74th cannes film festival poster

At first glance, it seems more idyllic than angsty on the island of Nantucket, a tony dollop of sand and clapboard houses 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast. Tourists have returned in force to the cobblestone streets, passing shops and restaurants nestled in the center of a centuries-old town square. Summer is here, and the Covid ordeal is starting to fade into memory. Yet the pandemic is very much with the Nantucket Film Festival , which wrapped its first fully in-person edition since 2019 on Monday. Like a couple dozen other well-established regional fests across the U.S., Nantucket is navigating the most challenging operating environment in its 27 years of existence. Today, it announced its annual slate of awards, topped by the Feature Film Audience Award winner, It Ain’t Over . Director Sean Mullin named his film after one of the enduring and eccentric aphorisms of late New York Yankees great Yogi Berra. While Yogi’s rallying cry holds true for the dozens of film … [Read more...] about Nantucket Film Festival Wraps 27th Edition, Joining Other Regional Fests In Navigating Pandemic Comeback Challenges

While Covid cases begin to surge again in Hollywood, it’s a different story nearly 6,000 miles away as the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicked off with a bang on Friday night. The prominent Central European festival showed no sign that the pandemic was going to mar yet another edition of the much-loved event as delegates packed into the Hotel Thermal’s Grand Hall for its opening night ceremony and opening night film Superheroes , from Italian director Paolo Genovese. The 56th edition of the event opened with an unexpected announcement, asking audience members to turn off their phones and start recording as a huge QR code saying “Scan Me” was unveiled on the screen. Delegates were able to watch festival dancers online on their mobile devices via the QR code before they descended onto the stage with an energetic and well-choreographed dance number featuring dramatic flames of fire exploding upwards at the front of the stage. It was a fitting opening for … [Read more...] about Karlovy Vary Int’l Film Festival Heats Up With Opening Night Gala & Paolo Genovese’s Relationship Drama ‘Superheroes’

The Jerusalem Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its Israeli feature film competition as well as all the other local productions selected to screen in its 39th edition, running 21-31. The event returns to its traditional July dates for the first time since 2019 this year, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced it online in 2020 and pushed it into August and prevented it from inviting international guests in 2021. This edition is being piloted by Jerusalem Cinematheque manager Roni Mahadav-Levin and artistic director Elad Samorzik, following the departure earlier this year of longtime cinematheque and festival director Noa Regev to head up the Israel Film Fund. Her replacement will be decided after this year’s edition. World premieres in the Israeli competition include Michal Vinik’s drama Valeria Is Getting Married about two Ukrainian sisters who travel to Israel for marriage.  It is Vinik’s first solo feature since 2015 festival breakout Blush . Yona … [Read more...] about Jerusalem Film Festival Unveils Israeli Competition As It Gears Up For First Full Edition Since 2019

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1-9) will open this Friday with Italian director Paolo Genovese’s relationship drama Superheroes and close with George Miller’s Cannes title Three Thousand Years of Longin g, it has revealed in a final pre-kick-off announcement. Alessandro Borghi and Jasmine Trinca co-star in Genovese’s romance exploring the high and lows of the relationship between a comic book illustrator and theoretical physicist It is the 11th feature of Genovese, who is best known internationally for his 2016 couple comedy-drama Perfect Strangers which was hit at home and went on to be adapted for multiple territories. Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing – starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba – world premiered out of competition at Cannes last May. The festival also revealed that US actor and director Liev Schreiber and former Cannes Marché du Film head Jerôme Paillard will be guests this year.  Other previously announced … [Read more...] about Liev Schreiber Heads To Karlovy Vary, Festival Announces Opening And Closing Films

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has appointed former arthouse sales agent Julien Rejl as its new delegate general and tweaked its French name in a move to usher in a new era of inclusivity for the 60-year-old parallel sidebar. Rejl replaces outgoing Directors’ Fortnight head Paolo Moretti who took up the role in September 2018, succeeding Edouard Waintrop who oversaw the section from 2012-2018. France’s Directors’ Guild, or Société des Réalisateurs de Films (SRF), the body which oversees the sidebar, said his appointment had been voted on during a general assembly on June 25. “His absolute passion, which is communicative, constructive and pluralist is what arthouse filmmakers will need in the years to come,” it said in a statement. It added that the organisation had also voted to change its French name to La Quinzaine des Cinéastes, from its previous name of La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the meeting. This move makes its banner title more gender-inclusive because the … [Read more...] about Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Appoints New Delegate General, Changes Name In Bid To Be More Inclusive

Sarah Elizabeth Mintz moved back to New York this month after a seven-year stint in Los Angeles while she was working out Good Girl Jane , her debut feature that just landed with a splash, winning Best Narrative Film at the Tribeca Festival as well as Best Actress for star Rain Spencer. In a conversation with Deadline, Mintz describes the long path and motivation behind the drama of teenage alienation and addiction inspired by her real-life freshman year in high school. “Substance abuse carries a lot of shame a lot of misconception,” she said. “What mattered was to shed some light on the isolation I felt. I know that had I seen that type of isolation on the screen, it would truly have affected me, made me feel less alone.” The film follows lonely L.A. teenager Jane (Spencer), struggling to fit in at a new school after being bullied in the old one and reeling from the fallout of her parents’ recent divorce. She falls in with a druggy crowd and is smitten with their … [Read more...] about ‘Good Girl Jane’ Director Sarah Elizabeth Mintz On Tribeca Festival Win, Teenage Alienation And Mentor Joachim Trier

"We filmmakers make many big budget movies to tell about the freedom struggle, about the Mughal rule and our history, but there is another field where India's achievements are appreciated and we don't talk about, that is science and technology. There are many heroes of this field in our country and I think it is very important to talk about them", says the actor, producer and director of upcoming film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect . R Madhavan has also written the screenplay of this film. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is all set to hit the theatres on July 1. It is based on the life of former ISRO scientist and aerospace engineer Nambi Narayanan. The film premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where it was well received by the viewers. Ahead of the release of the film, Madhavan had a special interaction with the media, where he spoke in detail about his directorial debut, his process of selecting scripts and also about the popularity of Rehnaa Hai Tere Terre … [Read more...] about INTERVIEW! R Madhavan: I Am An Outsider But I Can Say That There Are A Lot Of Good People In The Film Industry

Richa Chadha feels she was 'MISUSED' in Aishwarya Rai starrer 'Sarbjit' !। FilmiBeat Richa Chadha is one talented actress and is popular for her roles in films like Masaan, Gangs Of Wasseypur and Fukrey. The actress will be next seen in Daas Dev alongside Aditi Rao Hydari and while promoting the film, she opened up about if she feels bad that despite being talented, mainstream filmmakers are not collaborating with her enough for a protagonist's role? While answering Richa Chadha gave examples of her two films - Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh starrer Ram Leela and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-Randeep Hooda starrer Sarbjit and the actress is clearly miffed with Sarbjit director. Read on to know why she said she felt misused in the film. Richa Isn't Miffed With Mr Bhansali "Look, if the producer is looking for a business of Rs 100 crore from a film, they need a star like Deepika Padukone to pull it off and it is purely a professional reason. I am okay with all … [Read more...] about Richa Chadha Regrets Signing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Sarbjit; Says She Felt Misused In The Film

In a robust year for international animation—with a record eight Japanese films on the Oscars shortlist—Mamoru Hosoda brought a most personal project to Cannes, trying for a historic first. The first Japanese anime to premiere at the prestigious French festival—and the Directors’ Fortnight’s sole animated entry this year— Mirai was ambitious, taking as its protagonist a four-year-old boy. Undoubtedly, small children have featured into many an animated film over the years. It’s the way children are handled, though, that sets Mirai apart, in its approach and the level of complexity at hand. As a point of comparison, Hosoda references The Boss Baby , a 2017 film starring Alec Baldwin as a briefcase-carrying tot in professional dress. “Boss Baby is a character. He’s not really a baby, because it’s an old man [playing] the baby,” the director reflects. “I really wanted a realistic four-year-old as the main character, and we really had a challenging time because it’s about the way … [Read more...] about Mourning Loss Of Paint-And-Paper Anime, ‘Mirai’ Director Attempts Animated First With Four-Year-Old Protagonist

The San Sebastian Film Festival will fete Canadian director and screenwriter David Cronenberg with its prestigious Donostia Award at the 70th edition, running 16-24 September. The filmmaker will receive the career achievement prize on September 21 at a ceremony in the festival’s main Victoria Eugenia Theatre, followed by a gala screening of controversial Cannes 2022 Palme d’Or contender Crimes of the Future . The body horror thriller – starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart – divided spectators in Cannes, prompting both walk-outs and a six-minute ovation. Cronenberg has only attended San Sebastian once before in his career with Eastern Promises , which was the opening film in 2007. Previous filmmakers to have received the Donostia Award include Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Agnès Varda, Hirokazu Koreeda and Costa-Gavras. French actress Juliette Binoche will also be honored with a Donostia Award this year. … [Read more...] about San Sebastian To Honor David Cronenberg With Donostia Award