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☆ Cate Blanchett says at Cannes Film Festival that she's 'always trying to get out of acting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —She’s one of the most celebrated actors of her generation, but Cate Blanchett wants to branch out even more into other filmmaking pursuits. “I’m always trying to get out of acting,” she said at the Cannes Film Festival this week during a conversation with Variety’s Chief Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister. “I’ve been trying to stop acting my entire professional life.”The two-time Oscar-winner was at the ritzy French cinema fest to present her new film, “The New Boy,” which premiered on Friday, a film she stars in and also produced. Blanchett also mentioned how on her 2020 FX miniseries “Mrs. “I realize that I’m the only woman in the cast…there are 62 men, and yep, I’m the only woman.

☆ Cate Blanchett dons habit in Australian director's conversion tale
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Newcomer Aswan Reid plays the titular 9-year-old New Boy in the film by Warwick Thornton based on his own experience of walking into a church for the first time at the age of 11. "That's a genesis for a great movie," Thornton told Reuters on Saturday, before joking: "You know, written by child and directed by a grumpy old man is probably how it worked." Blanchett's nun sets about trying to convert the boy, who can seemingly heal wounds with his touch and starts bleeding from his palms, in a magical-realist conflict of spirituality. Deborah Mailman, who plays another nun, told Reuters that the film helps viewers understand the emotional gravitas of colonization: "It actually emotionally pushes you to that point of going, 'This is what it is, this is what happened.'" Reporting by Alicia Powell Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Scorsese's eagerly awaited 'Killers of the Flower Moon' premieres at Cannes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/7] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Killers of the Flower Moon" Out of Competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 20, 2023. Cast members Tantoo Cardinal, Leonardo... Read moreCANNES, May 20 (Reuters) - Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," one of the most anticipated premieres of this year's Cannes Film Festival, had the red carpet abuzz on Saturday evening as its star-studded cast attracted throngs of fans to the Croisette boulevard. Apple has teamed up with Paramount Pictures to release the film exclusively in theatres on Oct. 6 before streaming it - one of the preconditions of being eligible to compete at Cannes. Scorsese won Cannes' top prize with 1976's "Taxi Driver," starring De Niro. Reporting by Miranda Murray; editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Cannes Film Festival began this week with Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, and ends on May 27 with a new Pixar film, “Elemental.” In between, there will be many screenings, many awkward standing ovations, many awards bestowed. Wes Anderson also has a new one, “Asteroid City,” about a junior stargazing convention. It features many members of the Andersonian repertory — Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody and others. In “Firebrand,” from the Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz, Alicia Vikander plays Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, who’s played by Jude Law. Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose film “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in 2018, has a new film, “Monster.” It stars Sakura Ando from “Shoplifters,” and the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died last month, did the score.

☆ 'Zone of Interest' star: watching myself as Auschwitz commandant frightening
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CANNES, May 20 (Reuters) - German actor Christian Friedel said on Saturday that watching himself as the commandant of the Auschwitz death camp in Jonathan Glazer's film "The Zone of Interest" frightened him. "The challenge in this project (was) for us to find authenticity in the situations," he told journalists after the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday evening. Glazer said he wanted to show the capacity for violence in all people with the film, which was shot entirely at Auschwitz. "Zone of Interest" is Glazer's first film to compete at Cannes. Britain's BBC broadcaster and the Telegraph newspaper both gave the film perfect scores, with Telegraph calling the film "horrifying in its banality."

☆ McQueen documentary juxtaposes Amsterdam's Nazi-occupied past with the present
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It's just putting things into context - how we're here, how did we arrive here today," McQueen told Reuters. Filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the documentary includes the street protests that erupted against the government's infection prevention measures and the celebrations afterward. Critics have described "Occupied City" as monumental, moving and as ranking among the great World War Two-themed films. The director's upcoming feature film, "Blitz," stars Saoirse Ronan and is also set during the World War Two. The Blitz in London was "very different to how we think it was," McQueen told Reuters, adding: "I'm hoping to show you."

☆ Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman anchor Cannes competitor 'May December'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "May December" in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 20, 2023. Director Todd Haynes, cast members Julianne Moore,... Read moreCANNES, May 20 (Reuters) - Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore anchor director Todd Haynes' attempt at a fourth Palme d'Or in the drama "May December," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night. Her life begins to unravel when Portman, a Hollywood actor, shows up to prepare for a role as Moore's character. Both Moore and Portman have won Oscars for best actress, 2015's "Still Alice" and 2011's "Black Swan," respectively. "May December," which was shot in just 23 days, is Moore's fourth time working with Haynes.

☆ How to Wear a Sari? A New Exhibition Counts the Ways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Phyllida Jay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sari, in essence, is a six- to nine-yard cloth draped freely around the body. In April, Zendaya wore a sparkling deep-blue sari by Rahul Mishra on a red carpet in Mumbai, India. At the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, the Indian actress Deepika Padukone wore a shimmering gold-and-black sari by Sabyasachi Mukherjee that Vogue France called “the star piece” of the festival. Ms. Poonawalla’s Met Gala sari is among the pieces featured in a new exhibition, “The Offbeat Sari,” opening on Friday at the Design Museum in London. The show, which runs through September, explores how the sari is being newly defined, said Priya Khanchandani, the head of curatorial at the museum.

☆ Sean Penn: Studios' AI stance in Hollywood writers strike a 'human obscenity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Press conference of the film "Black Flies" in competition - Cannes, France, May 19, 2023. Cast member Sean Penn attends. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesCANNES, May 19 (Reuters) - Actor Sean Penn said on Friday he supported striking Hollywood writers and called studios' rejection of their demand to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in writing scripts a "human obscenity". "There are a lot of new concepts that are being tossed about, you know, including the use of AI," Penn said at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. The Writers Guild of America is seeking to restrict the use of AI in writing scripts.

☆ 'Four Daughters' mixes documentary, fiction to portray Tunisian mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Miranda Murray | Thomson Reuters | Speed Editor On The Berlin Hub Who Provides General Coverage On Everything Politics To Energy In Germany | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Les filles d'Olfa" (Four Daughters) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 19, 2023. Nour Karoui, Ichraq Matar, Hend... Read moreCANNES, May 19 (Reuters) - Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania mixes fiction and documentary to capture the story of Olfa Hamrouni, whose older daughters left to fight for Islamic State in "Four Daughters," her first entry for the Cannes Film Festival's top prize. It is the role of cinema to explore these areas, these ambiguities of the human spirit," Ben Hania said in a news release. For the film, Ben Hania wanted to show Hamrouni's complexities but noticed she would fall into the well-trodden narrative of guilt-ridden mother whenever the camera was on. Her last film, "The Man Who Sold His Skin," was the Tunisian entry for best international feature at the 2021 Oscars.

☆ Auschwitz drama 'Zone of Interest' marks director Glazer's first Cannes foray
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "The Zone of Interest" in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 19, 2023. Director Jonathan Glazer, cast members Sandra... Read moreCANNES, May 19 (Reuters) - British director Jonathan Glazer will compete for the Cannes Film Festival's top prize for the first time this year with his Auschwitz drama "The Zone of Interest," whose premiere on Friday evening drew celebrities including Cate Blanchett and Carla Bruni. Sandra Hueller, star of Germany's 2017 Oscar nominee for best foreign-language feature "Toni Erdmann," plays Hoess' wife, Hedwig. "The Zone of Interest," which will be distributed by A24, is Glazer's first feature since 2013's "Under the Skin" starring Scarlett Johansson and was shot entirely in Auschwitz. Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Soggy Cannes premiere for Turkish director Ceylan's 'About Dry Grasses'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CANNES, May 19 (Reuters) - Turkish auteur filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan returned to the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet on a particularly rainy Friday with his latest competition entry, "About Dry Grasses." Ceylan and his film team gathered in front of the Palais des Festivals as rain lashed the French Riviera city and puddles formed on the red carpet and the plastic sheets covering it. Including "About Dry Grasses," Ceylan's films have been in the running for the Palme d'Or seven times, with only "Winter Sleep" taking the top prize in 2014. Ceylan said in a statement that he wanted the film to impart the gradual decline in the personal convictions of civil servants and teachers sent to remote areas at an early age. Reporting by Hanna Rantala and Miranda Murray; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Premieres at Cannes: First Reaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Thursday, Harrison Ford stood before a rapturous crowd at the Cannes Film Festival and reminded us that Tom Cruise isn’t the last movie star. That history was on display in a snappy, coherently edited homage that got the evening started. In the late 1960s, Demy had wanted to cast the then-unknown Ford in “Model Shop” but couldn’t convince the studio to hire him. Demy settled for another actor, but he and Varda remained friends with Ford. Rather anticlimactically, Frémaux also presented Ford an honorary Palme d’Or.

☆ Japan's Kore-eda: sexual identity not the focus in film 'Monster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Press conference for the film "Kaibutsu" (Monster) in competition - Cannes, France, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierCANNES, May 18 (Reuters) - Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda said he did not want to focus on sexual identity in portraying the relationship between the two schoolboys at the centre of his latest film, "Monster." "The age that these children are at is an age where their sexual identity is maybe not fully... they're not fully aware of it at this stage," Kore-eda told Reuters on Thursday, the day after the movie's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier Thursday, Kore-eda told journalists he did not think the story should be viewed as portraying two boys who have growing feelings for each other, as suggested in some reviews. For "Monster" Kore-eda once again teamed up with Sakura Ando, who starred in his 2018 Palmes d' Or winner "Shoplifters," and who portrays Saori in the new film.

☆ Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan reunite on screen in Cannes competitor 'Black Flies'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Black Flies" in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 18, 2023. Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan and Director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire... Read moreCANNES, May 18 (Reuters) - Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan are reunited on the big screen after more than a decade in "Black Flies," a gritty tale about New York City paramedics that premiered in Cannes on Thursday. The two actors previously appeared together in 2011's Palme d'Or winner "The Tree of Life," directed by Terrence Malick. Oscar-winning Penn, 62, plays veteran paramedic Rutkovsky while Sheridan, 26, known for his role as Cyclops in the X-Men film series, stars as Cross, who is just starting in the field. Former boxer Mike Tyson, Michael Pitt from "Funny Games," and Katherine Waterston of "Inherent Vice" also have parts.

☆ The bullwhip is back: Harrison Ford in Cannes for 'Indiana Jones' premiere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Miranda Murray | Thomson Reuters | Speed Editor On The Berlin Hub Who Provides General Coverage On Everything Politics To Energy In Germany | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" (Indiana Jones et le cadran de la destinee) Out of Competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France,... Read moreCANNES, May 18 (Reuters) - Harrison Ford was in Cannes for the much-anticipated premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" on Thursday evening, 15 years since the actor last picked up the adventurous archaeologist's iconic bullwhip and hat on the big screen. The newest movie's release date had been postponed several times after it had been announced in 2016 and follows 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which received mixed reviews. The "Indiana Jones" franchise, created by George Lucas of "Star Wars" fame, has grossed nearly $2 billion at the global box office with four films and amassed a global fan base. It also inspired a TV series, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." "Dial of Destiny" is the first "Indiana Jones" movie the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) has made after buying the distribution rights for the franchise from Paramount Pictures in 2013.

☆ Director says she will work with intimacy coaches after Cannes film furore
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CANNES, May 18 (Reuters) - French director Catherine Corsini said on Thursday she would work with intimacy coaches and do more to help young actresses in future films, after concerns were raised about an intimate scene with minors in her Cannes Festival entry "Homecoming". Corsini told journalists on Thursday she would take different decisions and call in experts to help actors prepare for sex scenes if she were faced with similar circumstances in the future. "Maybe I was being a bit pretentious, thinking I had 30-35 years of experience in my career and maybe I thought I had more experience than an intimacy coach. Corsini told Variety magazine on Tuesday that she ultimately cut the intimate scene from the final version "to calm everyone down and especially so that people would stop bothering the actors." Including Corsini, there are a record seven female directors competing for the Palme d'Or top prize this year.

☆ Best of Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Hundreds of migrants from around the world seeking a better life in the United States have instead found themselves trapped in squalid conditions near the Mexican border, tantalizingly close to their destination, and desperate.

[1/2] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Opening ceremony and screening of the film "Jeanne du Barry" Out of competition - Red Carpet arrivals - Cannes, France, May 16, 2023. Gong Li poses. REUTERS/Gonzalo... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Gong Li, one of China's best actors, told Reuters on Wednesday that Michelle Yeoh's recent success at the Oscars and Golden Globes was particularly encouraging for Asian actors. "Since the beginning of the epidemic to now, in fact, the film industry has not been so vibrant, not like it was before, so her award is also an encouragement," Gong said. "Well, congratulations to her, because I also take it as an encouragement to fellow Asian actors to enter the world."

☆ Japan's Kore-eda angles for second Cannes win with 'Monster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda hopes to repeat his success at the Cannes Film Festival, five years after winning the top prize, with "Monster," which breaks down the misunderstandings between a single mother and a teacher started by two schoolboys. "Monster" sees Kore-eda once again team up with actor Sakura Ando, who starred in his 2018 Palme d'Or winner "Shoplifters." The film is Kore-eda's second in competition since winning the top prize at Cannes, after his Korean-language entry "Broker" lost out last year to "Triangle of Sadness" by Swedish director and this year's Cannes jury president Ruben Ostlund. Kore-eda also brought Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto on board to compose a soundtrack critics praised as particularly moving. Kore-eda and his cast took to the red carpet at Cannes on Wednesday night for the premiere of their film, which critics praised for its clever structure and atmospheric setting.

☆ Controversial 'Homecoming' film director attends Cannes premiere with cast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Le retour" (Homecoming) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals – Cannes, France, May 17, 2023. Director Catherine Corsini, producer Elisabeth... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - French director Catherine Corsini appeared on the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet flanked by a cluster of cast members on Wednesday for the premiere of her drama "Homecoming," which has been the subject of some controversy in recent months. The director walked between producer Elisabeth Perez and actor Aissatou Diallo Sagna, who won France's Cesar award for best supporting actress in Corsini's 2021 film "The Divide." The movie had faced controversy after concerns were raised about an intimate scene involving minors. Wednesday's red carpet appearance was briefly interrupted by a protester at the barricades in a red dress, who flashed her pregnant stomach with the word "Surrogacy" and a barcode on it.

☆ At Cannes, independent film firms optimistic as streamers stumble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Miranda Murray | Thomson Reuters | Speed Editor On The Berlin Hub Who Provides General Coverage On Everything Politics To Energy In Germany | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Independent film companies facing a market upended by the entry of streaming services are showing some optimism heading into this year's Cannes Film Festival as the Netflix era has begun flattening out and audiences start trickling back into cinemas post-pandemic. Cannes may make headlines for its glitz and glamour, but as the world's largest event for buying and selling movie rights, its importance to the industry is unparalleled. "It's a transitional time on the business side as the traditional business model that independent buyers use sees lessened value," said O'Shea. The similarity among much of the content offered on streaming platforms leaves theatre audiences wanting something different, an unmet appetite that independent companies could fulfil, he said. "Something good is happening, and I'm sure other streaming services will follow suit," Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux said in an interview with Le Film francais magazine in April.

☆ Johnny Depp on Cannes comeback: I didn't go anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Photocall for the film "Jeanne du Barry " Out of competition - Cannes, France, May 17, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Johnny Depp pushed back at suggestions he was making a comeback with the Cannes Film Festival's opening movie "Jeanne du Barry" following a high-profile defamation trial a year ago, though he admitted people had "stopped calling" at the time. "I keep wondering about the word comeback, because I didn't go anywhere," Depp said after arriving 45 minutes later than scheduled at the news conference for the film on Wednesday. "Jeanne du Barry," in which Depp plays King Louis XV, received a seven-minute standing ovation at the luxurious Grand Theatre Lumiere, where it premiered on Tuesday evening. No, not at all, I don't feel boycotted because I don't think about it, I don't think about Hollywood," he said.

☆ Almodovar's gay Western draws Cannes crowd - even without Pedro Pascal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Kaibutsu" (Monster) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals – Cannes, France, May 17, 2023. Director Pedro Almodovar and cast members Ethan... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Throngs of people eager to watch Pedro Almodovar's "Strange Way of Life," a 31-minute Western film starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as lovers, at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday afternoon were turned away after waiting more than an hour in the rain. "There is some very robust and old-fashioned storytelling here and 'Strange Way of Life' feels quite old-fashioned in its way," wrote The Guardian newspaper, which gave it four out of five stars. The film will be released later this year and is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, according to the trade paper Variety. Reporting by Miranda Murray; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Johnny Depp emotional after 7 minute standing ovation at Cannes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Johnny Depp was teary eyed after his film’s warm welcome at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. Video shared on social media by Variety shows a visibly moved Depp during a seven minute ovation for his film, “Jeanne du Barry,” in which he stars as the former King of France Louis XV. It was the actor’s first film project since a defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard last summer. A jury found them both liable for defamation in their lawsuits against each other, but awarded significantly more damages to Depp. “The film is a success, and Johnny Depp [as Louis XV] is magnificent in it.”

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