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WARSAW (Reuters) -American pianist Eric Lu won the top prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Tuesday. The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the President of Poland. "I'm so grateful for this honour. I'm grateful for all the Chopin lovers around the world who watched online and all the audience here in Warsaw. I'm grateful for the jury to bestow me this honour. This is a dream come true," a visibly overwhelmed Lu told reporters in the early hours of Tuesday. In the final, he performed Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy in A-flat major, Op. 61, and Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21. "We worked very hard, and we had a number of very difficult discussions involving our opinions about artistic matters," jury chair Ohlsson said ahead of announcing the winner. "I think we have a fine decision for this year's competition." Lu, 27, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute. He won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 and has performed with the Boston, London and Chicago symphony orchestras, among others. He has released two albums on the Warner Classics label, recording works by Schubert, Chopin, Schumann and Brahms, according to the Chopin Competition's website. The second prize went to Canada's Kevin Chen, while China's Zitong Wang came in third. This year's competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals. The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around October 17, the anniversary of Chopin's death. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Barbara Erling, Chris Thomas; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Sonali Paul)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

WARSAW (Reuters) -American pianist Eric Lu won the top prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Tuesday. The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the President of Poland. "I'm so grateful for this honour. I'm grateful for all the Chopin lovers around the world who watched online and all the audience here in Warsaw. I'm grateful for the jury to bestow me this honour. This is a dream come true," a visibly overwhelmed Lu told reporters in the early hours of Tuesday. In the final, he performed Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy in A-flat major, Op. 61, and Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21. "We worked very hard, and we had a number of very difficult discussions involving our opinions about artistic matters," jury chair Ohlsson said ahead of announcing the winner. "I think we have a fine decision for this year's competition." Lu, 27, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute. He won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 and has performed with the Boston, London and Chicago symphony orchestras, among others. He has released two albums on the Warner Classics label, recording works by Schubert, Chopin, Schumann and Brahms, according to the Chopin Competition's website. The second prize went to Canada's Kevin Chen, while China's Zitong Wang came in third. This year's competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals. The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around October 17, the anniversary of Chopin's death. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Barbara Erling, Chris Thomas; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Sonali Paul)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

WARSAW (Reuters) -American pianist Eric Lu won the top prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Tuesday. The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the President of Poland. "I'm so grateful for this honour. I'm grateful for all the Chopin lovers around the world who watched online and all the audience here in Warsaw. I'm grateful for the jury to bestow me this honour. This is a dream come true," a visibly overwhelmed Lu told reporters in the early hours of Tuesday. In the final, he performed Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy in A-flat major, Op. 61, and Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21. "We worked very hard, and we had a number of very difficult discussions involving our opinions about artistic matters," jury chair Ohlsson said ahead of announcing the winner. "I think we have a fine decision for this year's competition." Lu, 27, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute. He won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 and has performed with the Boston, London and Chicago symphony orchestras, among others. He has released two albums on the Warner Classics label, recording works by Schubert, Chopin, Schumann and Brahms, according to the Chopin Competition's website. The second prize went to Canada's Kevin Chen, while China's Zitong Wang came in third. This year's competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals. The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around October 17, the anniversary of Chopin's death. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Barbara Erling, Chris Thomas; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Sonali Paul)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

WARSAW (Reuters) -American pianist Eric Lu won the top prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Tuesday. The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the President of Poland. The second prize went to Canada's Kevin Chen, while China's Zitong Wang came in third. This year's competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals. The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around October 17, the anniversary of Chopin's death. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Barbara Erling, Chris Thomas; editing by Patricia Reaney)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

WARSAW (Reuters) -American pianist Eric Lu won the top prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Tuesday. The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the President of Poland. The second prize went to Canada's Kevin Chen, while China's Zitong Wang came in third. This year's competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals. The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around October 17, the anniversary of Chopin's death. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Barbara Erling, Chris Thomas; editing by Patricia Reaney)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

WARSAW (Reuters) -American pianist Eric Lu won the top prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Tuesday. The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the President of Poland. The second prize went to Canada's Kevin Chen, while China's Zitong Wang came in third. This year's competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals. The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around October 17, the anniversary of Chopin's death. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Barbara Erling, Chris Thomas; editing by Patricia Reaney)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(This Oct 18 story has been refiled without any changes to the text.) (Reuters) – Broadway actors have reached a tentative agreement to avert a strike that would shut down 32 stage productions as theater attendance approaches its peak season, according to their union. Actors' Equity, a union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, said it reached a tentative, three-year agreement with The Broadway League, the trade association that represents theater owners, producers and operators. However, the producers have yet to reach an agreement with the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, which represents Broadway's musicians, so a strike by that union is still possible. The actors union said it would put its full support behind the musicians union as it works to reach an agreement. Al Vincent Jr., executive director and lead negotiator for Actors' Equity, said that the agreement "saves the Equity-League Health Fund while also making strides in our other priorities including scheduling and physical therapy access". The agreement for the contract has been sent to members for ratification, according to the union. The previous three-year contract ended on September 28. The union had earlier in September threatened to walk off the stage as it had not reached an agreement. A central issue in bargaining had been healthcare and the contribution the Broadway League makes to the union's health care fund. Other sectors of the entertainment industry have been roiled by labor unrest, with Hollywood actors and writers striking in 2023, as they fought for better compensation in the streaming TV era and curbs on the use of artificial intelligence. Video game actors staged a nearly year-long walkout as they sought protections against the use of artificial intelligence, before reaching a tentative agreement with game studios in July. (Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Franklin Paul)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(This Oct 18 story has been refiled without any changes to the text.) (Reuters) – Broadway actors have reached a tentative agreement to avert a strike that would shut down 32 stage productions as theater attendance approaches its peak season, according to their union. Actors' Equity, a union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, said it reached a tentative, three-year agreement with The Broadway League, the trade association that represents theater owners, producers and operators. However, the producers have yet to reach an agreement with the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, which represents Broadway's musicians, so a strike by that union is still possible. The actors union said it would put its full support behind the musicians union as it works to reach an agreement. Al Vincent Jr., executive director and lead negotiator for Actors' Equity, said that the agreement "saves the Equity-League Health Fund while also making strides in our other priorities including scheduling and physical therapy access". The agreement for the contract has been sent to members for ratification, according to the union. The previous three-year contract ended on September 28. The union had earlier in September threatened to walk off the stage as it had not reached an agreement. A central issue in bargaining had been healthcare and the contribution the Broadway League makes to the union's health care fund. Other sectors of the entertainment industry have been roiled by labor unrest, with Hollywood actors and writers striking in 2023, as they fought for better compensation in the streaming TV era and curbs on the use of artificial intelligence. Video game actors staged a nearly year-long walkout as they sought protections against the use of artificial intelligence, before reaching a tentative agreement with game studios in July. (Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Franklin Paul)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Broadway actors have reached a tentative agreement to avert a strike that would shut down 32 stage productions as theater attendance approaches its peak season, according to their union. Actors' Equity, a union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, said it reached a tentative, three-year agreement with The Broadway League, the trade association that represents theater owners, producers and operators. However, the producers have yet to reach an agreement with the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, which represents Broadway's musicians, so a strike by that union is still possible. The actors union said it would put its full support behind the musicians union as it works to reach an agreement. Al Vincent Jr., executive director and lead negotiator for Actors' Equity, said that the agreement "saves the Equity-League Health Fund while also making strides in our other priorities including scheduling and physical therapy access". The agreement for the contract has been sent to members for ratification, according to the union. The previous three-year contract ended on September 28. The union had earlier in September threatened to walk off the stage as it had not reached an agreement. A central issue in bargaining had been healthcare and the contribution the Broadway League makes to the union's health care fund. Other sectors of the entertainment industry have been roiled by labor unrest, with Hollywood actors and writers striking in 2023, as they fought for better compensation in the streaming TV era and curbs on the use of artificial intelligence. Video game actors staged a nearly year-long walkout as they sought protections against the use of artificial intelligence, before reaching a tentative agreement with game studios in July. (Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Franklin Paul)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Paul Sandle, Michael Kahn, Byron Kaye and Dawn Chmielewski LONDON/PRAGUE/SYDNEY/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -"Star Wars: Starfighter" is filming in Britain, soundstages in Hungary are packed and post-production houses in Australia are humming, as the global film industry keeps rolling despite U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed threats to impose tariffs on movies made outside of the United States. Trump has proposed levying a 100% tariff on films produced overseas to stem the loss of film jobs to production hubs around the world, reviving an idea he first broached in May. The initial call for tariffs jolted the film world, and temporarily halted projects and international movie finance deals as producers evaluated the potential impact of the levy on each project’s financial viability, two sources familiar with Hollywood motion-picture financing told Reuters.  This time around, the reaction has been more muted. "Other than the initial flurry of 'Oh, he's said it again,' people are not taking it as seriously as they did the first time around," said Lee Stone, a partner at London law firm Lee & Thompson, who worked on the Emmy-winning Netflix show "Adolescence." Trump initially called for a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country in early May, to stave off the "very fast death" of the American film industry as incentives lured filmmakers to production hubs around the world. The announcement – just weeks before the Cannes Film Festival – caused a panic. "It was terrible timing. Everyone was saying, 'What's going to happen?'" said Stone, noting that Trump's threat resulted in temporary paralysis. "I'm not getting the impression that there's the same pause this time." Newly released data from industry researcher ProdPro reveals that while overall spending is down 15% from last year, amid a pullback in scripted television series and big-budget feature films, there is no evidence that Hollywood is abandoning global production hubs. "We’re not seeing anything in the data that suggests studios are opting to film more of their production in the U.S. because of concern about the tariffs," said ProdPro CEO Alexander LoVerde. The U.S. remains the industry's largest production hub, accounting for $16.6 billion in spending over the last 12 months, according to ProdPro. However, Hollywood studios and streaming services spent even more – $24.3 billion – on film and television projects produced outside the U.S. over that same period,  ProdPro reported, as they took advantage of tax credits, lower labor costs and world-class soundstages. The United Kingdom has become a major beneficiary of the Hollywood exodus, attracting $8.7 billion in film and scripted TV spending over the past year, including major film productions like "Star Wars: Starfighter," the much-buzzed-about next entry in the "Star Wars" saga set for release in May 2027. Canada comes in a close second with $6.4 billion, according to ProdPro's most recent report on production trends. Other regions – Australia, Ireland, Hungary and Spain – together accounted for nearly one-quarter of all production. COVID-19 SUPERCHARGED PRODUCTION EXODUS The COVID-19 pandemic and the Hollywood strikes by U.S. writers and actors supercharged the exodus that began years earlier. "Australia became a bit of a production bubble where particularly in Queensland, productions could continue even as the rest of the world shut down," said University of Melbourne film expert Kirsten Stevens. Prague increased its tax breaks from 20% to 25% in January, while Britain offers relief of 25.5% on qualifying films and TV productions, with a higher rate for animated films and a new credit for smaller independent films. In places like Central Europe, a deep filmmaking tradition and lower labor costs have attracted a long list of Hollywood films including the Russo brothers' "The Gray Man," Netflix's Oscar-winning "All Quiet on the Western Front" in the Czech Republic, and Warner Bros Studios' "Dune: Part Three," which began shooting this summer in Hungary. "Hungarian soundstages are currently operating at full capacity with both international and domestic productions," Csaba Kael, government commissioner for the development of the Hungarian Motion Picture Industry, told Reuters.  Any change in U.S. trade policy would take time to implement, Kael said. Hollywood studios have found that distributing work across multiple locations can accelerate the production timetable, allowing films to be completed faster and cheaper. "It's not uncommon at high-end films that a bunch of work would come to Australia, but a bunch of work also might go to New Zealand and to London and to somewhere else," said Mike Seymour, Emmy-nominated visual effects specialist and lecturer at the University of Sydney. "Sometimes the film is being worked on literally 24 hours a day because of all the time zones," he said. STUDIOS PUSH FOR U.S. TAX INCENTIVES INSTEAD For the moment, it is business as usual for filmmakers, said Stephen Weizenecker, an entertainment lawyer with Barnes & Thornburg in Atlanta. They are hoping to avoid any interruption that throws off the schedule of a production, which can result in actors, directors or even a filming location being unavailable. "The film industry dislikes uncertainty," Weizenecker said. "Once it starts to hesitate, it means a project stops altogether." A coalition of American film industry unions and guilds, joined by veteran actor Jon Voight, has asked Trump to consider implementing a federal tax incentive to put domestic film production on a more competitive footing with incentives offered in other countries. "What we really want is a national tax incentive that would be more effective than any tariffs," one studio executive said. Meanwhile, a bill with bipartisan support, known as the CREATE Act, was introduced in the U.S. Congress this past summer. It would extend a tax deduction for U.S. productions, which is set to expire in December, and increase the cap on deductible costs. The looming threat of tariffs raises concern about the potential impact on the economy and livelihoods in production hubs around the world, if Trump follows through.  "It is hard for anyone here to understand the likelihood of this coming into effect, but if it did, it would have a huge impact," said a visual artist in the industry who declined to be named over fears of losing financing. "It would be devastating." (Reporting by Paul Sandle in London, Mike Kahn in Prague, Byron Kaye in Sydney and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Kenneth Li and Matthew Lewis)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)