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    “King Richard” named closing night film for AFI Fest

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    Will Smith (l-r) as Richard Williams, Demi Singleton as Serena Williams and Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams in a scene from “King Richard.” (photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
    LOS ANGELES --

    The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that AFI Fest 2021 will close with Warner Bros. Pictures’ King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green with cinematography by Robert Elswit (AFI Class of 1977) and starring two-time Academy Award® nominee Will Smith. Written by Zach Baylin and produced by Tim White and Trevor White’s Star Thrower Entertainment and Smith’s own banner, Westbrook, the film follows Richard Williams, an undeterred father who, with the support of his family, is instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams. The closing night screening will take place on Sunday, November 14 at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.

    “AFI’s mission includes inspiring audiences, and King Richard sets the bar for this year,” said Sarah Harris, director of programming at AFI Festivals. “Movies often deliver when we need them most, and now is the perfect time for this film to remind young people that nothing is out of reach, and that with perseverance and determination they can influence future generations.”

    The cast includes Smith, Aunjanue Ellis who plays the girls’ mom, Oracene “Brandy” Williams, Saniyya Sidney who stars as Venus Williams and Demi Singleton who portrays Serena Williams, with Tony Goldwyn as coach Paul Cohen and Jon Bernthal as coach Rick Macci. The ensemble also includes Andy Bean, Kevin Dunn and Craig Tate.

    Isha Price, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Adam Merims, Lynn Harris, Allan Mandelbaum, Jon Mone and Peter Dodd served as the executive producers.

    King Richard will be released in U.S. theaters and on HBO Max via the Ad-Free plan on November 19, 2021; it will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

    AFI Fest 2021 runs from Nov. 10-14 in Los Angeles. The world premiere of Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM! directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda will open the festival.

    This year’s hybrid festival will feature both in-person screenings and events, as well as virtual screenings, showcasing transformative stories from groundbreaking artists, and a gala event celebrating AFI Life Achievement honoree Julie Andrews.

    With health and safety being top priority, AFI Fest 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.

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    Tags:AFI FestKing RichardWarner Bros. Pictures



    EU accuses TikTok of “addictive design” that harms children, seeks changes to protect users

    Friday, February 6, 2026
    The icon for the TikTok video sharing app is seen on a smartphone in Marple Township, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

    The European Union on Friday accused TikTok of breaching the bloc's digital rules with "addictive design" features that lead to compulsive use by children, in preliminary charges that strike at the heart of the popular video sharing app's operating model.

    EU regulators said their two-year investigation found that TikTok hasn't done enough to assess how features such as autoplay and infinite scroll could harm the physical and mental health of users, including minors and "vulnerable adults."

    The European Commission said it believes TikTok should change the "basic design" of its service. The commission is the EU's executive arm and enforcer of the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act, a sweeping rulebook that requires social media companies to clean up their platforms and protect users, under threat of hefty fines.

    TikTok denied the accusations.

    "The Commission's preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings through every means available to us," the company said in a statement.

    TikTok's features including infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommender systems "lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing," Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said at a press briefing in Brussels.

    "The measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough," he said.

    The company now has a chance to defend itself and reply to the commission's findings. Regnier said "if they don't do this properly," Brussels could issue a so-called non-compliance decision and possible fine worth up to 6% of... Read More

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