Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said on Thursday that Formula One would undergo “significant change” in 2026 as the team unveiled their new car.
The British-based outfit dominated the sport from 2014 to 2021, winning eight constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships.
But they were overtaken by Red Bull and McLaren after the previous set of new rules was introduced in 2022.
Fresh chassis and engine regulations are being introduced this season in a major shake-up in the sport.
Mercedes, with Briton George Russell and Italian Kimi Antonelli at the wheel, have been tipped to set the pace.
The team released digital images of their new W17 car on Thursday, describing the 2026 season as “the biggest technical shake-up in the sport’s history”.
The W17 is smaller, narrower, and lighter than its predecessor.
“Formula One will undergo significant change in 2026, and we are prepared for that transition,” said team principal Wolff.
“The new regulations demand innovation and absolute focus across every area of performance.”
Pre-season testing starts next week behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with further testing in Bahrain ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on March 8. (JapanToday)
Fifth seed Elena Rybakina defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a gripping three-set final to capture the Australian Open women’s singles crown.
The 26-year-old Kazakh, born in Moscow, secured a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory at Rod Laver Arena, marking her second Grand Slam title and her first Australian Open triumph.
Rybakina took control early, breaking Sabalenka in the opening game and closing the first set 6-4 in just 37 minutes.
“Serving at 4-3, the 26-year-old Rybakina saved two break points: the first with an ace, and the second with a 182km/h serve out wide that foiled Sabalenka,” observers noted.
After claiming the set, Rybakina celebrated with a small fist pump, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle.
The world number one responded in the second set, winning 6-4 to force a decisive final set. “Sabalenka certainly hoped so, and was eager to preserve her streak of avoiding straight-sets losses at majors since the 2020 US Open,” match reports highlighted.
Both players delivered intense baseline rallies and net exchanges, refusing to yield on serve, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
Rybakina dominated the third set 6-4, overcoming an early 0-40 deficit at 5-6 to clinch the match. She sealed her victory with a championship point ace as Rod Laver Arena erupted in applause.
“It was a battle,” Rybakina said after the match. “I’m really proud. It’s really a Happy Slam.”
The win makes Rybakina just the sixth player in the Open Era to win her first two majors on grass and hard court, joining Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, and Venus Williams. She is also the first to claim the Australian Open women’s singles title by defeating three top 10 players since Naomi Osaka in 2019.
Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022, received the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup from former champion Jennifer Capriati.
“I’m really glad that we achieved this result … hopefully we can keep on going strong this year,” she said, acknowledging her coaching and support team.
The players embraced at the net after the final point. “I know it’s tough, but I just hope that we’re going to play many more finals together,” Rybakina said of Sabalenka.
Sabalenka, gracious in defeat, congratulated her opponent: “I want [to] congratulate you on an incredible run, incredible tennis. Let’s hope that next year, Daphne [is] going to be ours, right?” (Punch)
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI have killed a top Islamic State West Africa Province commander and foiled criminal operations, the force said on Saturday.
The force in a statement signed by Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, revealed that the top ISWAP commander was killed in Borno State.
“Intelligence has confirmed the killing of Julaibib, a top ISWAP commander operating within the Gujba axis of the Timbuktu Triangle, during an encounter around Kimba, Damboa LGA of Borno State on 30 January 2026.
“The elimination of the terrorist leader has thrown ISWAP elements in the area into disarray, with several fighters reportedly neutralised during the operation. This impressive development represents a major blow to the command and control structure of ISWAP in the region,” the statement said.
The troops further revealed that, working with the Civilian Joint Task Force, they neutralised three terrorists during an ambush between Ngazalgana and Lamusheri communities in Borno State.
The statement said, “Troops tactically laid an ambush along the identified route and engaged the terrorists with effective firepower, resulting in the neutralisation of three insurgents, while others fled with gunshot injuries. Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from the scene.”
On 29 January, troops deployed in an ambush at Tsokorok, Gwoza LGA, engaged BH/ISWAP terrorists, forcing them to withdraw. “One terrorist was neutralised, with no casualties recorded on the side of the troops. Two motorcycles were recovered from the scene,” the statement said.
The Joint Task Force also reported successes in Adamawa State. Troops responded to a distress call from Barama community, Mubi North LGA, on 29 January, foiling an armed robbery attempt.
“Two armed robbery suspects attempting to attack a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, were arrested. One suspect sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh and was evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Mubi, for treatment.
“Items recovered include three cutlasses, two laptops, four mobile phones, and one power bank. The suspects were subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation,” the statement said.
Earlier, on 28 January, troops and local vigilantes conducted a patrol along the Amtasa–Washim axis in Hong LGA.
“During the patrol, troops made contact with terrorists and engaged them with a high volume of fire, forcing the terrorists to withdraw in disarray.
“The patrol team also rescued a woman abducted by the terrorists and recovered one AK-47 rifle (Reg. No. 2056792) with 2 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one SMG rifle, and 42 rounds of assorted ammunition,” the statement said.
The statement added that the general security situation across the theatre remains stable, with OPHK committed “to protect lives and property, dismantle terrorist networks, and work with local communities and security critical stakeholders to restore lasting peace and economic stability across the North-East region.” (Punch)
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the alliance between Tokyo and Washington would collapse if Japan failed to act in the event of an attack on the U.S. military during a conflict in Taiwan.
Detailing the Japanese response to a hypothetical Taiwan crisis, Takaichi appeared to dial back on her remarks in November that suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily during a potential attack on the island.
That comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the democratic island as its own territory.
Ahead of a snap election in February, Takaichi was asked during a news program Monday about her remarks in November that suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily during a potential attack on Taiwan.
Takaichi pointed out that in the event of conflict, Japan and the United States might jointly conduct an evacuation operation to rescue Japanese and American nationals.
“If the U.S. military, acting jointly with Japan, comes under attack and Japan does nothing and runs home, the Japan-U.S. alliance will collapse,” she said on the TV Asahi program.
“If something serious happens there, we would have to go to rescue the Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan. In that situation, there may be cases where Japan and the U.S. take joint action,” the prime minister said.
She added: “We will respond strictly within the bounds of the law, making a comprehensive judgment based on the circumstances.”
In the wake of Takaichi’s comments in November, China has discouraged its nationals from traveling to Japan, citing deteriorating public security and criminal acts against Chinese nationals in the country.
Beijing is reportedly also choking off exports to Japan of rare-earth products crucial for making everything from electric cars to missiles. (JapanToday)
Cher Horowitz fans, rejoice: Amy Heckerling’s 1995 teen comedy is one of 25 classic movies chosen this year by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry.
And if “Clueless” wasn’t your jam — whatever! — maybe this will send you deep into your dreams: Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending “Inception” is in the mix. Other films chosen for preservation include “The Karate Kid,” “Glory,” “Philadelphia,” “Before Sunrise,” “The Incredibles” and “Frida.” There are four documentaries, including “Brooklyn Bridge” by Ken Burns. From old Hollywood, there’s the 1954 musical “White Christmas,” and the 1956 “High Society,” Grace Kelly’s last movie before marrying into royalty.
Since 1988, the Library of Congress has selected 25 movies each year for preservation due to their “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance.” The films must be at least 10 years old.
The oldest of the 2025 picks dates from 1896, filmmaker William Selig’s “The Tramp and the Dog.” The newest of the group is from 2014: Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which, the registry noted, involved “meticulous historical research at the Library of Congress to create visually striking scenery.”
Turner Classic Movies will host a TV special March 19 to screen a selection of the films.
“The Tramp and the Dog” (1896): Once deemed lost, but discovered in 2021 at the National Library of Norway, Selig’s silent film tells the story of a tramp who tries to steal a pie from a backyard windowsill — and is foiled by a dog. The registry notes it’s an early example of “pants humor” — “where a character loses (or almost loses) its pants during an altercation.”
“The Maid of McMillan” (1916): This 15-minute silent film, a “whimsical silent romance” shot by students at a drama club at Washington University in St. Louis, tells the story of the track team captain, Jack, who’s in love with Myrtle, “a pretty coed,” according to the university’s library. It is known, the registry says, as the first student film on record.
“Ten Nights in a Barroom” (1926): A silent film featuring an all-Black cast, it’s based on a stage melodrama adapted from “Ten Nights in a Bar-room and What I Saw There,” an 1854 “temperance novel” written to discourage readers from drinking alcohol.
“High Society” (1956): In what the registry calls “the last great musical of the Golden Age of Hollywood,” Bing Crosby appeared with Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly, in her last movie before retiring and marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco. Louis Armstrong appeared with his band. Kelly wore her Cartier engagement ring during filming, the registry notes.
“Brooklyn Bridge” (1981): Ken Burns’ first documentary broadcast on PBS, in which the filmmaker recounted the building of the iconic landmark. “More than just a filmmaker, Burns has become a trusted public historian,” the registry says.
“The Big Chill” (1983): Lawrence Kasdan’s era-defining story of a group of friends reuniting after a suicide features Glenn Close, William Hurt, JoBeth Williams, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum and Meg Tilly in an ensemble that “portrays American stereotypes of the time — the yuppie, the drug dealer, the TV star — and deftly humanizes them.”
“The Karate Kid (1984): The first film in the franchise, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, is “as American as they come,” the registry says — “a hero’s journey, a sports movie and a teen movie — a feel-good movie, but not without grit.”
“Glory” (1989): Denzel Washington won an Oscar as Private Trip in this story of the 54th Regiment, a unit of Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The cast also included Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes and Andre Braugher.
“Philadelphia” (1993): Tom Hanks starred — and won an Oscar — in one of the first big studio movies to confront the HIV/AIDS crisis. The film is also known for Bruce Springsteen’s Oscar-winning song, “The Streets of Philadelphia.”
“Before Sunrise” (1995): The first film of Richard Linklater’s deeply romantic “Before” trilogy, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The registry notes Linklater’s “innovative use of time as a defining and recurring cinematic tool.”
“Clueless” (1995): Heckerling’s teen comedy, starring Alicia Silverstone, was a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” and forever enshrined the phrase “As if!” into popular culture. The registry hails “its peak-1990s colorful, high-energy, soundtrack-focused on-screen dynamism.”
“The Wrecking Crew” (2008): Danny Tedesco’s documentary — not to be confused with the 2026 buddy cop movie of the same name — looks at a group of Los Angeles studio musicians who played on hit songs of the ‘60s and ’70s like “California Dreamin’” and “The Beat Goes On.”
“Inception” (2010): In a movie that asks whether it’s possible to influence a person’s thoughts by manipulating their dreams, Nolan “once again challenges audiences with multiple interconnected narrative layers while delivering thrilling action sequences and stunning visual effects.” (JapanToday)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments about European troops staying off the front lines in Afghanistan insulting and appalling, joining a chorus of criticism from other European officials and veterans.
“I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling, and I’m not surprised they’ve caused such hurt for the loved ones of those who were killed or injured,” Starmer told reporters.
When asked whether he would demand an apology from the U.S. leader, Starmer said: “If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologize.”
Britain lost 457 service personnel killed in Afghanistan, its deadliest overseas war since the 1950s. For several of the war’s most intense years it led the allied campaign in Helmand, Afghanistan’s biggest and most violent province, while also fighting as the main U.S. battlefield ally in Iraq.
Starmer’s remarks were notably strong coming from a leader who has tended to avoid direct criticism of Trump in public.
Trump told Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” on Thursday the United States had “never needed” the transatlantic alliance and accused allies of staying “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.
His remarks added to already strained relations with European allies after he used the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos to again signal his interest in acquiring Greenland.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel condemned Trump’s remarks on Afghanistan, calling them untrue and disrespectful.
Britain’s Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan, also weighed in. “Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect,” he said in a statement.
“We expect an apology for this statement,” Roman Polko, a retired Polish general and former special forces commander who also served in Afghanistan and Iraq, told Reuters in an interview.
Trump has “crossed a red line”, he added. “We paid with blood for this alliance. We truly sacrificed our own lives.”
Britain’s veterans minister, Alistair Carns, whose own military service included five tours including alongside American troops in Afghanistan, called Trump’s claims “utterly ridiculous”.
“We shed blood, sweat and tears together. Not everybody came home,” he said in a video posted on X.
Richard Moore, the former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service, said he, like many MI6 officers, had operated in dangerous environments with “brave and highly esteemed” CIA counterparts and had been proud to do so with Britain’s closest ally.
Under NATO’s founding treaty, members are bound by a collective-defense clause, Article 5, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
It has been invoked only once – after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, when allies pledged to support the United States. For most of the war in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led force there was under NATO command.
Some politicians noted that Trump had avoided the draft for the Vietnam War, citing bone spurs in his feet.
“Trump avoided military service 5 times,” Ed Davey, leader of Britain’s centrist Liberal Democrats, wrote on X. “How dare he question their sacrifice.”
Poland’s sacrifice “will never be forgotten and must not be diminished”, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Trump’s comments were “ignorant”, said Rasmus Jarlov, an opposition Conservative Party member of Denmark’s parliament.
In addition to the British deaths, more than 150 Canadians were killed in Afghanistan, along with 90 French service personnel and scores from Germany, Italy and other countries. Denmark – now under heavy pressure from Trump to transfer its semi-autonomous region of Greenland to the U.S. – lost 44 troops, one of NATO’s highest per-capita death rates.
The United States lost about 2,460 troops in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, a figure on par per capita with those of Britain and Denmark. (JapanToday)
A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, local and federal officials said, the second such incident this month during a surge in immigration enforcement in the northern U.S. city that residents and local politicians have fiercely protested.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the Border Patrol agent fired in defense after attempting to disarm a man local police said was a U.S. citizen. Federal officials said the man who was shot approached them with a handgun and two magazines.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official leading local operations, said at a press conference. He said his agents had been searching for an immigrant before the shooting. Bovino did not provide details of what led to the shooting, which he said was being investigated.
Tensions are rising between Democratic state and local officials who say the presence of thousands of immigration agents has made the Minneapolis area less safe, and President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders, who accuse Democrats of fanning opposition and failing to protect immigration agents.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the man killed on Saturday was a 37-year-old city resident and a lawful gun owner with no criminal record other than traffic violations. O’Hara did not release the man’s name.
A video circulating on social media and aired on cable news stations showed people wearing masks and tactical vests wrestling with a man on a snow-covered street before shots are heard. In the video, the man falls to the ground, and several more shots are heard.
Video from the area later showed armed and masked agents deploying tear gas on a growing crowd of protesters, who chanted “shame” and called them “traitors.”
Local and state police arrived to face off against the crowd as federal agents left the scene.
O’Hara asked people to avoid the area and said the site of the shooting was a “volatile scene.”
“Please do not destroy our city,” he said.
The nearby Minneapolis Institute of Art said it had closed for the day due to safety concerns.
Hours later, after federal agents appeared to have left the scene, the situation appeared to have calmed, though chanting protesters remained in the area.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for an immediate end to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the state.
“How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Frey said at a press conference.
The state’s governor and two U.S. senators also called for federal agents to leave.
Trump, who has been briefed on the shooting, according to a White House official, accused local elected officials of stirring up opposition.
“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” he wrote on social media.
The shooting came one day after more than 10,000 people took to the frigid streets to protest the presence of the 3,000 federal agents who have been ordered to the state by Trump.
Residents have been angered by several incidents, including the killing of U.S. citizen Renee Good, the detention of a U.S. citizen who was taken from his home in his shorts, and the detention of school children, including a 5-year-old boy.
Vice President JD Vance, who visited Minneapolis on Thursday, posted on social media Saturday that ICE agents wanted to work with local law enforcement “so that situations on the ground didn’t get out of hand. The local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to answer those requests.” (JapanToday)
Netflix has never been against putting its movies in theaters, according to the streamer’s top execs — but before it agreed to buy Warner Bros., it was too busy managing the fast-growing streaming business.
Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, speaking on the company’s Q4 2025 earnings interview, said the company had in the past internally debated whether or not to launch a business to distribute original Netflix films in theaters. But that always fell short of Netflix’s priorities list as the streaming side of the company continued to grow quickly.
Of course, the perception that Netflix doesn’t think theatrical is a great business was crystallized by Sarandos’ comments last year that moviegoing was “outmoded.” At the Time100 Summit in April 2025, Sarandos called the communal moviegoing experience “an outmoded idea.”
But that was then, and this is now, Sarandos told analysts Tuesday. “We were not in the theatrical business when I made those observations,” Sarandos said. “Remember, I’ve said it many times, this is a business, not a religion. So conditions change. Insights change. And we have a culture that we reevaluate things when they do.” He called out Netflix’s prior “pivots” around advertising, sports rights and live events — areas the company had previously said it had no interest in developing.
According to Sarandos, “we debated many times over the years whether we should build a theatrical distribution engine or not. And in a world of priority-setting and constrained resources, it just didn’t make the priority cut.”
When the WB deal closes, he said, “We will have the benefit of a scaled, world-class theatrical distribution business with more than $4 billion of global box office. And we’re excited to maintain it and further strengthen that business.” Sarandos, as part of his campaign to win over opponents to the megadeal, has committed to keeping Warner Bros. movies in a 45-day theatrical window.
Netflix’s default position going into talks with Warner Bros. Discovery was that “we were not buyers,” Sarandos said. “We went into this though with our eyes open, and our minds open. And when we got into, we both [Sarandos and Peters] got very excited about this amazing opportunity.”
Peters said that, based on Netflix’s film output deals, it already knew that the theatrical model is an “effective complement to the streaming model.” But when it came to recurring the question of building a theatrical distribution business, he said, “we were busy investing in other areas.”
Netflix has seen upside from special event releases of its originals in movie theaters, including the New Year’s Eve run of the “Stranger Things 5” finale (which generated more than $25 million at the box office) and the company’s limited runs of smash hit “KPop Demon Hunters.”
According to Netflix CFO Spence Neumann, the company sees the WB deal as an accelerant to its existing business. Roughly 85% of the revenue of the combined Netflix-WB, on a pro-forma basis, will come from the core streaming business with the added benefit of the Warner Bros. films and TV studios, he said.
Earlier Tuesday, Netflix announced it was switching the $83 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and HBO Max streaming business to an all-cash offer. That was driven by pressure from Paramount Skydance, which has been pursuing a hostile takeover attempt of Warner Bros. Discovery with what it alleges is a superior deal for WBD shareholders. Netflix and WBD expect the transaction to close in 12-18 months, but right now it’s unclear how much resistance the deal with face from regulators. (Variety)
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has warned Sheikh Ahmed Gumi and others sympathetic to terrorists and bandits to stop their subversive endeavour, saying, “a friend of a thief is a thief.”
Musa cautioned against providing overt or covert support to criminal elements seeking to destabilise the country.
Speaking yesterday during an official visit to Maiduguri, the minister said those engaged in acts of terrorism and banditry did not represent any form of regional, ethnic, or religious brotherhood.
The warning came as the Nigerian Army said it had taken a significant step towards strengthening its manpower development and national security framework with the construction of a new training depot at Amasiri-Edda, located within Afikpo and Edda local government areas of Ebonyi State.
In another development, Poland identified Nigeria as a key pillar of stability in West Africa, acknowledging the decisive role played by the Nigerian Armed Forces in counter-insurgency operations and regional security initiatives.
Musa explained that his remarks were deliberate and purposeful, not merely symbolic. He stressed that Nigerians must refrain from supporting or justifying criminal activities in any form.
He said the warning directly responded to narratives previously advanced by Sheikh Gumi, who had referred to bandits hiding in forests as “our brothers” and suggested that society could not function without them.
Musa made a distinction between compassion and complicity, stating that while empathy for fellow citizens is important, excusing or normalising terrorism only emboldens criminal networks.
He said the criminal groups had ravaged communities, displaced thousands of families, and claimed countless innocent lives across the country.
He emphasised that portraying bandits as “brothers” neither reduced violence nor promoted peace; rather, it legitimised criminal behaviour and undermined ongoing national security efforts.
The defence minister warned that terrorism did not thrive on weapons alone but also on moral and rhetorical cover.
He stressed that individuals, who defended, excused, or shielded criminals—whether through words, influence, or silence—must recognise that they shared responsibility for the consequences of such actions.
Musa stated that Nigeria could not defeat terrorism and banditry while dangerous narratives blurred the line between victims and perpetrators. (ThisDay)
The horror film “Sinners” by Ryan Coogler broke Oscar history by earning a total 16 Oscar nominations on Thursday for the 98th Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 15. The previous record of 14 had been held by “All About Eve,” “Titantic” and “La La Land.”
The nominations were additionally notable as horror films tend to be excluded from Oscar honors.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film features actor Michael B. Jordan in a dual role of twin brothers who face supernatural forces in the southern US of the Jim Crow era.
“Sinners” is considered a frontrunner in the best picture category. It will also compete for best director, best screenplay, best lead actor, and best original song, among others.
A total of 10 films were nominated for the best picture Oscar on Thursday. In addition to “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another” and “Sentimental Value” are also seen as strong contenders.
The latter, “Sentimental Value,” a family drama, recently swept the European Film Awards.
The other best picture nominees are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” and “Train Dreams.” The films were selected out of 201 contenders.
“One Battle After Another,” a father-daughter revolutionary saga, placed second for total nominations, with a total of 13 nods that included best director (Paul Thomas Anderson) and four best actor awards.
Alongside Coogler and Anderson, the other contenders for best director are Chloe Zhao (“Hamnet”), Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”) and Joachim Trier (“Sentimental Value”).
Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan and Wagner Moura all received nominations for best actor in a leading role, while Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Renate Reinsve and Emma Stone were nominated in the leading actress category.
Best casting, the first new category to be added to the Oscars in 25 years, highlights the work of selecting actors for a film. Five films received nominations, including “Sinners.”
The animated musical smash hit “KPop Demon Hunters” received nods for best animated film, where it is considered the favorite, and for best original song for the earworm “Golden.” The film was released on Netflix — and went on to break the streaming platform’s all-time viewing record — but qualified for the Oscars based on a limited sing-along release in theaters.
Meanwhile, on the international front, films from Brazil (“The Secret Agent”), France (“It was Just an Accident”), Norway (“Sentimental Value”), Spain (“Sirat”) and Tunisia (“The Voice of Hind Rajab”) made it to the final for the best international feature film award.
Germany’s entry to the competition, “Sound of Falling,” did not make it to the final.
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