The Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic “On the Basis of Sex” (Participant Media) is having its world premiere at the 32nd AFI Fest in Los Angeles.
The American Film Institute says the film starring Felicity Jones as the Supreme Court Justice will open the festival at the TCL Chinese Theater on November 8.
Mimi Leder directed “On the Basis of Sex,” which follows Ginsburg’s early years as a young lawyer before her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Leder was also a groundbreaker in her own field as one of the first women admitted to the AFI Conservatory.
“On the Basis of Sex” will open in theaters nationwide on December 25. It’s the second high-profile film this year about Ginsburg, following the acclaimed documentary “RBG.”
Meanwhile closing the AFI Fest will be the world premiere of “Mary Queen of Scots” (Focus Features, Working Title).
Directed by Josie Rourke and written by Academy Award® nominee Beau Willimon, the historical drama is based on John Guy’s biography, “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart.” The film stars Academy Award® nominees Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, along with Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, Martin Compston, Ismael Cordova, Brendan Coyle, Ian Hart, Adrian Lester, James McArdle, David Tennant and Guy Pearce.
The closing night gala will take place on November 15 at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More