 1976, it's a period piece and follows on from a successful earlier movie that hit festivals and ultimately landed on Netflix. It's exciting times for Nigerian cinema, with films at big festivals like Cannes and the government putting money behind an effort to boost the sector. More from Deadline What Does The Cannes Film Festival Have Against Documentaries? Doc Talk In Cannes: Deadline Podcast Hosts American Pavilion Panel On Challenged State Of Documentary Industry Janus Films Acquires Bi Gan's Cannes Prize-winner 'Resurrection' For North America Name: '77: The Festac Conspiracy Country: Nigeria Producer: Adonis Productions Distributor: Self distributed Where you can watch: TBC For fans of: Authentically told African stories and fans of the previous movie, '76, which sold to Netflix Nigerian cinema had a moment in Cannes and part of that story was the first-ever screening of '77: The Festac Conspiracy. The follow-up to political thriller '76, which landed global distribution on Netflix and played at the Toronto Film Festival, it screened as part of AfroCannes, the buzzy event focused on African moviemaking and talent. More accurately, Nigerian cinema had several moments at Cannes. Akinola Davis Jr.'s My Father's Shadow played in competition while the country's Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa-Musawa, was at the Festival to unveil ambitious plans to bolster the country's creative sector. The '77: The Festac Conspiracy team were also on the Cote D'Azur to present their latest movie. Izu Ojukwu directed '76 and returned to helm '77: The Festac Conspiracy, reuniting with Tonye Princewill and Adonijah Owiriwa who exec produce. Ojukwu and Princewill were at AfroCannes and anticipation levels are high after the first film was picked up for African pay-TV after a theatrical release. It then played on Netflix. '76 was set after the Nigerian Civil War and followed a young army officer, Joseph Dewa, played by Ramsey Nouah, who is accused of being involved in an unsuccessful military coup. His relationship with Suzy, played by Rita Dominic, is tested by these events as well as her family's disapproval of Joseph as a match for her. Nouah and Dominic are back and reprise their roles in '77: The Festac Conspiracy. The film picks up the story from '76 and is set against the backdrop of Festac, a month-long showcase of African art and culture that took place in Lagos, Nigeria. With half a million attendees, it attracted artists from across the continent and diaspora. The new film sees Joseph and Suzy trying to rebuild their lives after he leaves the army. 'They leave the barracks in Ibadan together to start a new life together in in Lagos,' Princewill explains. 'This is them trying to start over. There's Festac coming and, as you can imagine, that touched literally everyone. So, here they are, and then there's a conspiracy going on behind the scenes of Festac, and it's so deep that it stretches across countries and continents.' For '77: The Festac Conspiracy the filmmakers mix new material with archive footage to create the desired setting and ambience. To get the automobiles of the day right – and to get cars in good enough condition that the exhausts weren't billowing smoke – the team traveled and filmed in the Republic of Lebanon, where the required vehicles are in good condition and available. Before '77 There Was '76 Princewill reveals there is a new doc coming as part of the franchise. 76: The Story Behind The Story is directed by Adeola Osunkojo and sheds light on the real-life events that helped inspire the first film. 'It's made by a wonderful young female director who went behind the scenes. It weaves together the true story and what happened to the lives of the people that were left behind by events in '76.' '76 played at the Toronto international Film Festival and then the London Film Festival. The journey to festivals, movie theaters and streaming was a long one, taking in lengthy filming in Nigeria and post-production in Munich, Germany. The film was released in 2016 having shot in 2012. Princewill says that given it was a period piece, and because the film was privately financed, there was no pressure to rush it into theaters. 'We had our own money, so we didn't have to go to institutions or wait for a fund. We were very intentional about it,' he adds. 'From a funding perspective, we were less pressured, and from a business perspective, we really wanted to get a movie out at the right time, in the right window, with the right people. This took time, and we could spare that time. The average African filmmaker doesn't have that luxury. 'We actually spent more money than we should have because we had cast and crew in hotels for six months. Nobody has principal photography for six months in Nigeria.' After a four-week run in Nigerian movie theaters, the film went to regional pay TV giant's DStv Box Office store before landing on its premium movie channels. African streaming service Showmax wanted the film, but its streaming home ended up being Netflix, which took global rights to the movie, giving it a wide international reach. Princewill and the team also applied their business smarts to distribution. Nigeria is home to many of Africa's richest people as well as large corporates. The team arranged a host of private screenings, effectively bringing a premiere-type experience to wealthy people and organizations, recouping the equivalent of thousands of individual movie admissions each time. The Nigerian Film Biz Nigeria has a bustling film business and the Culture Minister was in Cannes to talk about a government growth plan dubbed 'Destination 2030 Nigeria' to boost the country's cultural sector. The Minister said the plan is to deliver $100M to Nigeria's GDP within the next five years backed by $300M of investment from the federal government. Princewill hopes the efforts bear fruit and will be felt across the value chain of filmmaking. 'As much as you put in, you've got to be able to follow it through,' he says. 'A filmmaker can't just make a movie. They have to take that movie and walk the globe with it. That challenge is going to have to be overcome, and maybe the funders will start to say: 'Okay, you've made the product, but we recognize that there's a need to take that and travel the globe with it'.' Princewill's background is engineering, business and politics but he has applied some of the skills and motivations from previous experience to his forays into film. 'My co-executive producer is from an engineering background as well… so we come from a sort of 'fixing things and business' background, and we've brought that into what we think is an amazing industry in Nigeria,' he says. 'What we think was very important, was to show people like ourselves that investing in film is a good idea and '76 was model for that. It was an opportunity to show people that you can invest in in film and help youth unemployment, creative development, storytelling, history and it was an opportunity for us to talk about Nigeria in a positive light.' He adds: 'It was the first military thriller that you'd find in these parts, and the first movie to be selected by TIFF on merit.' And did the numbers stack up for Princewill and the team? 'We didn't make it for the money. We made it for the message, and the money came as a byproduct of that.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More Everything We Know About 'Happy Gilmore 2' So Far
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
What do the Dodgers and Giants have in common? An iconic ad — for Big Oil
Long before Clayton Kershaw donned No. 22 and Fernando Valenzuela wore No. 34, another number told fans it was time for Dodger baseball: 76. Union Oil Co., the 76 gasoline brand's former owner, helped finance Dodger Stadium's construction. The brand's current owner, Phillips 66, remains a major sponsor. Through six World Series titles, orange-and-blue 76 logos have been a constant presence at Chavez Ravine. They tower above the scoreboards and grace the outfield walls. So when 76 recently posted on Instagram that it had begun sponsoring L.A.'s rivals in San Francisco — with an orange-and-blue logo on the center field clock at Oracle Park — some Dodgers fans weren't pleased. 'THE BETRAYAL,' one fan wrote on Instagram. 'bestiessss nooooo,' another lamented. 76 was unfazed, responding: 'Still a bestie, just spreading the love!' Strange as the reactions may sound, it's not unheard of for long-lived ad campaigns to take on a life of their own, evolving from paid promotions to cultural touchstones. Outside Fenway Park in Boston, Red Sox fans have fought to preserve the massive Citgo sign, with its logo of a Venezuelan-owned oil company. Nor is it shocking that Houston-based Phillips 66 would market itself through another baseball team. The 76 gasoline brand, after all, evokes the patriotism of 1776 — a clever marketing ploy. And what's more American than Major League Baseball? Still, the timing of Phillips 66's decision to start sponsoring the Giants is intriguing. Since last summer, nearly 30,000 people have signed a petition urging Dodgers ownership to cut ties with the oil company. California is currently suing Phillips 66 and other oil and gas companies for climate damages, accusing them of a 'decades-long campaign of deception' to hide the truth about the climate crisis. The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter held its third protest at Dodger Stadium before a game against the Athletics on May 15. Activists cloaked in sackcloth marched outside the parking lots. One played a bagpipe. 'It was a bit hard for the fans to comprehend,' organizer Lisa Kaas Boyle acknowledged. Still, she believes the cause is righteous. A former environmental crimes prosecutor and a co-founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, Kaas Boyle lost her home in the Palisades fire. She's also a Dodgers fan, having caught the bug from her husband, whose 89-year-old mom grew up cheering for the team in Brooklyn. She has a special place in her heart for Kiké Hernández. So when the Dodgers joined other sports teams in pledging $8 million to wildfire relief, she felt the organization was 'speaking out of two sides of its mouth.' She pointed to a study concluding that the weather conditions that helped drive the Palisades and Eaton fires were 35% more likely due to climate change. 'If you really care about us fire victims, you wouldn't be promoting one of the major causes of the disaster,' Kaas Boyle said. 'If you really care, you wouldn't be boosting their image, greenwashing it through baseball.' At least one member of the Dodgers ownership group cares about presenting a climate-friendly image. Tennis star Billie Jean King posted on Facebook, Instagram and X in the fall promoting a climate summit being held next week at the University of Oxford, co-hosted by an arm of the United Nations. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all countries to ban fossil fuel advertising. So, what does King think of the 76 ads at Dodger Stadium? Hard to say. Her publicist didn't respond to my request for comment. The Dodgers also declined to respond. Same goes for the Giants and Phillips 66. So why is the oil company 'spreading the love' to the Bay Area? Again, hard to know for sure. But Duncan Meisel has a theory. He runs the advocacy group Clean Creatives, which pressures ad agencies to stop working with fossil fuel clients. And he suspects that lawmakers and regulators based in Sacramento are less likely to attend a baseball game in L.A. than in nearby San Francisco. 'If you're 76, and you're worried about decision-makers in California, that's where you'd want to be,' he said. Indeed, Phillips 66 may have reasons to be worried. The company plans to close its Los Angeles County oil refinery this year — a troubling sign of the economic times for Big Oil as California shifts toward electric cars. Lawmakers are also weighing a 'polluters pay' bill that would require fossil fuel companies to help pay for damages from more intense heat waves, wildfires and storms. Phillips 66, meanwhile, was arraigned this month on charges that it violated the U.S. Clean Water Act by dumping oil and grease from its L.A. County refinery into the local sewer system. (It pleaded not guilty.) That followed a win for climate activists in March, when state Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) wrote to Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter, urging him to dump Phillips 66. Hence, perhaps, the newfound relationship with the Giants. 'That's why you advertise,' Meisel said. 'If you're a company like Phillips 66 that's under threat from political and cultural pressures in California, it's hard to get a better deal than sponsoring a local sports team.' It's not just California turning up the heat on Phillips 66. Executives have been battling a pressure campaign from Elliott Investment Management, which won two seats on the company's board last week. As Elliott ramped up the pressure on Phillips 66 earlier this year, executives announced an expanded sponsorship deal with their hometown ball club — another Dodgers nemesis, as it happens, the cheating Houston Astros. Phillips 66 now sponsors the home run train atop the high left-field wall at Houston's Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park). The train is filled with 25 oversized baseballs, each representing a special moment in Astros history — yes, including the World Series title they stole from the Dodgers. As Phillips 66 brand manager John Field said in an April news release: 'Sponsorships like these are more than just fun — they're a strategic investment.' Fun and strategic, sure, if you're mainly invested in oil industry profits. If you care about watching baseball games in safe temperatures, without choking on wildfire smoke, you might reach a different conclusion. One thing's for sure: Fossil fuel companies will keep pumping money into baseball so long as teams let them. The Astros, Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians all wear jersey patches sponsored by oil and gas companies. In California, meanwhile, Phillips 66 will keep reminding Dodgers fans how much they love looking at 76 logos — a playbook so successful it once inspired a campaign to save the rotating 76 balls above gas stations. 'This is a heavy play on Americana,' Roberta J. Newman said. A Yankees fan and professor in New York University's Liberal Studies program, Newman wrote the fascinating book, 'Here's the Pitch: The Amazing, True, New, and Improved Story of Baseball and Advertising.' There may be nobody with a better understanding of the cultural and political power of baseball-linked advertising. When a brand like 76 associates itself with the Dodgers — through special ticket deals, joint promotions with the team charity and TV commercials starring Vin Scully — it's engaged in 'meaning transfer,' Newman said. 'Your positive associations of the Dodgers will become positive associations with 76,' she said. Most fans won't drive away from Dodger Stadium and immediately choose 76 over a rival gasoline station. But in the long run, they'll have good vibes when they see the orange-and-blue logo. It'll feel familiar, friendly. If that sounds nuts — well, you might want to tell business executives they blew $1 trillion on ads last year. 'People might think, 'Oil is terrible. But 76 is the Dodgers,'' Newman said. Now it's the Giants, too — not that Newman thinks the dual loyalty will hurt the company. As one Instagram user, a Giants fan, wrote: 'Hey Dodger fans, it's OK! ... 76 is a California icon and tradition from North to South!' Fair enough. Wildfires are getting bigger and more destructive up there too. This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our 'Boiling Point' podcast here. For more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X and @ on Bluesky.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA》陰謀論四起！獨行俠神抽狀元籤遭網質疑黑箱作業
NBA 2025選秀會的順位正式定案，達拉斯獨行俠隊以1.8%的奇低機率贏得狀元籤，他們也幾乎確定會選進超級大物佛萊格(Cooper Flag)，對於剛失去唐契奇(Luka Doncic)的達拉斯球迷來說，似乎很快就找到未來10年的球隊看板，如此不可思議的過程也讓眾多球迷質疑聯盟根本是黑箱作業。 For the first time ever, we won the LOTTERY 💰#MFFL — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 12, 2025 根據聯盟選秀制度，該季戰績較差的隊伍握有更高贏得狀元籤的機率，以今年例行賽戰績來看，猶他爵士隊、華盛頓巫師隊和夏洛特黃蜂隊都以14%的機率高居各隊之冠，其次是紐奧良鵜鶘隊的12.5%和費城76人隊的10.5%，而獨行俠隊的機率僅有1.8%名列第11。 沒想到在第一階段抽籤過程中，進入前4順位的分別是獨行俠隊、76人隊、黃蜂隊和聖安東尼奧馬刺隊，原本狀元籤機率最高的爵士和巫師最終僅得到第5和第6順位，除了獨行俠隊驚奇抽「旗」之外，狀元籤機率僅6%的馬刺隊也喜獲第2順位，76人和黃蜂則分居3、4順位。 The final results from the 2025 #NBADraftLottery presented by State Farm: 1. Mavericks2. Spurs3. 76ers4. Hornets5. Jazz6. Wizards7. Pelicans8. Nets9. Raptors10. Rockets11. Trail Blazers12. Bulls13. Hawks14. Spurs — NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2025 來自杜克大學的佛萊格老早就被視為狀元不二人選，本季以菜鳥之姿就貢獻場均19.2分7.5籃板4.2助攻1.4抄截1.4阻攻的全能成績，並橫掃美國5個指標性的年度最佳大學球員獎項，年僅18歲的佛萊格已經被許多人期待成為NBA未來的門面球星之一，這也是為什麼今年選秀狀元籤花落誰家格外受到關注。 獨行俠隊在今年交易大限前無預警將唐契奇交易到湖人隊，引起廣大獨行俠球迷群情激憤，總管哈瑞森(Nico Harrison)頓時成為達拉斯全民公敵，然而在神抽到狀元籤後，獨行俠隊的未來頓時豁然開朗，明年在厄文(Kyrie Irving)傷癒歸隊後，搭配戴維斯(Anthony Davis)、湯普森(Klay Thompson)和佛萊格等人，你很難不把他們放到爭冠行列中。 The NEW LOOK Dallas Mavericks 👀🔥 — Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) May 13, 2025 有點巧合的是，戴維斯在2019年被鵜鶘隊交易到湖人隊前不久，鵜鶘隊才拿到狀元籤選進威廉森(Zion Williamson)，獨行俠隊如今又在交易掉當家球星後的同一年搶下狀元籤，把超級球星送到湖人隊似乎成為拿到狀元籤的捷徑。湖人隊球星詹姆士則是在不久前發布一連串「笑死」表情符號，似乎和許多球迷一樣對如此故事發展感到新奇。 LeBron was every NBA fan after the Mavericks won the draft lottery 😅 — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 13, 2025 有網友表示，獨行俠、馬刺和76人分別拿到前三順位的機率，是接近不可能的0.013%，因此大批網友都發文質疑這根本是聯盟的黑箱作業，先是讓湖人隊獲得新當家，再補償給獨行俠隊，還讓馬刺可以用第二順位籤尋求交易字母哥(Giannis Antetokounmpo)，對聯盟來說根本是再完美不過的劇本。
The Independent
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Gregg Popovich steps down as San Antonio Spurs head coach after 29 years
Gregg Popovich has called time on his legendary near-three-decade stint as San Antonio Spurs coach. Popovich,76, led the team to five NBA championships across 29 years and leaves the bench with the most wins of any coach in the history of the league. An NBA Hall of Fame, he transitions to a full-time role as the team's president. "While my love and passion for the game remain, I've decided it's time to step away as head coach," Popovich said. More to follow.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA》76人球星George進入備戰狀態！個人Podcast將暫時停更
費城76人隊近期陷入8連敗的嚴重低潮，讓安彼德(Joel Embiid)和喬治(Paul George)這兩大球星飽受批評，為了展現自己想要率領球隊東山再起的決心，喬治不久前宣佈將暫時停止更新自己的Podcast節目「Podcast P with Paul George」，以投入更多心思在賽季上。 喬治說道：「今天和霍華德(Dwight Howard)錄完節目後，我計畫暫時離開Podcast，專住在恢復自己的身心狀態，幫助球隊邁向我們的目標，讓我們有機會競爭總冠軍。」 Paul George announces that he will be load managing his 'Podcast P' episodes for the time being to help the 76ers make a championship push, via @PodcastPShow."I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today's episode with Dwight I plan to take a break from the pod just… — APHoops (@APH00PS) February 26, 2025 去年夏天以4年2.12億美金價碼加盟76人隊的喬治，本季至今僅繳出場均16.2分5.2籃板4.2助攻的成績，場均得分是他自從2015年以來的新低，各項投籃效率也都低於生涯平均水準，再加上病痛纏身，讓他在57場比賽中已經缺席19場。 喬治的低迷表現，再加上飽受膝傷折磨的安彼德，讓76人隊本季戰績遠低於眾人期望，目前勝率僅有3成51，在東區排名第12，不要說總冠軍了，就連晉級季後賽都岌岌可危，因此看到喬治發表停更爭冠的宣言時，不少網友都感到非常不以為然，除了為時已晚，同時也意味著他過去一段時間根本沒有全心投入賽季。 喬治還說道：「很顯然今年賽季到目前為止的表現，完全不是我們預期的，我知道自己和76人隊簽約時的目標，就是給這裡的超棒粉絲們一座總冠軍，我仍然對此抱持樂觀，我現在還是這麼想。」 76人隊目前距離晉級附加賽的第10名隊伍，其實只有2.5場勝差，絕對不是難以追趕的距離，但他們真正的隱憂還是安彼德的膝蓋狀況，由於一直無法完全復原，球團和安彼德都已經不排除進行手術的可能性，如此一來賽季勢必會提前報銷，76人隊本季競爭力就將大打折扣。
