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Tag: Disney

  • Disney’s African animation series Kizazi Moto on screen

    Disney’s African animation series Kizazi Moto on screen

    Disney has featured African animated stories in the popular series, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire.

    Fourteen directors and 10 African creators including Nigerian–American animator Shofela Coker showcased a series of African futuristic animated anthology short films.

    This is coming from the stable of the Triggerfish Animation Studios, South Africa, and produced by Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston.

    As expected, movie buffs that gathered at the special screening of Kizazi Moto at the Filmhouse Cinemas – Twin Waters, Lekki were thrilled with five of the 10 series that were screened. The screened series include ‘Moremi,’ ‘Hatima,’ ‘Stardust,’ ‘Mkhuzi’ and ‘Enkai.’

    Hosted by the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Kizazi Moto is in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos and American Film Showcase.

    The screening, which was like a homecoming for Shofela Coker, who spoke about ‘Moremi’ and the future of the animation industry in Africa.

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    “This is my first directorial debut. Moremi is a science fiction re-imagining of the classic Yoruba Moremi tale. The initiative was set up by a studio called Triggerfish in South Africa, an apex to Disney, get creatives around Africa to tell optimistic visions of the future in stories and Disney picked it up and 300 people pitched their stories down to 14 directors and 10 films and Moremi is part of the 10 in that series. I would hope that Moremi would inspire people and Kizzaazi Moto in general,” he said

    Acting Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate General, Lagos, Amanda Rotchground also explained the partnership.

    She says: “I am excited to be here because we have the great pleasure of partnering with Disney and the American Film Showcase to bring Shofola Coker, a Nigerian American back home to Lagos to screen his film, Moremi. It is part of an anthology called Kizazi Moto that takes animated films and retells stories of African tradition in animation.

    The US Consulate General in Lagos has a long history of partnering with the African International Film Festival who’s also a great partner in this production tonight. It is because we see that there is a connection between Hollywood and Nollywood, we are really trying to foster those further exchanges.”

  • Twitter to lay off 9% of staff

    Twitter to lay off 9% of staff

    • As sale process appears to have come to nothing

    The layoffs are expected to impact about 350 employees across sales, partnerships and marketing efforts, according to the company. The goal is to push Twitter toward profitability as an independent company.

    This is contained in the company’s third-quarter letter to shareholders on Thursday, saying: “The restructuring allows us to continue to fully fund our highest priorities while eliminating investment in non-core areas and driving greater efficiency.”

    According to the CNN, Disney, Google and Salesforce were all said to be interested in bidding for the social network, but ultimately backed off. Only Salesforce admitted as much publicly.

    “It wasn’t the right fit for us,” Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, said earlier this month.

    On a conference call with analysts after the earnings release, Twitter CEO and co-founder, Jack Dorsey said his only comment on the acquisition rumours is “our board is committed to maximising long-term shareholder value.”

    “We’re taking the necessary steps to ensure Twitter is well positioned for long-term growth,” Dorsey added.

    In the absence of a takeover in the near term and any significant signs of growth, Twitter must push for a turnaround as an independent company. Its first big step is to improve its bottom line through cuts.

    Dorsey took over as Twitter’s permanent CEO a year ago and presided over an earlier round of layoffs that reduced staff by 8%.

    He has since focused on growing Twitter through live video streaming and making it easier for users to discover relevant tweets in their news feeds, with limited results.

    Twitter’s monthly active user count, easily the company’s most scrutinised number, beat estimates by rising to 317 million in the September quarter from 313 million the previous quarter. But growth remains anaemic compared to newer competitors like Instagram and Snapchat.

    The stagnant user growth is all the more stunning when you consider that Twitter’s relevance has arguably never been greater. It is the platform of choice for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and is, therefore, a key tool for following the U.S. election.

    Twitter says it reached a “record” number of daily active users during each of the three presidential debates, but that apparently did not translate into many new monthly active users.

    Twitter’s ability to attract millions of new users has been stymied by what many views as a complicated interface and the all too frequent threat of harassment on the platform. Now Twitter is promising fixes to address abuse, which it says have been in the works for months.

    “Next month, we will be sharing meaningful updates to our safety policy, our product and enforcement strategy,” Twitter said in its shareholder letter.

    Twitter did manage to beat Wall Street’s estimates with quarterly sales of $616 million, but growth there is slowing to a halt. Sales increased just 8% from the same quarter a year earlier. By comparison, its sales in the third quarter of 2015 were up 58% from the year before that.

    Twitter posted a net loss for the quarter of $103 million. It also expects to incur as much as $30 million in costs from the layoffs, due to severance payouts and stock-based compensation.

    The stock was up nearly 5% in pre-market trading Thursday.

  • NEVER THOUGHT I’D HEAR ‘SKELEWU’ IN A DISNEY MOVIE –DAVIDO

    NEVER THOUGHT I’D HEAR ‘SKELEWU’ IN A DISNEY MOVIE –DAVIDO

    HIP HOP star Davido has hit another goldmine as his hit single Skelewu, which became an anthem in 2014, has been selected alongside other songs to be used for the soundtrack of a Disney Movie titled Queen of Katwe.

    The excited father of one took to Twitter to share the new development: “Never thought I’d hear “Skelewu” in a Disney movie. Amazing,” he tweeted.

    Other African artistes whose songs made soundtrack for the film include MC Galaxy’s Sekem, and Ugandan artist Eddy Kenzo’s Mbilo Mbilo.

    American singer Alicia Keys also wrote and recorded a song titled Back to life for the film.

    ‘Queen of Katwe’ is a 2016 American biographical sports drama film starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo among others. It depicts the life of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan chess prodigy from Katwe who became a Woman Candidate Master after her performances at World Chess Olympiads.

    The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and ESPN Films, and set for a limited release in North America on September 23, 2016, followed by a general theatrical release on September 30.

  • World’s biggest Disney store opens in China

    World’s biggest Disney store opens in China

    The world’s biggest Disney store, and the first in mainland China, opened in Shanghai’s bustling Lujiazui financial district on Wednesday, a statement said.

    The statement said that 860-square-metre shop featured a castle at its centre with an hourly music and projection showing the California-based company.

    It stressed that more than 2,000 products, including clothing, bags and mobile phone accessories, were available for purchase at the store.

    According to statement from Disney, the store gives visitors a taste of what to expect for the much-anticipated opening of the 5.5 billion-dollar Shanghai Disney Resort, which is scheduled to open next spring in Pudong.

    “The park is one of nearly 60 theme parks currently under construction in China’’, it said.

    It added that there has been a boom in the building of theme parks in China in recent years, as the domestic tourism industry has scrambled to cater to the growing middle class.

    Report says Shanghai Disney Resort is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group, which hold 43 per cent and 57 per cent of total shares of the owner companies respectively.

    Disney, the world’s largest entertainment company, already has parks in Japan and Hong Kong

  • Disney and Skype ‘used Luxembourg tax breaks’

    Companies including Disney and Skype have allegedly used Luxembourg tax breaks, according to fresh leaks published by investigative journalists.

    The group of firms funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars in profits through Luxembourg subsidiaries, according to leaked documents.

    Disney said the arrangement had “not meaningfully affected the taxes we pay”.

    Microsoft, which owns Skype, said it “adheres carefully” to laws.

    The European Commission is already conducting an inquiry into a number of companies’ tax arrangements.

    Commission chief and Luxembourg ex-prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker “remains committed to the fight against tax evasion and to his presidency,” a Commission spokesperson said.

    Mr Juncker has previously denied allegations he encouraged tax avoidance when he was Luxembourg’s prime minister.

    Fresh additions to the thousands of so-called Luxleaks documents were published on Wednesday in a report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

    Lower rates

    Documents relating to 35 new companies including Disney, Koch Industries, Skype and Hutchison Whampoa were added to data on hundreds of firms.

    In some cases, companies enjoyed tax rates of less than 1 per cent on profits moved into the country.

    Disney established an inter-company bank in Luxembourg which then extended high-interest loans to operating affiliates in countries such as France, reducing their taxable income, the ICIJ said.

    Disney said: “The report is deliberately misleading, Disney’s global tax rate has averaged 34% over the last five years. The ruling has not meaningfully affected the taxes we pay in any jurisdiction globally.”

    Microsoft said: “Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype was finalised in October 2011, so we can only speak to activities after that date. Post-acquisition, we reviewed and modified Skype’s business model as part of the integration process.

    “As a global business, Microsoft adheres carefully to the laws and regulations of every country in which we operate.”

    Koch said: “Koch companies conduct their business lawfully and they pay taxes in accordance with applicable laws.”

    Luxleaks has now included documents prepared by all of the Big Four accountancy firms: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), EY, Deloitte and KPMG.

    EY said that it “safeguards confidential client information” and provides “tax advice to clients in accordance with national and international law”.

    “Professional standards, as well as privacy laws, require that EY safeguards confidential client information.

    “We take these obligations very seriously and fully investigate any breach of confidentiality.

    “Client confidentiality means that we are unable to comment on individual cases.”

  • From slum life to Disney film: The story of an orphan teen girl

    From slum life to Disney film: The story of an orphan teen girl

    SHE grew up in one of the poorest spots on earth. She couldn’t read or write. As a child, she scrounged for food each day for herself, mother and brother.

    But a chance encounter with a chess coach turned her into a rising international chess star, the subject of a book and the protagonist in a future Disney movie. Her father died from AIDS when Mutesi was around 3.

    “I was living a hard life, where I was sleeping on the streets, and you couldn’t have anything to eat at the streets. So that’s when I decided for my brother to get a cup of porridge,” the teenager told CNN, describing her childhood in Katwe, a slum in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

    Robert Katende, a missionary and refugee of Uganda’s civil war, had started a chess programme in Katwe. He offered a bowl of porridge to any child who would show up and learn.

    Mutesi did not become a top player overnight. But from the time she first showed up in 2005, her aptitude was clear.

    She liked chess, and started training and practicing regularly. “It took me like a year to get very good,” she said.

    She walked about four miles a day to practice and to get that precious food. Soon she found herself beating the older girls and boys in the programme.

    Mutesi wakes at 5 a.m. every morning to “begin a two-hour trek through Katwe to fill a jug with drinkable water, walking through lowland that is often so severely flooded by Uganda’s torrential rains that many residents sleep in hammocks near their ceilings to avoid drowning,” he wrote.

    Disney has optioned the rights to “The Queen of Katwe,” and is starting work on a movie, Crothers said.

    As her world travels take off, she’s in for more culture shock.