Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the production of Hollywood film on Pakistan’s culture will give people around the world an opportunity to know more about the country and highlight its soft and positive image.

This he said during a meeting with the members of the Hollywood production team visiting Pakistan to shoot an international film on Pakistani culture.

He said the film produced by the Hollywood production team will be an important milestone for the Pakistani film industry.

In the meeting, discussions were held regarding the great cultural heritage and history of the country, including the preparation of a film based on Pakistani culture. The minister also apprised the Hollywood production team about the progress in the film industry in the country.

He thanked the Hollywood production team for deciding to produce a film on Pakistani culture. “It is a great honour for our culture and people,” he said adding Pakistan was a country with a great cultural heritage.

“Our history, literature, music, and art are unique and appreciated worldwide,” Attaullah Tarar maintained. The minister said he believed that this film would give the world a new opportunity to see the beauty and diversity of Pakistan.

While throwing light on the measures taken by the government for cinema revival, he said it was the only industry in Pakistan that enjoyed tax amnesty.

“The government under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif restored the film policy in its previous term,” he said and added that the film sector had been given the status of an industry so that the youth could get an opportunity to enter this sector.

He said a film finance fund had been established at Rs 1 billion in the budget of 2022-23. Moreover, he said medical insurance for artists and tax incentives for the film industry had boosted the film industry and its related sectors.

He said in the budget 2022-23, five years of tax exemption was given to filmmakers. Similarly, income tax exemption of five years has been given on the establishment of new cinemas, production houses, and film museums whereas a tax exemption has been given for ten years on the export of film and drama.

He said that foreign filmmakers were also given concessions on joint film and drama projects with local producers. For this, the condition of shooting 70 percent of the film in Pakistan was applicable to promote business activities including tourism and culture.

He said through screen tourism, Pakistan has conveyed its narrative to the world. The minister assured to provide full support and cooperation to the Hollywood production team from the government and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The Hollywood production team thanked the minister for the cooperation and hospitality they received in Pakistan.

They said they were inspired by the great cultural heritage and people of Pakistan. “Pakistan has huge filmmaking potential, we are committed to helping the local industry to grow”, they remarked.

They thanked the government, the people of Pakistan, and the local film industry for the cooperation provided to them during their stay in Pakistan.

They said they were fully enjoying their visit and they were highly impressed by the beautiful locations and heritage of Pakistan.

The delegation comprised James MC Milan, Andrew James Fiero, Luisa Iskin, Sadia Ashraf, Badr Ikram, and Mashal Saqib. 

Disney reported higher revenues Tuesday on a strong performance by its theme parks division and an improving streaming business, but a write-down in the company’s India business resulted in a small loss.

The company achieved profitability in its entertainment streaming segment following subscription additions of more than six million in Disney+, a landmark after years of losses.

But company officials signaled they expect the division to have a loss in the current quarter, in part due to weaker subscriber counts.

The entertainment giant also offered a cautious outlook on its parks division.

While Disney is still recording “healthy” demand, “we are seeing some evidence of a global moderation from peak post-Covid travel,” Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said on a conference call.

Shares of Disney fell sharply on the results, although analysts noted that the company’s share price has risen significantly so far in 2024 prior to the report.

For its fiscal second-quarter ending March 30, Disney reported a $20 million quarterly loss following the $2.1 billion impairment in Star India. Revenues rose 1.2 percent to $22.1 billion.

The large reduction at Star India relates to combining its India business with India’s Reliance Industries, a deal announced in late February.

Disney said it was on track for full-year profits on the entire streaming business after years of losses. This includes the ESPN+ sports network, which pushed the combined business into a loss in the just-finished quarter.

Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger expressed confidence on streaming, in part because of an impending crackdown on improper password sharing.

“That will roll out in earnest across the globe in September,” said Iger, who described feeling “quite bullish” in light of Netflix’s success in addressing the issue.

Benefits of sequels

Iger pointed to a spate of high-profile upcoming theatrical releases, including sequels of “Inside Out,” “Moana” and a new movie in the “Alien” franchise.

“We’re going to balance sequels with originals, particularly in animation,” said Iger, who described the company as “leaning” back somewhat to sequels.

“There’s a lot of value in sequels, obviously, because they’re known and it takes less in terms of marketing,” Iger said.

The entertainment giant cited Walt Disney World Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland and the company’s cruise division as areas of strength in parks and experiences, but saw lower results at Disneyland Resorts.

The numbers come on the heels of a high-profile proxy contest in which CEO Iger successfully turned back a challenge from activist Nelson Peltz, who had sought a board seat, arguing the company had floundered in its responsibility to find a successor to Iger.

Asked about succession, Iger said the board is “heavily engaged” in the process and that he is confident “they will choose the right person at the right time.”

Shares of Disney fell 10.4 percent by midday. The stock has risen nearly 30 percent so far in 2024 before results were released.

Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said the sharp sell-off in the stock is likely due to the substantial share price increase this year. But the market is now “recalibrating” after Disney’s mixed results, she said. 

The world’s biggest live music event, the Eurovision Song Contest, is taking place in Sweden this week with 37 participating countries.

Roughly 100,000 visitors from 89 countries are expected in host city Malmo during the week for the 68th edition of the competition, along with large protests against Israel’s participation due to the war in Gaza.

WHEN IS THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024?

The event kicked off on Tuesday with the first semi-final, and will be followed by a second semi-final on Thursday.

The Grand Final will be held on Saturday, May 11 at 1900 GMT.

WHERE IS EUROVISION BEING HELD?

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is taking place in Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city with a population of 362,000. The city also hosted Eurovision in 1992 and in 2013.

Sweden has hosted Eurovision seven times in total, counting 2024. Stockholm, the capital, hosted the competition in 1975, 2000 and 2016 and Gothenburg in 1985.

The concert venue is the Malmo Arena which has a capacity of up to 15,500.

WHAT DEMONSTRATIONS ARE EXPECTED?

Several protests are planned in central Malmo this week after organizer European Broadcasting Union (EBU) resisted calls to exclude Israel over its devastating military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Protests against Israel’s participation which are expected to draw tens of thousands of people are scheduled for 1300 GMT on Thursday and Saturday. Pro-Israel supporters have planned a protest for Thursday at 1600 GMT.

I absolutely also think that… that is what I would do, that I would give my life for the Pope, because that is a big part of why I’m here.

A vessel from Swedish NGO ‘Ship to Gaza’ is scheduled to arrive in Malmo harbour on Wednesday, with a call for solidarity with the people of Gaza.

WHAT SECURITY MEASURES ARE TAKEN?

Swedish police said security will be higher than in 2013 when Malmo last hosted the Eurovision. It has been reinforced by officers from neighbouring Denmark and Norway.

Authorities have said the threat level for terrorist or cyber attacks is high.

Visitors will have to pass through metal detectors before entering Malmo arena and will not be allowed to bring bags into the venue.

Only the national flags of the participating countries and the Pride flag are allowed inside the venue, while flags, symbols, clothing, items and banners likely to be to used promote other causes during the TV broadcast will be removed.

HOW DOES VOTING WORK?

Viewers decide the results of the two semi-finals and can vote up to 20 times, either by phone, text message or via a Eurovision app.

Viewers in the 15 countries taking part in Semi-Final 1 were eligible to vote alongside three of the countries pre-qualified for the Grand Final – Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Viewers in the 16 countries taking part in Semi-Final 2 are eligible to vote alongside three of the other countries pre-qualified for the Grand Final – France, Italy and Spain.

In the final, audience votes will make up half of the result, while juries of five music professionals in each participating country will make up the other half.

The juries will rank the songs based on composition and originality of the song, quality of the stage performance, the artists’ vocal capacity, and their overall impression of the act.

Each country will award points from 1 to 8, 10 and 12.

Non-participating countries around the world will also be able to vote, and will collectively have the weight of one additional voting country.

New to this year’s Eurovision, viewers outside the participating countries can vote 24 hours prior each semi-final and the Grand final.

WHO SECURED A SPOT IN THE GRAND FINAL FOLLOWING THE FIRST SEMI-FINAL?

Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Australia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Moldova, and Poland did not make it through to the final.

WHO WILL COMPETE IN THE SECOND SEMI-FINAL ON THURSDAY?

Malta, Albania, Greece, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, Israel, Norway, and the Netherlands.

WHO COMPETES IN THE GRAND FINAL?

The top 10 from each semi-final will participate in the final.
Last year’s winner and host nation Sweden has automatic entry to the final as well as the “Big Five” countries: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

There will be 26 acts in total in the final.

WHY THE ‘BIG FIVE’?

The “Big Five” countries are France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, which make the biggest financial contribution to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Since 2000, these countries have secured themselves an automatic spot in the Grand Final.