Latest news with #Conclave
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Rome's 'Hollywood on the Tiber' plans comeback despite Trump tariff threat
* Cinecitta plans to boost production capacity by 60% by 2026 * Trump's proposed tariffs threaten global film industry setup * Italy's tax credit attracts international film productions ROME, - Europe's largest film studio Cinecitta is aiming to re-launch Italy as a movie powerhouse, even as U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign productions cast a shadow over the film industry globally. Cinecitta, the homonymous company that manages Rome's historic film studio, approved a five-year plan this week backed by the EU's post-COVID Recovery Fund, which includes building new high-tech sound stages and boosting production capacity by 60% by 2026. "We want to lead the game," said CEO Manuela Cacciamani. "Cinecitta must be a factory that works at full capacity... with excellence as a minimum standard." Founded in 1937 under Benito Mussolini's fascist rule, Cinecitta became known as the "Hollywood on the Tiber". It has hosted over 3,000 films, attracting world-renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese, Federico Fellini and Francis Ford Coppola. The company is targeting revenue of 51.9 million euros in 2029, almost double the 2024 figure, and aims to turn a 4.3-million-euro net profit after a loss of 11.6 million euros last year. Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States to save Hollywood from "a very fast death", but has issued few details on how the levy would work. The tariff plan threatens to disrupt the current industry set-up, in which big U.S. productions rely on the services of studios around the world that can provide expertise, cheaper costs and striking location scenery. Trump's sweeping tariffs were temporarily reinstated by a federal appeals court on Thursday, a day after a U.S. trade court blocked them, ruling Trump had exceeded his authority. Cacciamani told Reuters Cinecitta was monitoring "with the utmost care" developments regarding the tariff threat. "The hope is that two historic powers of cinema worldwide, which owe so much to each other, will continue to cooperate," she said. Italy's tax credit of up to 40% for film production is "among the most competitive worldwide", Cinecitta said, helping attract some of last year's international successes such as "Emilia Perez" and the papal thriller "Conclave". Among projects slotted for filming in Cinecitta this year is Mel Gibson's "The Resurrection of The Christ", a sequel to his 2004 "The Passion of The Christ". Gibson is one of Trump's "Special Ambassadors" in Hollywood, tasked with rescuing the U.S. film industry alongside actors Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone. His next film, being shot in Italy, would be exposed to the tariff.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Robert Harris: Why Conclave should have elected an older pope
The author of Conclave has joked that he wishes cardinals had chosen an older pope to increase his chances of seeing another round of revived popularity in his book. Robert Harris said Pope Francis's death had elevated him from a journalist into an unlikely papal commentator who was regularly called in to offer expert insight. His novel Conclave, first published in 2016, also rode a wave of popularity on the back of its recent film adaptation. The 68-year-old told the Hay Festival: 'From my point of view it would have been better if the Conclave had gone on for one or two more days and if they had elected an older pope because I feel as though I have written a Christmas number one which will keep coming back. 'We will have to wait until the next Conclave which may be after my time.' He added: 'I feel like I have suddenly become a most unlikely expert on the papacy, not a role I really ever expected to play. 'But now we can all move on.' The author praised Peter Straughan, whose screenwriting credits include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, for a 'brilliant adaptation' released to critical acclaim in 2024. 'He kept a lot of the dialogue, characters and story, but he boiled it down and kept what was best – he did a terrific job,' Mr Harris said, adding that director Edward Berger was 'wonderful'. Mr Harris said Robert De Niro and Javier Bardem had been pegged for the role of Cardinal Lawrence before Ralph Fiennes was chosen. 'That speech that he delivers – 'there will be no need for faith' – is just so brilliantly done,' the author said of Mr Fiennes, revealing that the actor and director had asked to change the character's nationality from Spanish to English. 'I looked across the table and I thought do I really want to lose Ralph Fiennes? No, make him English it won't make any difference. And of course it doesn't make any difference at all,' the author said. Looking back at the revival of interest in his book, he said: 'I found myself peculiarly having written a sort of primer. 'So much so that the new pope watched the Conclave movie on the eve of the Conclave so that he knew what was coming.' Pope Leo XIV watched the film to 'know how to behave', according to his brother. John Prevost, 71, who lives in Chicago, told news reporters that he had asked his brother as a joke whether he had watched the film, and the future pope confirmed he had. 'His brother is one of those great brothers who clearly just blurts out anything,' Mr Harris said, adding: 'He could be a source of great amusement in the years to come.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
3 Science-Backed Reasons Why We Need Leaders Who Doubt
To lead through complexity, we need leaders who are willing to question, listen, and adapt. Leaders ... More who doubt. In the movie Conclave, Cardinal Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) delivers a homily to begin the ancient process of picking a new Pope. After a solemn Latin preamble, he speaks from the heart: 'There is one sin which I've come to fear above all others. Certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance.' He closes with a radical plea: 'Let us pray that God grants us a Pope who doubts.' It's a striking line—and a timely one. In a world teetering on the edge of political, technological, moral upheaval, it's no wonder we crave certainty. We long for clear answers, solid ground, and leaders who sound sure—even when the world is anything but. And yet, the ground keeps shifting. Employees report an 80% rise in uncertainty, losing nearly a full day of productivity each week to stress and anxiety. The cost to employers? A staggering $183 billion a year. At first glance, certainty seems like the obvious antidote. But here's the paradox: certainty isn't the opposite of uncertainty. Certainty is not clarity—it's often closure. It slams the door on new information, on nuance, on growth. What we need instead is doubt—not paralyzing and indecisive, but the thoughtful kind that invites reflection, openness, and the humility to revise our assumptions. False certainty is rigid, defensive, performative. It doesn't steady us, it narrows us. It creates the illusion of control while blinding us to complexity. And in a world this volatile, complexity is the only constant. To lead through complexity, we don't need louder voices, we need wiser ones. Leaders who are willing to question, listen, and adapt. Leaders who doubt. Here are three science-backed reasons why doubt isn't a leadership liability—it's an essential strength. German physicist Max Planck once famously quipped, 'Science advances one funeral at a time.' Even the brightest minds—including his own protégé, Albert Einstein—can become so attached to their theories that they resist new ideas. Ironically, Einstein himself dismissed scientific advances that grew out of his own theory of relativity. Innovation means being willing to let go of firmly-held beliefs long enough to try different ideas and consider discordant points of view. But that's hard—especially for experts. Research shows that the more experienced we are, the more cognitively entrenched we become. Expertise, while valuable, often narrows our thinking and reduces our mental flexibility. Certainty shrinks our peripheral vision. This rigidity is especially dangerous in times of radical change. Disruptive technologies require not just technical understanding but an open mind—especially when the disruption challenges something that doesn't seem broken. Consider Blackberry: once the gold standard of mobile devices, the company failed to anticipate and respond to the iPhone's seismic shift. Their success became their blind spot. They clung to what had always worked, confident that market dominance would protect them. But by the time they recognized the landscape had changed, it was too late. You can't embrace new ideas while clinging to the comfort of the status quo. In a world beset by misinformation, one-sided narratives and polarizing perspectives, doubt may be one of the most underrated leadership tools we have. Doubt invites us to examine our assumptions, question our mindsets, and interrogate our biases. It fuels a growth mindset—one that embraces the idea that we can adapt to change by learning new skills and embracing new insights. Research supports this. Studies on learning agility—the ability to draw on past experiences to navigate unfamiliar challenges and hold competing perspectives—show it's a powerful predictor of both current and future career success. Certainty, on the other hand, is the hallmark of a fixed mindset. It closes the mind, shutting down new opportunities. Certainty favors the obvious over the ambiguous. It also falsely protects the ego at the expense of curiosity. Our belief systems are deeply entangled with identity: the way we show up in the world, how we see ourselves and where we believe we belong. Neuroscience and behavioral research reveal that we often reject any evidence that threatens those beliefs—especially when they're shared by the groups we belong to and identify with. This leaves us prone to closed-mindedness and intolerance. Known as 'motivated reasoning,' this cognitive reflex doesn't just preserve bias, it forecloses learning. To counteract it, leaders must cultivate intellectual humility and cognitive flexibility. That means seeking out dissonant perspectives, asking more questions, and challenging our own assumptions—especially when we feel most certain. It's easy to be open-minded when the stakes are low. But in a volatile world, when the stakes are high, doubt becomes essential—not a weakness, but a discipline. Leadership rarely gets easier with altitude. The higher you climb, the harder it is to get unfiltered feedback and the unvarnished truth. With limited access to candid input and incomplete data, even the most educated and experienced leaders are vulnerable to confirmation bias. One study found that psychologists are over 77% more likely to seek information that supports an initial diagnosis rather than explore conflicting evidence. Why? Because confirmation bias creates the illusion of stability. It allows us to make faster decisions based on what we already believe—offering comfort, but at the cost of clarity. It narrows our field of vision and stifles our ability to reconcile competing data. And too often, these fast decisions miss the mark. Even when we try to stay objective, certainty clouds our judgment. Nobel Prize-winning research on prospect theory shows that in high-risk or complex situations, we use mental shortcuts—quick rules for sorting information and estimating outcomes. Instead of weighing real probabilities, we make decisions based on the outcomes we hope for. We prioritize minimizing losses over maximizing gains. In short: we choose the safer bet, not the smarter one. Kodak offers a textbook example. In the 1970s, one of its own engineers invented the digital camera. But rather than embrace the breakthrough, Kodak treated it as a modest extension of their photo printing business. They feared that going digital would cannibalize their lucrative film sales. That fear—rooted in certainty about what had always worked—led them to dismiss the very future they had pioneered. While competitors rushed forward, Kodak stood still. In times of rapid change, the cost of certainty is missed opportunity. Theologian Søren Kierkegaard wrote, 'Life must be understood backwards. But it must be lived forwards.' The future is never predictable. And the pursuit of certainty—while comforting—often tethers us to the past: to familiar patterns, outdated assumptions, and habits that no longer serve the world we're trying to lead. You don't have to be a Pope to feel the pull of certainty. But in today's world, none of us has the luxury of digging in our heels. Leadership demands a different kind of strength: the courage to sit with contradiction, to weigh competing truths, and to resist the rush to resolution. In tumultuous times, we don't need leaders with all the answers, we need leaders willing to continually question. May we all have the courage to become leaders who doubt.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Education minister urges mass AI literacy and indigenous innovation at CPRG's meet
NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan , on Wednesday, while speaking at the 'PadhAI: Conclave on AI in Education', organised by the Centre of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG), said that AI was both inevitable and essential. "Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity," Pradhan said. Speaking at the Conclave, Pradhan shared his thoughts on AI's transformative potential in reshaping the Indian education system. Pradhan said that there are hardly any higher education institutions in India where AI is not discussed. He described AI as both inevitable and essential: "Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity." The Union Minister added that increasing access to technology has created a highway of empowerment in students' lives. He expressed optimism that India could effectively leverage AI, and said, "India's human intelligence has the power to transform any emerging technology into an indigenous innovation." Pradhan shared the policy action required to prepare for the technological change, outlining efforts to build mass-scale AI literacy and support innovation in AI. Pradhan commended the Centre of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) for hosting this timely and much-needed policy dialogue. Chamu Krishna Shastri, Chairman of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Ministry of Education, also addressed the Padh AI Conclave and said there is a critical need to strengthen the role of Indian languages in the AI ecosystem. He added that AI should be purposeful and contextual. Padh AI Conclave, spread over two days, brought forward diverse insights on the role of AI in shaping the future of Indian education. Speakers examined how AI is expanding learning beyond classrooms, transforming higher education, and the bottlenecks in the existing institutions. CPRG is a policy research think tank that aims to promote responsive and participatory policy-making. As an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)-recognised institution, it has established itself as a leading voice in technology policy through its 'Future of Society' initiative. Ready to empower your child for the AI era? Join our program now! Hurry, only a few seats left.
Spectator
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
The best radio at the moment is on the BBC World Service
Online viewings of Conclave increased threefold following the death of Pope Francis last month. At least some of the traffic was rumoured to have come from the Vatican itself. This raises many questions, but the most pertinent for me this week is, what did the cardinals think of the carpets? Do they really have coffee machines in their rooms like Tremblay? Minibars like Bellini? Their peace spoiled by the sounds of a lift shaft as in the case of long-suffering Lawrence? If any of these details passed you by, it's worth watching the film again. In fact, after listening to an interview with the production designer, to be broadcast on BBC World Service next week, you will feel positively compelled to do so. Suzie Davies, who also designed the sets for Mr Turner and Saltburn, clearly had fun. The idea behind giving Tremblay (John Lithgow) an espresso machine was apparently to rouse suspicions, ever so subtly, as to how he obtained such a luxury; he also has a larger room than the other cardinals. Bellini has a minibar because, well, he's played by Stanley Tucci. And Lawrence is just so forbearing. With 130 job cuts looming over the World Service – in spite of an unlikely injection of cash from the autumn budget – it's a good time to sing the praises of its documentary department. The World Service is not always the obvious channel to flip to for gripping factual content, but its current listings are actually more enticing than those for Radio 4. Forthcoming programmes that caught my eye this week include Print and Shoot: The Rise of 3D-Printed Guns, How Does Heat Affect Our Health?, The Future of the Alawites and of course Designing Conclave.
