Latest news with #Copenhagen-based
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TrustNordisk's ‘The Last Viking' Adds Buyers, Unveils First-Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)
Copenhagen-based TrustNordisk has inked further deals and unveiled the first-look image to the dark comedy 'The Last Viking' written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen ('Riders of Justice'). Toplining the cast are his usual 'partners in crime' Mads Mikkelsen ('Another Round,' 'Fantastic Beasts') and Nikolaj Lie Kaas ('Britannia,' 'Families Like Ours'), as well as Sofie Gråbøl ('The Killing,' 'The House that Jack Built'). More from Variety The Mediapro Studio to Adapt 'Beauty and the Beast' Writer Evan Spiliotopoulos' First Novel (EXCLUSIVE) International Emmy Winner Aokbab Chutimon to Star in Thai Horror 'Fortune Seekers' as Night Edge Pictures Debuts Sales in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE) Saudi Arabian Film Pioneer Faisal Baltyuor Appointed Red Sea Film Foundation CEO One of the hottest Danish titles lined up for launch later this year, the Zentropa pic has added Spain (Avalon), Greece (Videorama) and Bulgaria (Beta Film). Earlier pre-sales were closed with Neue Visionen for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, September Film for Benelux, Plaion for Italy, Estinfilm for the Baltics, Vertigo Media for Hungary, Best Film for Poland, Film Europe for Czech Republic and Slovakia, September Film Rights for Singapore and Starcat Cable Network Co. for Japan. TrustNordisk will unveil fresh scenes of the pic at a promo-reel slate presentation at Cannes market. 'It's incredibly rewarding to see 'The Last Viking' continue to attract such strong international interest and we are happy to be working with our friends at Avalon once again,' said TrustNordisk' sales director Nicolai Korsgaard, ahead of the Cannes market. 'These latest sales are a testament to the film's broad appeal and the outstanding creative team behind it.' Jensen's previous pic 'Riders of Justice,' also repped by TrustNordisk sold nearly worldwide including to Magnolia Pictures' genre label Magnet Releasing for the U.S. Billed as a 'humorous, intriguing and devious tale about identity,' Jensen's sixth pic turns on Anker (Kaas) who comes out of jail after a 15 year-sentence for robbery. Only one person knows where the money from the heist was buried – his brother Manfred (Mikkelsen) Unfortunately, the latter has no clue where it is, having since developed a mental illness, affecting his memory. Together, the brothers embark on an unexpected journey to locate the money and discover who they really are. 'The core of the film is that every human being is more than one thing,' says Jensen, famed for his zany storytelling with heart-felt existential thread. 'We sometimes tend to forget this, both when defining who we are ourselves, and when passing judgement on others. It is so much easier to forgive and harder to get offended if you remember this.' Talking Mikkelsen for whom he created some of the star actor's most unhinged roles and striking physical transformations, Jensen says his delivery in the pic covers 'literally many characters' and 'depending on how you interpret the movie, Mikkelsen could [even] be the last Viking, but I hope not the last of the last!' he quips, adding. 'Aside from their notorious barbaric traits and the pillaging, you are actually left with some great Viking-virtues, like accepting what you are, taking responsibility for your own actions, never succumbing to self-pity and the belief that the truth, the spoken word, is sacred and unbreakable.' 'The Last Viking' was produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Sidsel Hybschmann for Zentropa Entertainment4, in co-production with Zentropa Sweden and Film i Väst, with support from The Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, The Swedish Film Institute and Creative Europe Media Programme, in collaboration with TV2 and Nordisk Film Distribution. The local release is set for Oct. 9, 2025. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite few tariff impacts to date, SC Ports users fear what might be ahead
The OOCL Iris container ship based in China is the largest vessel to visit the Port of Charleston, able to carry up to 16,828 cargo containers measured in 20 foot increments. (Photo by Matthew Peacock/Provided by S.C. State Ports Authority) CHARLESTON — President Donald Trump's erratic tariff policies are roiling global trade, forcing South Carolina businesses and nearly every sector of the state's logistics network to question where they go from here. 'It was like stopping a Ferris Wheel, and you're sitting at the top,' maritime industry analyst Jim Newsome, former president of the S.C. State Ports Authority, said of the frozen future many industries are facing since Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcements on April 2. 'Everybody is bracing for the impact,' he said. Unlike their West Coast counterparts, the Port of Charleston has yet to see any major impacts from the Chinese shipping slowdown resulting from Trump's 145% tariffs on that country's imports. That's because transits to West Coast ports are shorter, and those ports typically have a much greater exposure to Chinese goods. Year-over-year cargo levels measured by the equivalent of 20-foot-long containers — or TEUs in maritime jargon — moving through Charleston's terminals have held steady or even increased this spring as retailers and others frontloaded shipments ahead of the tariffs. That's about to change, analysts say, because cargo that takes weeks to arrive along the East Coast will now be hit with the tariffs. By June, ports in Charleston, Savannah and along the East Coast could see noticeable drops in cargo if tariff policies don't change. On average, about half of the freight bound for Charleston's port either originates in or has major stops in China, which reported Friday that April shipments to the U.S. dropped by 21%. Ocean liners in recent weeks have canceled about 17% of the container ships scheduled to travel to East Coast ports because of cargo shortages, according to Copenhagen-based maritime research group Sea-Intelligence. Flexport, a San Francisco-based leader in supply chain management, says at least one weekly container service calling on Charleston has suspended trips altogether through mid-June. Barbara Melvin, president and CEO of the State Ports Authority that owns and operates the Port of Charleston, declined to comment on tariff impacts. But John McCown, a non-resident senior fellow at Arlington, Va.-based Center for Maritime Strategy, has a bleak outlook. 'I'm thinking a 25% overall (drop in cargo) could be conservative if things stay the way they are,' said McCown, author of the John McCown Container Report. 'I suspect the actual numbers will show reduced economic activity across the entire container shipping supply chain that will touch every port,' McCown said. 'In addition, the tariffs will also result in noticeable inflation.' Some cracks are already starting to show. A few trucking fleets at Charleston's port, particularly those that handle Chinese imports, are seeing as much as 30% to 40% slowdowns, according to Rick Todd, president and CEO of the South Carolina Trucking Association. 'General trucking remains in a 'worst ever' freight and rate trough,' he said. 'Combine that with relentless cost increases and we are finding smaller and more marginal fleets dropping like flies.' About three-fourths of cargo at Charleston's port moves by truck. 'The tariff/trade slowdown, with uncertainty, will exacerbate capacity leaving the market,' he said. Todd's counterpart in Georgia said that state is also 'starting to see some ripples' in trucking volumes. 'But I think probably in another two to three weeks those ripples are going to start to turn into waves,' Seth Millican, president and CEO of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Georgia Ports Authority has also seen little impact to date from tariffs, posting record volumes in March. Griff Lynch, the authority's president and CEO, said the port is talking with customers about how to mitigate tariff costs and using Savannah's Garden City Terminal West to store containers and manage supply chain fluctuations. Railroads that serve Charleston's port say it's hard to measure future tariff impacts. 'Tariffs could be a headwind to volumes for the rest of the year,' Ed Elkins, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Norfolk-Southern, told analysts. The biggest risk is an overall economic slowdown due to tariffs, he added. CSX Corp. CEO Joe Hinrichs said near-term demand is 'pretty strong' but 'the keyword you're hearing from everybody is uncertainty.' About half of all imports to the U.S. are parts needed by manufacturers, including the Palmetto State's $27 billion vehicle industry. Most of that cargo is moved by truck. Volvo Cars this week announced layoffs totaling 5% – roughly 100 people – at its Berkeley County manufacturing campus, citing 'challenging macro conditions' including tariff threats. 'The adjustment is due to changing market conditions and evolving trade policies, including tariffs,' a Volvo spokesperson said. 'Our aim is to build where we sell, and we will continue to balance our ongoing investments in the U.S. with the need to optimize costs and drive greater efficiency in the current environment.' Volvo also plans to add new models to its Lowcountry plant, which currently builds the battery-powered EX90 sport-utility vehicle, to offset tariffs on foreign-made cars. BMW – the state's largest automaker and the nation's top vehicle exporter, primarily through Charleston's port – said this week it has been making a case for tariff relief with White House officials but acknowledged the current status would have a 'notable' impact on its second-quarter earnings. Front-line workers at the port will also take a hit if tariffs lead to less cargo. The International Longshoremen's Association supplies thousands of dockworkers in Charleston, and those workers typically are paid only when there are ships to load and unload. The ILA, which supported Trump's election, has not issued any formal statement on tariffs. And Ken Riley, president of the union's Charleston branch, did not respond to a request for comment. Tariffs that are announced one day and paused or canceled days later are adding confusion to South Carolina's trade outlook. 'Nobody has an accurate crystal ball on the effect of these unprecedented catalysts,' McCown told Freightwaves. Some of the biggest import commodities at Charleston's port are Chinese tariff targets, including toys, apparel, footwear, televisions and other electronics. Combined with a 10% universal tariff on goods from most other countries, U.S. imports are projected to plummet. Analysts disagree on how big the drop will be. The National Retail Federation puts the number at 20%. JP Morgan pegs it at up to 80%. Walmart, which operates a 3 million-square-foot import distribution center in Ridgeville that supplies goods to 850 stores, said it is negotiating prices directly with overseas suppliers to blunt tariff impact. Smaller businesses don't have that luxury. 'It's clear this is going to be a severe problem for small businesses because they don't have the capacity to make bulk purchases or change their supply chains,' said Frank Knapp, president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. 'You're going to see businesses shutting down.' Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary and a South Carolina native, is in Switzerland this weekend meeting with Chinese officials to talk trade. Bessent has said he doesn't expect a major breakthrough, telling Fox News: 'My sense is that this will be about de-escalation.' Trump preempted Bessent's talks Friday by posting on his Truth Social account that 80% tariffs on Chinese goods 'sounds right' – the first indication that his stance is softening. But lowering tariffs from 145% to 80% tariffs is still unsustainable and unlikely to move the needle on trade. Newsome, the former port director-turned-president of Jim Newsome 3 consultants, said Trump's tariffs are based on the flawed premise that they will bring manufacturing back to the United States. 'Forget about it,' he said. 'You might be able to bring back some high-value manufacturing with a high potential for automation. But it's never going to be the case that you're going to bring a toy made in China back to the United States.' There's also no way to balance trade with China, he said, because that country 'doesn't have the consumption power we do.' The per-capita U.S. income of $43,289 is more than 7.5 times greater than China's. 'How do you balance that?' he said. 'I think that kind of narrative got us off on the wrong foot.' Newsome said he's hopeful that reality is finally getting through to the president, and he thinks there will be too much pressure from retailers and other businesses for Trump's China policy to persist. Retailers need holiday-shopping goods in their warehouses this summer, and they aren't likely to sit by quietly if tariffs interrupt those shipments. 'The best outcome, the hopeful outcome, would be they have a good discussion (in Switzerland) and agree that things got out of hand a bit,' Newsome said. 'Let's push the tariffs off for 90 days to give some time to negotiate. That gets us past the Christmas shipping season.' McCown agrees there will be intense political pressure to end the Chinese tariff war, but he's skeptical that cooler heads will prevail. 'At all times and even before this nonsensical tariff policy went into effect, strong reasoned advice not to go down this path has been largely ignored,' he said.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This edtech startup bills itself as the 'Duolingo for exams.' Check out the pitch deck Alice.Tech used to raise $4.8 million.
The team. Copenhagen startup has raised $4.8 million for its AI-driven learning platform. The startup personalizes learning by converting generic study materials into tailored content. BI got an exclusive look at the pitch deck the startup used to secure the fresh funding. A Copenhagen-based startup has secured $4.8 million for its AI-enabled personalized learning platform. which launched in 2024 and participated in the Y Combinator accelerator, takes generic course materials and uses AI to turn them into tailored learning content for students. "We do what Duolingo did for language learning, but for university or high school exams," Kim Rants, the startup's cofounder and CEO, told Business Insider. The startup says it personalizes material to suit each student's learning style, from key theme explainers to multiple-choice questions and flashcards. It also creates study plans to help students better prepare for exams. "We target what the student needs to study," based on real-time analysis of their progress, Rants added. Students also have a social learning option, where they can collaborate and study with friends via the platform. Rants said he founded the company because he experienced how problematic a "one size fits all" model of learning could be. "The most challenged students get left behind; I could see how much students struggled with exams, because the learning wasn't tailored to their needs," he explained. offers a subscription-based freemium model. Students can opt for a monthly or yearly subscription, and the startup is also working with some universities and high schools that are interested in its product. The $4.8 million round was led by Cherry Ventures and Y Combinator, with participation from existing investor PSV Tech, and angel investors from the US and Europe. With the cash injection, the startup said it would double down on its product development and growth. Check out the pitch deck used to secure the fresh funding. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Mayor
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
This edtech startup bills itself as the 'Duolingo for exams.' Check out the pitch deck Alice.Tech used to raise $4.8 million.
A Copenhagen-based startup has secured $4.8 million for its AI-enabled personalized learning platform. which launched in 2024 and participated in the Y Combinator accelerator, takes generic course materials and uses AI to turn them into tailored learning content for students. 'We do what Duolingo did for language learning, but for university or high school exams,' Kim Rants, the startup's cofounder and CEO, told Business Insider. The startup says it personalizes material to suit each student's learning style, from key theme explainers to multiple-choice questions and flashcards. It also creates study plans to help students better prepare for exams. 'We target what the student needs to study,' based on real-time analysis of their progress, Rants added. Students also have a social learning option, where they can collaborate and study with friends via the platform. Rants said he founded the company because he experienced how problematic a 'one size fits all' model of learning could be. 'The most challenged students get left behind; I could see how much students struggled with exams, because the learning wasn't tailored to their needs,' he explained. offers a subscription-based freemium model. Students can opt for a monthly or yearly subscription, and the startup is also working with some universities and high schools that are interested in its product. The $4.8 million round was led by Cherry Ventures and Y Combinator, with participation from existing investor PSV Tech, and angel investors from the US and Europe. With the cash injection, the startup said it would double down on its product development and growth. Check out the pitch deck used to secure the fresh funding.
Business Insider
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
This edtech startup bills itself as the 'Duolingo for exams.' Check out the pitch deck Alice.Tech used to raise $4.8 million.
A Copenhagen-based startup has secured $4.8 million for its AI-enabled personalized learning platform. which launched in 2024 and participated in the Y Combinator accelerator, takes generic course materials and uses AI to turn them into tailored learning content for students. "We do what Duolingo did for language learning, but for university or high school exams," Kim Rants, the startup's cofounder and CEO, told Business Insider. The startup says it personalizes material to suit each student's learning style, from key theme explainers to multiple-choice questions and flashcards. It also creates study plans to help students better prepare for exams. "We target what the student needs to study," based on real-time analysis of their progress, Rants added. Students also have a social learning option, where they can collaborate and study with friends via the platform. Rants said he founded the company because he experienced how problematic a "one size fits all" model of learning could be. "The most challenged students get left behind; I could see how much students struggled with exams, because the learning wasn't tailored to their needs," he explained. offers a subscription-based freemium model. Students can opt for a monthly or yearly subscription, and the startup is also working with some universities and high schools that are interested in its product. The $4.8 million round was led by Cherry Ventures and Y Combinator, with participation from existing investor PSV Tech, and angel investors from the US and Europe. With the cash injection, the startup said it would double down on its product development and growth. Check out the pitch deck used to secure the fresh funding.
