Good afternoon Insiders, Christmas is close but it’s not quite here yet, and we still have plenty to write about. Read on. And sign up here.
Red Sea Wraps
Violeta Sophia for Deadline
Hollywood isn’t their North Star: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival wrapped last night, bringing the buzzy event’s fifth edition to a close, writes Zac, with this dispatch from Jeddah. Curiously, there weren’t any grand celebrations to mark the festival’s half-decade of existence across the nine-day program, but there are certainly signs of real progress. The Red Sea Film Foundation’s new HQ is up and running. Much of this year’s program took place there alongside a temporary facility a few meters away, which, unfortunately for organizers, took a beating during the freak rainstorm. The industry-focused Red Sea Souk attracted a collection of interesting projects from across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. C.J. Obasi was at the Souk with a project, as was Mohamed Kordofani (Goodbye Julia) and Maha Haj (Mediterranean Fever). This year, to me, at least, also marked the crowning of the Kingdom’s first certified generation of homegrown stars. As you walk through the Red Sea festival venues, the walls no longer carry advertisements adorned with the faces of visiting stars from Hollywood or Bollywood, but instead showcase Saudi talent like Sarah Taibah. Watching the local industry develop has been the most interesting part of my personal travels in Saudi Arabia (this is my third year covering the festival). The local artists are self-sufficient. Hollywood isn’t their North Star. They’re creating work for themselves and anyone else who is willing to tap in. They also see their neighbors in Africa and Asia as potential creative partners. There is plenty to question, but overall Red Sea could be viewed as a refreshing alternative to the European festival circuit and the corporate chaos of Hollywood. Check out all our Red Sea coverage, including our glitzy Deadline Studio featuring Queen Latifah, Sean Baker and Natasha Lyonne, over here.
Par Gets Hostile
Getty
World watching on: The world is watching, jaws to the floor, as one of the most dramatic boardroom battles the entertainment industry has witnessed plays out. Last week this time we were imagining a Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) future after the streamer’s almighty $82.7BN bid was made public, but David Ellison’s Paramount, backed by Middle Eastern wealth funds and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, had other ideas. The Succession-style hostile takeover attempt has been the talk of the industry (it certainly lit up Red Sea), and as we approach the weekend, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Paramount’s significantly higher offer will land the ultimate prize. We had only just got used to the idea of the world’s biggest streaming service owning a fabled movie studio (a combined juggernaut would generate revenues of $6.6BN in APAC alone, according to Media Partners Asia) before Ellison’s big play. His company’s $108.4BN bid is backed by the Public Investment Fund (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), L’imad Holding Company PJSC (Abu Dhabi), Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar) and Affinity Partners, the investment fund of Jared Kushner, so there is plenty international financial interest. The make-up of a potential ‘NetBros’ behemoth is still dominating chatter. Andreas crunched the numbers after this week’s Golden Globes to show the awards heft and possible Hollywood monopolization we could see if the deal goes through. Luckily, the saga has also been co-opted for a bit of Christmas cheer. At Netflix UK’s Christmas quiz for local journalists, just around the corner from Deadline’s London HQ, quizmaster Amol Rajan, in full University Challenge mode, dropped the name of Paramount into one question. That mention was met with pantomime boos. No such fun at the WBD Xmas press drinks in London, which were canceled at the last minute. Wonder why?
New Boss At Channel 4
Warner Bros. Discovery
“Smart hire”: Another industry observer watching WBD with interest will be its former EMEA chief Priya Dogra, but from March she will be a bit busy. Dogra’s name managed to evade all reporting around the Channel 4 CEO gig until mere hours before the official announcement, and the Sky ads chief has now been officially revealed as Channel 4’s next boss. “Smart hire” was the view of a trio of former Channel 4 insiders in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. Dogra has plenty experience inside the belly of the beast having risen up the ranks at WBD during a 14-year stint, and she was viewed as an unfortunate casualty when she exited two years ago. “The main thing is that she has the breadth and depth for the job,” said one ex-Channel 4-er. “Next thing is to reignite the creative flame,” they added, one of many we spoke with who alluded to the need for a refresh of Channel 4 content as the Gogglebox network seeks the next generation of hits. It is broadly assumed that Dogra will hire a new programs boss (incumbent exec, Ian Katz, said as much several months back to staff) once in post. The potential identity of this new occupant has already got UK industry folk talking. Dogra has a tough job. Running a commercial broadcaster in an era of intensified competition and with ad revenues in long-term decline is no mean feat. The former Sky ads chief may also have a combined Sky-ITV entity to contend with, which will create an advertising behemoth with C4 being the big loser in that situation. Dogra will need some mettle.
The Essentials
Rachid Bouchareb at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2025
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival
🌶️ Hot One: U.S. and Japanese producers are circling Rachid Bouchareb’s Reggane, a feature exploring France’s controversial nuclear tests in Algeria’s Sahara Desert.
🌶️ Another One: Rafe Spall is playing a fictional UK prime minister in Steven Moffat’s Number 10 for Channel 4.
🕵️ Investigation: Jake dove deep into the drama behind The Deb, the Rebel Wilson movie that has descended into chaos.
🪓 Breaking Baz: Legendary UK agent Anthony Jones was celebrated by Richard Curtis et al at his retirement do.
🍬 Sweetener: Japan has improved its incentive program for overseas projects.
🏆 Awards: Golden Globes noms day was a mostly Hollywood affair, but Adolescence still managed to score a clean sweep of the acting categories.
♨️ Steamy: Microdrama fans want sexy male leads, not AI-generated actors, according to a study.
🇪🇺 Eurovision: Europe was divided this week amid the fallout from five nations withdrawing in protest at Israel’s place in the song contest.
🗣️ The big interview: We sat down with Manta boss Asher Won, who has been at the forefront of the Hallyu wave that has spread Korean culture around the world.
🏪 Setting up shop: L.A. publisher Gungnir with an animation studio to build “the Cartoon Network of the digital era.”
❌ Closing down: Denmark’s Apple Tree Productions, which made the likes of Equinox and Baby Fever for Netflix.
🏕️ Festival latest: The Rotterdam Film Festival will launch a programme dedicated to supporting stateless and at-risk filmmakers.
🍿 Box office: Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara was named IMDb’s most popular Indian film of 2025.
International Insider was written by Max Goldbart. Zac Ntim contributed and Stewart Clarke edited.
