Latest news with #postproduction
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
A Sunday Ritual Turns Into a Smoky Scene of Chaos
Every Sunday at 1 p.m. in Boulder, Colo., the walkers take their places. They have done so since a few weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. They begin at Pearl and Seventh Streets and walk toward the courthouse, along a pedestrian mall. Lisa Effress, 55, who has lived in Boulder for 17 years, has been there since the first walk. 'Whenever I'm in town,' she said, 'I try to be there.' The ritual is simple: walk, speak the names of those still held hostage, sometimes sing 'Hatikvah,' the Israel national anthem, and bear witness. The numbers vary — 20, sometimes 100. People see the group, hear the songs, and fall into step. They wear red. It's symbolic. It's visible. Ms. Effress wasn't walking this Sunday. She was across the street, having lunch with her daughter. But lunch got cut short. She heard sirens. Police cars, ambulances. She checked the time and figured the group must be near the courthouse. She left lunch and ran over. 'I knew immediately — I just knew,' she said. 'I ran across the street, looking for everyone.' What she found felt surreal. Smoke. Discarded clothes used to extinguish flames. People dazed, half-undressed. Bags and backpacks left behind in panic. And then, she saw a friend who was a Holocaust survivor, being helped into an ambulance. 'It was horrible,' said Ms. Effress, a filmmaker and managing partner in a post-production company. On every walk, Ms. Effress said, she is vigilant. Alert to strange behavior, to tension in the air. 'We are peaceful. We are not protesters,' she said. 'But there are always people protesting us.' She added: 'I have always taught my daughter: Be proud to be Jewish. Don't be afraid. But in a time like this, it is crazy to think we will ever be walking again. It's dangerous, it's not safe for us.' She said that according to a Whatsapp chat for the walking group, the weekly walk has been canceled indefinitely.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
A Sunday Ritual Turns Into a Scene That ‘Looked Like a War Zone'
Every Sunday at 1 p.m. in Boulder, Colo., the walkers take their places. They have done so since a few weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. They begin at Pearl and Seventh Streets and walk toward the courthouse, along a pedestrian mall. Lisa Effress, 55, who has lived in Boulder for 17 years, has been there since the first walk. 'Whenever I'm in town,' she said, 'I try to be there.' The ritual is simple: walk, speak the names of those still held hostage, sometimes sing 'Hatikvah,' the Israel national anthem, and bear witness. The numbers vary — 20, sometimes 100. People see the group, hear the songs, and fall into step. They wear red. It's symbolic. It's visible. Ms. Effress wasn't walking this Sunday. She was across the street, having lunch with her daughter. But lunch got cut short. She heard sirens. Police cars, ambulances. She checked the time and figured the group must be near the courthouse. She left lunch and ran over. 'I knew immediately — I just knew,' she said. 'I ran across the street, looking for everyone.' What she found felt surreal. Smoke. Discarded clothes used to extinguish flames. People dazed, half-undressed. Bags and backpacks left behind in panic. And then, she saw a friend who was a Holocaust survivor, being helped into an ambulance. 'It looked like a war zone,' said Ms. Effress, a filmmaker and managing partner in a post-production company. 'It was horrible.' On every walk, Ms. Effress said, she is vigilant. Alert to strange behavior, to tension in the air. 'We are peaceful. We are not protesters,' she said. 'But there are always people protesting us.' She added: 'I have always taught my daughter: Be proud to be Jewish. Don't be afraid. But in a time like this, it is crazy to think we will ever be walking again. It's dangerous, it's not safe for us.' She said that according to a Whatsapp chat for the walking group, the weekly walk has been canceled indefinitely.
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
AI has a role to play in Arab cinema, but not as actor or director
Not long ago, I sat with a film producer in Abu Dhabi, who showed me an AI-generated storyboard that would have taken his team weeks to create manually. It wasn't perfect, but it sparked an idea. He told me: 'It doesn't replace my team. It saves us time to think bigger.' That sentiment captures where we are right now. AI is not the villain in this story. But it's also not the hero. It's a tool, and the question is whether we will use it to amplify our voice or allow it to dilute it. Across the Gulf, the film industry is undergoing a transformation. With large-scale investments in production infrastructure, regional funding initiatives and a growing appetite for homegrown stories, the GCC is building something rare: a cinema culture born in the digital age. And that's where AI comes in. Not as a director, but as a co-pilot. In the UAE, we are already seeing this shift. AI is helping speed up the post-production process, making subtitling and dubbing more accessible across languages and dialects, and even assisting with location scouting and script breakdowns. For a region working to scale its content output and export its stories globally, these efficiencies matter. They allow our filmmakers to focus on creativity, not constraints. Zoom out across the GCC, and the opportunity expands. Saudi Arabia, for instance, is building a cinema industry nearly from scratch, which is digitally native, forward-looking, and unburdened by legacy systems. AI can help Saudi filmmakers leapfrog traditional barriers. Imagine a first-time director using AI to pre-visualise a war scene or to deconstruct a script into production-ready schedules in hours instead of weeks. Egypt, which is considered the beating heart of Arab cinema, is at a more complicated crossroads. On the one hand, today's stars like Ahmed Helmy, Menna Shalabi and Mona Zaki are building on the legacy of evergreen figures like Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama, Adel Imam and Youssef Chahine. On the other hand, the industry is facing disruption from a new wave of AI-generated content on social media that mimics Egyptian cinematic style but, at least for now, lacks depth, subtext and the emotional soul that makes real cinema resonate. A recent example is Lammet Zaman, an AI-generated project that digitally resurrected the voices and likenesses of Egyptian cinema figures. As I was born in the 1980s, the video put a smile on my face and took me back in time. However, it also ignited debates around the ethics of digitally recreating deceased artists without consent, raising questions about authenticity and the boundaries of AI in preserving cultural heritage. This is where lessons from Hollywood are useful. Take The Irishman, where Martin Scorsese used VFX and AI-assisted de-ageing to allow Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci to play younger versions of themselves across several decades. The result was visually impressive but expensive. Similarly, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny de-aged Harrison Ford for an extended flashback sequence. While the visuals were groundbreaking, something felt off, as if the emotions weren't quite ringing true. These examples highlight something important: just because we can use AI to replicate youth, generate faces, or rewrite scenes, it doesn't always mean we should. In the digital age, technology can sharpen the image, but only people can deliver the performance. That's the line Arab cinema must walk. Do we let AI churn out synthetic stories for clicks, or do we use it to unlock ideas and formats we previously couldn't afford to make? The answer lies in balance. And the way forward is to upskill creatives to use AI, protect human storytelling with clear standards around transparency and credit, and fund bold experimentation where AI helps us tell interactive stories, reimagine Arab folklore, or bring our archives to life. Projects like A Story Called Zain, the region's first AI-generated and crowdsourced social media activation by Image Nation Abu Dhabi Digital team, prove that when AI is used with purpose, it doesn't replace the human voice, it amplifies it. Egypt, with its history, can help ground this new era in depth and heritage. The GCC, with its resources, creative pool and ambitions, can push the form forward. Together, we can build an industry that fuses the best of our past with the tools of the future. AI may help us move faster, but it's up to us to decide where we are going. Because no matter how advanced the tech, stories still begin with a human instinct: to feel, to remember, and to be seen.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prime Focus Technologies expands Southeast Asia presence with strategic partnerships in Indonesia and the Philippines
LOS ANGELES, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the creator of CLEAR®, has entered strategic partnerships with Interindo Multimedia in Indonesia and Challenge Systems in the Philippines. These collaborations mark a significant step in PFT's regional growth strategy, bringing its cutting-edge AI Agents and AI Applications closer to content companies across Southeast Asia, one of the world's fastest-growing media and entertainment markets. "SEA represents a fast-evolving landscape for content creation and distribution," said Patricio Cummins, SVP & Global Head of Technology Sales at Prime Focus Technologies. "Southeast Asia is a rich tapestry of cultures and languages, where human connection drives business. From our collaboration with Tiara Vision in Malaysia to Interindo Multimedia and Challenge Systems in Indonesia and Philippines respectively, we're proud to partner with some of the region's most respected systems integrators. These alliances help us bring best-in-class AI solutions to content companies in SEA, delivering measurable impact across postproduction and content supply chains." PFT will showcase CLEAR® AI Agents and AI Applications delivering real results at Broadcast Asia 2025, Meeting Room #5J3-8, with live demonstrations. About Interindo Multimedia Interindo Multimedia is Indonesia's premier broadcast technology partner, serving TV networks, cable operators, and DTH platforms. With decades of expertise and a focus on cutting-edge design, Interindo helps media businesses modernize their infrastructure and embrace future-ready technology. Website: About Challenge Systems Challenge Systems is a leading media technology partner in the Philippines. With deep roots in digital content creation and system integration, it delivers scalable, end-to-end solutions to broadcasters and enterprises nationwide. Website: About Prime Focus Technologies Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the creator of CLEAR®. It offers streaming platforms, studios, and broadcasters AI technology and cloud media services—enabling creativity, agility, and most importantly, revenue growth. PFT partners with major players such as Channel 4, ITV, Sinclair Broadcast Group, A&E Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Crunchyroll, Insight TV, JioStar, BCCI, Tegna, Amazon MGM Studios, and more. For more information, visit: Press Contact T ShobhanaSenior Vice President & Global Head of MarketingPrime Focus TechnologiesLos Angeles, View original content: SOURCE Prime Focus Technologies Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SC Films Boards Indonesian Horror ‘Melati: Revenge in Blood' Starring Alexandra Gottardo & Dwi Sasono — Cannes Market
EXCLUSIVE: Mike Wiluan's upcoming Indonesian supernatural horror Melati: Revenge in Blood has been boarded by London-based SC Films International for worldwide sales rights (excluding Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China). Currently in post-production, Melati: Revenge in Blood stars Indonesian actors Alexandra Gottardo (Losmen Melati) and Dwi Sasono (Mendadak Dangdut). More from Deadline Michelle Yeoh To Star In Action Film 'The Surgeon' For 'John Wick' Outfit Thunder Road - Cannes Market Gilles Lellouche & Lars Eidinger To Star In WWII Resistance Movie 'Moulin' For Director Laszlo Nemes & 'La Vie En Rose' Producer Alain Goldman - Cannes Market Scarlett Johansson's Directorial Debut 'Eleanor The Great': Watch Exclusive First-Look Clip Gottardo also serves as producer, alongside Freddie Yeo (Westworld), Daphne Yang (Losmen Melati), Shao-Yi Chen (Lost in Perfection), Tina Arwin (Pengepungan Di Bukit Duri) and Ninin Musa (Orang Ikan). After co-producing Crazy Rich Asians and working on Buffalo Boys and HBO Asia's Grisse, Wiluan wrote and directed Orang Ikan last year. The film premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival and was recently acquired by Shudder for North America, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Melati: Revenge in Blood is based on 2023 TV mini-series Losmen Melati. Melati: Revenge in Blood follows Fadil, the sole escapee of a haunted house. Fadil discovers that he has been cursed by Melati, who harnesses the inn's dark curse, and in return gains eternal life and the power of resurrection. In a quest for vengeance, Fadil assembles a squad of killers to hunt down those responsible for his torment. However, as Fadil learns more about the inn's resurrective powers, he is consumed by his desire to bring back his wife and consequently, a violent battle ensues. The film is co-produced by Catchplay, who retain all rights for Southeast Asia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Melati: Revenge in Blood was supported by Singapore Film Commission through the Media Enterprise Programme. The deal was finalized between SC Films' Simon Crowe and Fumie Suzuki Lancaster, and Shao-Yi Chen and Chia-Hua Yeh of Screenworks Asia, and Freddie Yeo from Infinite Studios Singapore. SC Films will have a first promo of the film available for viewing at Cannes. 'Melati is an Indonesian horror icon with strong local folklore roots,' said Wiluan. 'Told through a bold and stylised form of Asian action horror, I'm excited to showcase a story that further expands the universe of Losmen Melati. I'm eager for International audiences to continue the trials and tribulations of its central female character. I'm grateful for Catchplay and Singapore Film Commission for their continued support and looking forward to working again with SC Films.' Lancaster from SC Films said: 'We're thrilled to be reuniting with Mike and his incredible team at Infinite Studios and it's great to be linking-up with Catchplay again, but this time partnering on a project that they are co-producing. Melati is gripping, atmospheric, and wildly original. It's a bold, high-concept horror that international audiences are hungry for.' Chen from Catchplay added: 'We are excited to continue our collaboration with Mike and the team on Melati, taking this beloved story to the next level for horror fans around the world. This time, with SC Films on board, we're confident that Melati will scare the whole world with her darker power and curse.' Best of Deadline All The Songs In Netflix's 'Forever': From Tyler The Creator To SZA 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
