In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, honoree Martin Scorsese attends the Friars Club Entertainment Icon Award ceremony in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Martin Scorsese's "Silence," a historical drama about faith in feudal Japan, will open in time to qualify for the Academy Awards.
Paramount Pictures said Monday that "Silence" will open in limited release Dec. 23 with a nationwide expansion to follow sometime in January.
Whether the film, a decades-long passion project for Scorsese, would be ready in time for release this year had been a major question mark in Hollywood's awards season. Scorsese's last two feature films, "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Hugo," collected a total of 16 Oscar nominations.
"Silence," which stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson, is based on Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel. It's about two Portuguese Jesuit missionaries traveling to 17th-century Japan to spread Christianity and find their missing mentor.
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
