#un certain regard prize

[homomenhommes]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … May 8

8th May 1945: Victory in Europe Day

1653 – Claude-Louis-Hector, Duc De Villars, born, (d.1734). De Villars was the last great general of Louis XIV of France and one of the most brilliant commanders in French military history, one of only six Marshals who have been promoted to Marshal General of France.

The sharp- tongued Charlotte Elizabeth, the second wife of the homosexual Phillipe, Duc d'Orléans, left behind a collection of letters, many of which reveal her passion for sniffing out the private affairs of the court homosexuals. Of her favorite subject she wrote,

"Our heroes take as their models Hercules, Theseus, Alexander, and Caesar, who all had their male favorites. Those who give themselves up to this vice, which believing in Holy Scripture, imagine that it was only a sin when there were few people in the world, and that now the earth is so populated it may be regarded as a divertissement. Among the common people, indeed, accusations of this kind are, so far as possible, avoided; but among persons of quality, it is publicly spoken of; it is considered a fine saying that since Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord has punished no one for such offenses."

One of the gay "persons of quality" who flits through the duchess's letters is the above-mentioned duc de Villars, one of the greatest generals in French history and marshal of France under Louis XIV. He is reputed have been a member of "a secret society of sodomitical military men" organized by Charlotte Elizabeth's husband, the Duc D'Orléans, brother of Lous XIV.

1763 – Police storm a lavatory in Amsterdam and arrest two men who were kissing. Two women had turned them in. Barend Jansen and Jan Heemskerk were arrested for having sex in a public toilet. Heemskerk was executed, and Jansen was tortured and received a twenty-year prison sentence.

1805 – King George III of England pardons sailor Bartlett Ambler of a sodomy conviction due to the questionable veracity of his alleged partners.

1828 – Jean Henri Dunant, aka Henry Dunant Swiss businessman and social activist, born (d.1910) He published his Un Souvenir de Solferino (A Remembrance of Solferino), a description of the sufferings of the wounded at the Battle of Solferino and a plea for organizations to care for the war wounded. There was an immediate response, out of which grew the Red Cross.In 1901 Dunant shared the first Nobel Peace Prize. It has long been suspected that after his death, Dunant's family not only bowdlerized the philanthropist's memoirs, but outright falsified them through the addition of material not written by Dunant himself. He is widely believed to have been homosexual, but there is no documentary proof.

However, in the 1960s, Karl Meir aka "Rolf" of the homosexual cultural periodical Der Kreis wrote,

A few years ago there was an announcement in the press that in Norway about 200 letters had been found that Henry Dunant had written to a high officer ... and the German periodical "Der Eigene" had indicated already in 1924 another exchange of letters between Dunant and the Comte de M., and that their content allowed one to conclude the same-sex disposition of Dunant.

Roger Durand, of the Henry Dunant Society, says,

His homosexuality is a hypothesis that can neither be confirmed nor denied. One thing is certain: in 19th-century Geneva homosexuality was regarded as a huge handicap and was therefore never openly acknowledged. That being said, a man's greatness is not measured according to his sexual orientation.

1920 – Tom of Finland (né Touko Laaksonen) best known by his pseudonym (d.1991) was a Finnish artist notable for his stylized homooerotic and fetish art and his influence on late twentieth century gay culture. He has been called the "most influential creator of gay pornographic images" by cultural historian Joseph W. Slade.

Over the course of four decades he produced some 3500 illustrations, mostly featuring men with exaggerated sex traits: heavily muscled torsos, limbs, and buttocks, and large penises. Tight or partially removed clothing showed off these traits, with the penis often visible as a bulge in tight trousers or prominently displayed for the viewer. His drawings frequently feature two or more men either immediately preceding or during explicit sexual activity. Nearly all of his characters were versatile and obviously enjoyed the bottom as well as the top role in sexual intercourse.

Laaksonen was born and raised by a middle-class family in Kaarina, a city in southwestern Finland, near the city of Turku.

He studied in Turku and in 1939 he moved to the country's capital Helsinki to study advertising, he also started drawing erotic images for his own pleasure. He first kept his drawings hidden, but then destroyed them "at least by the time I went to serve the army". His drawings were based on images of masculine laborers he had seen from an early age. The country soon became embroiled in the Winter War with the USSR, and then formally involved in World War II. He was conscripted in February 1940 into the Finnish Army. He served as an anti-aircraft officer, holding the rank of a second lieutenant. He later attributed his fetishistic interest in uniformed men to encounters with men in army uniform, especially soldiers of the German Wehrmacht serving in Finland at that time. After the war, in 1945, he returned to studies at the art college.

Laaksonen's style and content in the late-1950s and early 1960s was partly influenced by the U.S. censorship codes that restricted depiction of "overt homosexual acts." His work was published in the beefcake genre that began in the 1930s and predominantly featured photographs of attractive, muscular young men in athletic poses often shown demonstrating exercises. Their primary market was gay men, but because of the conservative and homophobic social culture of the era gay pornography was illegal and the publications were typically presented as dedicated to physical fitness and health. They were often the only connection that closeted men had to their sexuality. By this time however Laaksonen was rendering private commissions so more explicit work was produced but remained unpublished.

In the 1962 case of MANual Enterprises v. Day the United States Supreme Court ruled that nude male photographs were not obscene. Softcore gay pornography magazines and films featuring fully nude models, some of them tumescent, quickly appeared and the pretense of being about exercise and fitness was dropped as controls on pornography were reduced. By the end of the 1960s the market for beefcake magazines collapsed. Laaksonen was able to publish his more overtly homoerotic work and it changed the context with "new possibilities and conventions for displaying frontal male nudity in magazines and movies." Laaksonen reacted by publishing more explicit drawings and stylized his figures' fantastical aspects with exaggerated physical aspects, particularly their genitals and muscles.

He is best known for works that focused on homomasculine archetypes such as lumberjacks, motorcycle policemen, sailors, bikers, and leathermen. His most prominent comic series are the "Kake" comics, which included these archetypal characters in abundance.

1925 – Rodolfo Morales Mexican painter, born (d.2001) was a Mexican surrealist painter best known for his brightly colored surrealistic dream-like canvases and collages often featuring Mexican women in village settings. He was notable for his restoration of historic buildings in Ocotlan and, together with Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo, helped make Oaxaca in Southern Mexico a center for contemporary art and tourism.

Using income from his art he founded the Rodolfo Morales Cultural Foundation devoted to restoration of buildings in his hometown of Ocotlán. In all, he funded the restoration of fifteen churches including the 16th century Convent of Santo Domingo and a 17th century church in the town of Santa Ana Zegache, as well creating cultural spaces throughout Oaxaca's central valleys. His most important restoration project was the former convent of Ocotlan which was converted into a municipal complex.

Morales ensured that much of the restoration work done was by local women who, by developing skills, were able to later find employment elsewhere. His other notable Foundation work included setting up a computer room for local youths to learn information technology skills, providing materials to aspiring artists, producing of prints to help Frente Común Contra SIDA educate against the spread of AIDS and planting new copal trees not only to enhance the landscape but also to provide wood for the creation of hand-painted animals.

Whilst continuing with his art, he would begin each day by making a small collage which he would sell to raise money for his Foundation.

Up until his death in 2001, both he and Toledo had been regarded as Mexico's greatest living artists for over a decade. He died, aged 75, in Oaxaca from cancer of the pancreas and his remains placed in his restored Convent of Santo Domingo, in Ocotlán, Oaxaca.

 1928 – William Wuttunee was a lawyer, activist and humanitarian from Red Pheasant First Nation in Saskatchewan, who co-founded what today is known as the Assembly of First Nations. The first indigenous lawyer in Western Canada, Wuttunee also helped to secure voting rights for status Indians.

Wuttunee was an early champion of LGBTQ rights, defending the last person in Canada to be prosecuted for homosexuality – his work helping to lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's later famed phrase in 1969, "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation."

One of Canada's true pioneers, he began in humble circumstances. Raised on the reserve in a family of 15, Wuttunee would later tell his children he survived the residential school system by immersing himself in books. After moving to Battleford, Sask., as a teenager, he won a scholarship to attend McGill University.

His presence there would give him the distinction of being one of only two First Nations people to attend university at that time; years later, he would also become the first indigenous lawyer to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada.

"People from around town filled up a trunk with clothes for him to take to Montreal," said Nola Wuttunee, the third of his five children with first wife, Bernice, of her father's departure for McGill. "He got there on a freight train, travelling with the cattle.""I remember applying for my first job and the guy said, 'What are you?' " Wuttunee said in 2001 of early challenges. "I said, 'I am an Indian.' He said, 'I can't hire an Indian.' "

His outspokenness and sometimes controversial views, however, often made him a polarizing figure. In 1971, Wuttunee's book Ruffled Feathers: Indians in Canadian Society, did indeed cause problems: for a time, he was banned from no less than 13 reserves.

He was also a charismatic, multilingual orator who impressed those lucky enough to hear him speak. In 2009, Wuttunee travelled with the Assembly of First Nations to the Vatican, to receive an apology from Pope Benedict XVI for the harm done to native children in the residential school system.

He died in Calgary on Oct. 31 of heart disease at the age of 87.

Christian XXX as Maxx Diesel 

1974 – Christian XXX or just Christian is a pornographic actor. He was known as Maxx Diesel at the beginning of his career when he performed in gay porn. Since his short stint in gay porn (he performed in a total of 12 scenes), he has appeared in over 1000 scenes in straight porn and won three AVN Awards. He was the main producer/director for the company Naughty America from 2009-2011 as well.

Christian was born in Burlington, Vermont and soon after moved to the San Antonio, Texas area with his family. Both his parents were in the U.S. Air Force and he has two younger brothers. Christian attended Tarleton State University and played basketball there for one year before returning home and transferring to University of Texas at San Antonio and walking-on their basketball team. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in history. He went to graduate school and was an assistant basketball coach at University of the Incarnate Word for a year and then at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. He returned home to finish his coursework in education and had a series of teaching jobs. He lived in Lake Jackson, Texas, coached basketball, and taught history at Brazoswood High School for 2 years before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to become a nightclub bouncer in 2002.

He was dating the pornographic actress, Lovette, and performed an amateur production with her in 2000. In 2003, he contacted director Chi Chi LaRue, in an attempt to enter the heterosexual pornography industry. LaRue, who also directed gay pornography for Falcon Entertainment, asked Christian if he would be interested in performing in homosexual movies instead. Christian agreed since male performers tend to be paid more in gay pornography (2000 dollars for one scene) compared to straight. Christian signed an exclusive contract with Falcon Studios working under the name Maxx Diesel.

In 2004, he started performing heterosexual scenes under the name of "Christian XXX". His resume included performing with transsexuals and females with strap-ons. He has said in interviews that he enjoyed his time working in gay porn but employers in the straight porn industry made this very difficult to continue doing. Some female performers have refused to work with Christian after hearing of his gay performing past and ongoing transsexual work.

He has a blog up about his life in the business titled, Christian Sings the Blues. He explained the title as a joke, "I complain about my life where I get laid every day and make good money and only work about four hours."

1975 – The Florida Supreme Court dismissed charges against a group of men who were arrested in a Miami bathhouse, citing freedom of assembly, privacy, and equal protection of the law.

1976 – "H" aka Ian Watkins is a Welsh singer, dancer and stage actor, known for being one of two male backup singers of the British pop group Steps. He has said that "H" stands for "hyperactive", describing his character.

"H" spent his teenage years with Spotlight Theatre Company. Before joining Steps, he worked as redcoat for Butlins holiday parks. After Steps split in 2001, he formed a duo, H & Claire, with fellow ex-Steps member Claire Richards. They released three singles and an album, and then went their separate ways. In the following years he appeared in many British TV productions.

On 3 January 2007, Watkins came out as gay, in an interview with The Sun newspaper. His interview was published the same day he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house. During his tenure with Steps, Watkins was involved in a relationship with the group's manager, Tim Byrne.

On 11 March 2008, Watkins presented a documentary about growing up gay in Wales, shown on BBC Wales. Whilst filming for this, Watkins interviewed Christian Voice leader Stephen Green. During the interview Green compared him to Jeffrey Dahmer.In November 2013 it was reported that Watkins had been receiving hate mail through Twitter from people confusing him with Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, who had recently pleaded guilty to 11 sex offences, including two charges of attempting to rape a baby. Watkins received a public apology in court from E! Entertainment Television for using a picture of the pop star to illustrate a story about the paedophile musician. Watkins was also said to be "furious" and pursuing legal action after his image appeared next to stories about the convicted paedophile through searches on Google News.

1989 – Nyle DiMarco is an American actor and model. He is the first and only deaf contestant to appear on America's Next Top Model.

DiMarco was born in Queens, New York. He comes from a deaf family with his parents, both of his brothers and his grandparents all born deaf. He grew up in Frederick, Maryland and graduated from Gallaudet University with a degree in Mathematics. DiMarco lives in New York City. He considers American Sign Language (ASL) to be his native language but is proficient in lip reading and nonverbal communication.

DiMarco had been doing freelance modeling for about a year before he was contacted by America's Next Top Model producers. They scouted the 26-year old via his Instagram without realizing he was deaf.

DiMarco acted in a leading role for an independent film In the Can under ASL Films production, a movie told in American Sign Language with English subtitles. He played the recurring role of Garrett Bandgucci in Switched at Birth on the ABC Family network.

DiMarco doesn't consider himself to be "disabled" by his deafness and sees his high profile as an opportunity to create awareness to the hearing world. He views deafness as an advantage in modeling because he is accustomed to conveying messages without speaking. He also feels that deaf roles should be played by deaf actors.

During an episode of ANTM, DiMarco stated that he has a fraternal twin brother named Nico, who has red hair and that they do not look alike. In Oct, midway through the season of ANTM, DiMarco was asked about his sexuality. He responded that he views himself as sexually "fluid."

When asked for a short signing tutorial on usable phrases for gay men he gave several examples. Here is one of them:

1990 – Randy Phillips is an airman of the United States Air Force whose coming out in September 2011 following the repeal of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy (DADT) garnered media attention. DADT had banned the service of openly gay members in the United States Armed Forces and Phillips used YouTube, under the alias "AreYouSuprised", to anonymously seek support and to document his life under the policy over several months. His videos included his coming out to his father and mother, which coincided with Phillips showing his face for the first time, and the accidental discovery of his anonymous web presence by his co-workers.

There was a wave of video postings when the military anti-homosexual policy ended, with many pointing to Phillips as their model or inspiration. The timing of his revelations to his family at the end of the military's restrictions on service by homosexuals made him, in one journalist's estimation, "the poster boy for the DADT repeal." Another wrote: "Phillips has masterfully used social media and good timing to place himself at the centre of a civil rights success story."

Born Steven Randy Phillips in Eclectic, Alabama, on May 8, 1990, Phillips graduated from Elmore County High School in May 2008. His high school sports were baseball and wrestling. He began a six-year enlistment in the U.S. Air Force on March 17, 2009.

At the time, the U.S. military permitted homosexuals to serve in its ranks under its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy established in 1993, which limited service by homosexuals to those who did not reveal their sexual orientation. A statute repealing the DADT policy was enacted in December 2010, with the change in policy delayed until military and government officials certified that plans were in place for its smooth implementation. The date when homosexuals could serve openly in the military remained uncertain and Congressional efforts to prevent the change in policy from going into effect continued during the spring of 2011.Phillips continued his gay rights activism after the end of DADT by posting videos in support of the It Gets Better Project and National Coming Out Day. His story was repeated in news coverage of the first anniversary of the repeal of DADT in December 2011 and in year-end reviews of the news of 2011. When Andrew Sullivan praised the year's progress in civil rights for gays and lesbians, he used an image of Phillips on the phone to his father to illustrate "gay people and their families and friends in daily acts of courage and candor and conversation."

When YouTube included Phillips' video coming out to his father on its list of the "Top Videos of 2011", CBS News described it as "one of the best examples of humanity broadcast to the video site's community."

1996 – South Africa becomes the first nation in the world to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution.

2010 – Lithuania: Baltic Pride parade takes place amid violence by anti-gay protestors. With the number of police officers in the street almost outnumbering the participants the Latvian capital of Riga hosted its most successful and peaceful Gay Pride Parade to date. Police presence was heavy as religious groups and some Neo-Nazis had announced their resistance to the Baltic Pride in Riga ahead of the event. But the counter demonstrators were not to be seen and between 300 and 400 people marched through the cobblestone streets of the Latvian capital.

[justforbooks]

Dear God, the Parthenon is still broken is a photographic vignette by Yorgos Lanthimos. Although created on the set of the film Poor Things in Budapest, the book inhabits a separate world, untethered from time and place.

The photographs drift between black and white and colour, giving the impression of a waking dream between past and present, whilst multiple layers between reality and fiction are gradually revealed. The film was set in various late 19th century locations including London, Lisbon, Marseille, and a cruise ship—all recreated in Budapest. These constructed cities and interiors provide the backdrop for the photographs. The characters populate these imagined cities whilst the precarious screens, scaffolding, rigs, lighting and crew are divulged on the periphery of the images. Lanthimos has intentionally widened the frame to show the workings of the construct, fabricating a new story within the story. To mirror this, the publication is designed with foldouts to reveal these constructs within the cast of characters—the reader opens a book within a book.

In reaction to the fast-moving creation of the film, Lanthimos embraced the opportunity to use a large-format camera to make these images, focusing on stillness, tonality and light. Deciding on a composition and not changing this until the exposure was complete, each picture provided him with a meditative time of focus. The creative process of making the images extended to collaboration with the actress Emma Stone who played the role of Bella Baxter in the film, for which she was awarded an Oscar. Through working together on previous projects, Lanthimos and Stone have developed a unique creative partnership. After a busy day of filming, they would develop the colour 6x7 negatives and the b&w 4x5 sheet film together in a makeshift darkroom in a bathroom. This alchemic act offered them both a creative outlet beyond the realm and constraints of the film.

The title of the book ‘Dear God, the Parthenon is still broken’ comes from a postcard that the character of Bella Baxter was to send to her father, God, from Athens. The scene was cut from the final version of the film.

The book opens with a previously unpublished poem by Patti Smith, inspired by the film.

Yorgos Lanthimos, was born in Athens, Greece. A versatile creative, in addition to directing dance and music videos, TV commercials, short films, and theatre plays, he has also photographed editorials and fashion campaigns. His breakthrough came with the film ‘Dogtooth’ (2009), earning an Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes and an Oscar nomination. ‘The Lobster’ (2015) won a Jury Prize at Cannes and the European Film Awards. This was followed by ‘The Favourite’ (2018) which earned Olivia Colman an Oscar. His latest film, ‘Poor Things’, won Venice's Golden Lion and four Oscars. ‘Dear God, the Parthenon is still broken’ (Void) is Lanthimos' first photography monograph.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[swanasource]

‘Goodbye Julia’ takes top prize at Critics Awards for Arab Films

Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia has won best film at the 8th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which will celebrate its winners in Cannes today.

The film, which was the first from Sudan ever selected for Cannes where it premiered in Un Certain Regard last year, also picked up best screenplay for feature debut writer/director Kordofani.

[mcheung]

wait i have a question that might be a bit stupid. it says that how to have sex won the un certain regarde but if you google that specific prize/check the cannes websites it says that black dog won?

[steelbluehome]

"Stan does a remarkably subtle job of capturing Trump’s mannerism and facial tics . . . while keeping the character appropriately life-sized"

ScreenDaily

‘The Apprentice’: Cannes Review (click for article)

BY TIM GRIERSON, SENIOR US CRITIC 20 MAY 2024

Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong impress in Ali Abbasi’s otherwise lacklustre Donald Trump origin story

Dir: Ali Abbasi. Canada/Denmark/Ireland. 2024. 120mins

What turned Donald Trump into such a polarising figure? The question drives The Apprentice, which charts the rise of the real estate mogul in the 1970s and ‘80s, searching for the seeds of his callousness and megalomania without much success. One cannot fault Sebastian Stan, who plays the insecure entrepreneur during a pivotal period, or Jeremy Strong as Trump’s ruthless lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn. But, despite its welcome restraint, director Ali Abbasi’s English-language debut never has a decisive take on the man whose greed and ambition eventually took him all the way to the White House.

Abbasi’s fourth feature is his third in a row to screen in Cannes. (Border won the top prize in Un Certain Regard in 2018, while 2022’s Holy Spider earned Zar Amir Ebrahimi Best Actress.) Returning to Competition, Abbasi has delivered a suitably sour drama that is certainly timely — Trump will be mounting a campaign to regain the presidency this autumn — and the star power of Stan and Strong (supported by Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova) will draw curiosity. But what is less clear is how much appetite there will be for a film devoted to a controversial man who will dominate headlines (especially in the US) over the next several months; the film has sold to several territories, with StudioCanal taking the UK/Ireland, but a US deal is yet to be done.

When we first meet Donald Trump (Stan) in the mid-1970s, he is an aspiring mover-and-shaker in New York’s real estate world and is introduced to feared, amoral attorney Roy Cohn (Strong). The blunt ballbreaker takes the admiring Trump under his wing, teaching him the secrets to being a winner. (In short: relentlessly attack your adversaries, always claim victory and never confess to anything.) With Cohn’s guidance, Trump quickly grows his business empire while claiming alluring socialite Ivana Zelnickova (Bakalova) as his bride.

Written by journalist Gabriel Sherman, The Apprentice gets its title from the NBC reality series that restored Trump’s lustre in the 21st century although, in the case of this film, Trump is the one learning the ropes. Initially, Trump and Cohn’s rapport — that of eager disciple and malevolent teacher — sparks what is, in essence, Trump’s supervillain origin story. Cinematographer Kasper Tuxen films in faded, gritty tones, capturing a seedy New York during an era of economic downturn which eventually led to the ‘80s boom.

Abbasi resists humanising his main character, although he and Stan avoid glib caricature. Stan does a remarkably subtle job of capturing Trump’s mannerism and facial tics — the pursed lips, the jerky hand gestures, the cocked head meant to convey toughness — while keeping the character appropriately life-sized. There are nods to how Trump’s unloving father Fred (played with muted chiliness by Martin Donovan) belittled him into becoming a lethal businessman, but The Apprentice argues that it was Cohn’s unapologetically unscrupulous behaviour that inspired Trump to lie, scam and bully his way to success. Not that the picture has any illusions that Trump was an innocent soul corrupted by external forces; he always had a killer instinct.

But despite the film’s appealing textures — production designer Aleksandra Marinkovich and costume designer Laura Montgomery do sharp period work — Abbasi struggles to find a compelling arc in Trump’s ascension. There is some grim fascination to watching an irredeemable egomaniac knock down every obstacle blocking his path. But Trump’s heedless quest never lends itself to deeper revelations about the mogul, nor does it suggest how he symbolises the dark side of so-called American exceptionalism. By striving for realism, The Apprentice ends up dramatically flat, the recitation of Trump’s most infamous incidents — including Ivana Trump’s charge her husband raped her (an accusation she later disavowed) — playing out perfunctorily.

As the ferocious Cohn, Strong is menacingly stripped-down, but once Cohn develops AIDS in the ‘80s he recedes from the narrative, robbing the film of one-half of its most dynamic power couple. (Sadly, Bakalova’s scrappy Ivana is quickly sidelined.) The Apprentice proposes that Cohn, who many considered equally as monstrous, eventually realised to his horror what he had wrought by unleashing his pupil on the world. But that tepid assertion is hard to buy — just a strained attempt at a dramatic crescendo in a film that presents us with The Donald, but fails to put its stamp on him.

Production companies: Scythia Films, Profile Pictures, Tailored Films

International sales: Rocket Science, jls@rocket-science.net

Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Jacob Jarek, Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde, Louis Tisne, Ali Abbasi

Screenplay: Gabriel Sherman

Cinematography: Kasper Tuxen

Production design: Aleksandra Marinkovich

Editing: Olivia Neergaard-Holm & Olivier Bugge Coutte

Music: David Holmes & Brian Irvine, Martin Dirkov

Main cast: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Martin Donovan, Maria Bakalova

[lcndonboysstuff]

https://www.ioncinema.com/news/film-festivals/2024-cannes-film-festival-predictions-palme-dor

Another American filmmaker who stands a great chance at cracking this line-up is Brady Corbet. We’ll he was feted with his debut feature and returned as a jury person on the Lido, his third feature, The Brutalist would make for great comp choice. Shot last Spring in Hungary and featuring the likes of Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Alessandro Nivola, Jonathan Hyde, Isaach De Bankolé, Raffey Cassidy and good luck charm Stacy Martin, this chronicles three decades in the life of László Tóth (Brody), a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust. After the end of World War II, he emigrated to the United States with his wife, Erzsébet, to experience the “American dream”. László initially endures poverty and indignity, but he soon lands a contract with a mysterious and wealthy client Harrison Lee Van Buren that will change the course of his life. This was shot on film and sees Corbet re-team with Lol Crawley for a third time out….

---

Feted on the Lido and well up into Oscar season with Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos lite the Croisette on fire when he won the Un Certain Regard section with Dogtooth in 2009 and in his two time sin competition her won the Jury Prize for The Lobster (2015) and Best Screenplay for The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017). The Searchlight folks have dated Kind of Kindness for a June 21st release so it’s almost unfathomable that this won’t receive a prestigious showcase. Kinds of Kindness is a triptych fable with segments following a man without choice who tries to take control of his life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing at sea has returned and seems to be a different person; and a woman who is determined to find a specific someone destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader. This stars muse Emma Stone along with Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer….

hmm i thought it’d go to Venice tbh. the Cannes lineup will be out next week so we’ll find out soon enough

[yessadirichards]

'Anatomy of a Fall' wins Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

CANNES

Justine Triet's “Anatomy of a Fall” won the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in a ceremony Saturday that handed the festival's prestigious top prize to a twisty French Alps courtroom drama.

“Anatomy of a Fall,” which stars Sandra Hüller as a writer trying to prove her innocence in her husband’s death, is only the third film directed by a woman to win the Palme d'Or. One of the two previous winners, Julia Ducournau, was on this year's jury.

Cannes' Grand Prix, its second prize, went to Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” a chilling Martin Amis adaptation about a German family living next door to Auschwitz.

The awards were decided by a jury presided over by two-time Palme winner Ruben Östlund, the Swedish director who won the prize last year for “Triangle of Sadness.” The ceremony preceded the festival's closing night film, the Pixar animation “Elemental.”

The jury prize went to Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves," a deadpan love story about a romance that blooms in a loveless workaday world where dispatches from the war in Ukraine regularly play on the radio.

Best actor went to veteran Japanese star Koji Yakusho, who plays a reflective, middle-aged Tokyo man who cleans toilets in Wim Wenders' “Perfect Days.” Wenders' film is a gentle, quotidian character study.

The Turkish actor Merve Dizdar took best actress for the Nuri Bilge Ceylan's “About Dry Grasses.” Ceylan's expansive tale is set in snowy eastern Anatolia about a teacher, Samet (Deniz Celiloğlu), accused of misconduct by a young female student. Dizdar plays as a friend both attracted and repelled by Samet.

“The character I portray in the film is someone who is fighting for her life and she's overcome a lot of difficulties. Under normal circumstances, I would have had to work hard on this character,” said Dizdar.

“I understand what it's like to be a woman in this area of the country,” she continued. “I would like to dedicate this prize to all the women who are fighting to exist and overcome difficulties in this world and to retrain hope.”

Vietnamese-French director Tràn Anh Hùng took best director for “Pot-au-Feu," a lush, foodie love story starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel and set in a 19th century French gourmet château.

Best screenplay was won by Yuji Sakamoto for “Monster.” Sakamoto penned Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's nuanced drama, with shifting perspectives, about two boys struggling for acceptance in their school at home. “Monster” also won the Queer Palm, an honor bestowed by journalists for the festival's strongest LGBTQ-themed film.

Quentin Tarantino, who won Cannes' top award for “Pulp Fiction," attended the ceremony to present a tribute to filmmaker Roger Corman. Tarantino praised Corman for filling him and countless moviegoers with “unadulterated cinema pleasure.”

“My cinema is uninhibited, full of excess and fun,” said Corman, the independent film maverick. “I feel like this what Cannes is about.”

The festival's Un Certain Regard section handed out its awards on Friday, giving the top prize to Molly Manning Walker's debut feature, “How to Have Sex.”

Saturday’s ceremony drew to close a Cannes edition that hasn't lacked spectacle, stars or controversy.

The biggest wattage premieres came out of competition. Martin Scorsese debuted his Osage murders epic “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a sprawling vision of American exploitation with Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Harrison Ford’s Indy farewell, launched with a tribute to Ford. Wes Anderson premiered “Asteroid City.”

The festival opened on a note of controversy. “Jeanne du Barry,” a period drama co-starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, played as the opening night film. The premiere marked Depp's highest profile appearance since the conclusion of his explosive trial last year with ex-wife Amber Heard.

The selection of “Jeanne du Barry” added to criticisms of Cannes for being too hospitable to men accused of abusive behavior.

[cantquitu]

Do you think there’s any reason why it’s not included in the competition at Venice? Do movies that go on to win awards, also usually win them at festivals first?

Of course there's a reason, they don't make those decisions for no reason :) It's just that those reasons are highly complicated and subjective and hotly contested every single year...

Generally films selected to screen at the festival out of competition are films considered important/interesting enough to screen (and - often - high profile enough to draw attention to the festival) but don't meet all the eligibility criteria for competition.

Sometimes that eligibility can depend on something as simple as the basic criteria like date of production, or a previous domestic screening or something like that. But often it's because the competition is supposed to (and I say 'supposed' because it's not an exact science and is fiercely debated ad infinitum) showcase films that are considered art-house films or auteur-led films (again, what is and isn't considered art-house/auteur is also hotly contended).

So if a film doesn't make it to competition but is still considered important to the festival, it will be selected out of competition (or in another strand - eg director's fortnight or un certain regard or whatever)

Whether films that win at festivals go on to win at awards like the Oscars, Golden Globes etc is kind of an open question. It depends what festivals. Films that win the Palme d'Or at Cannes (the big prize) basically never win Best Picture Oscar. Venice/TIFF/Telluride happen shortly before awards-campaign season starts so they're considered big indications of potential awards-winners. But if you look at the big awards contenders, you'll see that many of those films don't screen at those festivals for lots of eligibility reasons (could be due to release date etc).

Don't Worry Darling being selected for Venice and released in September means WB are positioning it as an awards contender. But that means nothing - it might get awards buzz, it might not!

[petnews2day]

Latest entertainment News, Live Updates Today May 25, 2024: Cannes Film Festival: Black Dog wins Un Certain Regard prize, Anasuya Sengupta gets Best Actress award for The Shameless

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/C1Z2L

Latest entertainment News, Live Updates Today May 25, 2024: Cannes Film Festival: Black Dog wins Un Certain Regard prize, Anasuya Sengupta gets Best Actress award for The Shameless

Bollywood News Live Updates: Crew, Laapataa Ladies: Why some women-led films work at the box office, while some have to wait for Netflix This year has shown us how a women-led film like Crew can emerge as a blockbuster, yet another one like Laapataa Ladies has to wait for its Netflix release. Read the full […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/C1Z2L #OtherNews

[awardswatcherik]

‘Black Dog’ Wins 2024 Un Certain Regard Award,' 'The Story of Souleymane' Takes Jury and Acting Prizes | Cannes

[johnyhoque]

Canadian filmmaker and actor Xavier Dolan received the Jury Prize for Mommy in 2014 at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. This year he will preside over the role as President of the Un Certain Regard Jury. Details inside.

[spotlight-report]

"How to Have Sex" Movie Ticket Giveaway

To Celebrate the release of Molly Manning Walker’s award-winning film How to Have Sex, in cinemas 7 March 2024, we are giving you the chance to win: 1 of 5 Double passes to see the film! About the film Three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday, drinking, clubbing and hooking up in what should be the best summer of their lives. Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2023…

[idolskpop]

Song Joong Ki Reveals His Real Scar for His Role in 'Hopeless’

Song Joong Ki is one of the most popular and versatile actors in South Korea. He has starred in various genres of movies and dramas, from historical epics to sci-fi thrillers. But his latest role in the movie ‘Hopeless’ is unlike anything he has done before.

What is ‘Hopeless’ About?

‘Hopeless’ is a crime drama that follows the lives of two characters: Yeon Gyu and Chi Geon. Yeon Gyu, played by Hong Xa Bin, is a 17-year-old boy who lives with his abusive stepfather and dreams of escaping to the Netherlands with his mother. Chi Geon, played by Song Joong Ki, is a mid-level boss in a criminal organization who recruits Yeon Gyu to join his gang.

(Photo : Cannes Film Festival) Song Joong Ki, Hong Sa Bin, BIBI The movie explores the dark and violent side of society, as well as the bond that develops between the two protagonists. It is directed by Kim Chang Hoon, who is known for his realistic and gritty style of filmmaking.

How Did Song Joong Ki Prepare for His Role?

Song Joong Ki’s role as Chi Geon is a drastic change from his previous characters, such as Captain Yoo Si Jin in ‘Descendants of the Sun’ or Vincenzo Cassano in ‘Vincenzo’. He had to transform himself physically and mentally to portray a ruthless and charismatic gangster. One of the most noticeable changes he made was revealing his real scar on his left cheek. In an interview with a local media outlet, he said that he usually covers it up with makeup for his projects, but this time he decided to show it as part of his character. - “I actually have a scar on my face and covers it up every time I have projects. But this time the makeup team came up with the idea, saying, 'Joong ki, let’s reveal this,” he recalled, as obtained by a media outlet, adding, "For the first time, I revealed it as is." He also said that the makeup team enhanced the scar to make it more visible and realistic. He added that he wanted to show his imperfections and flaws as an actor, rather than hiding them.

(Photo : Highziumstudio Instagram) Another change he made was losing weight and muscle mass to fit his role. He said that he wanted to look more lean and sharp, rather than bulky and muscular. He also dyed his hair black and grew a beard to complete his transformation.

How Did the Movie Perform at Cannes Film Festival?

‘Hopeless’ was invited to the 76th Cannes International Film Festival, which is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section, which showcases original and diverse works from different cultures. The movie received positive feedback from the critics and audiences at the festival, who praised its intense and gripping story, as well as its stellar performances from the cast. It also won the FIPRESCI Prize, which is awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics. The movie’s success at Cannes Film Festival boosted its anticipation among the public, who are eager to watch it in theaters. It is expected to be one of the biggest hits of the year in South Korea.

When and Where Can You Watch ‘Hopeless’?

‘Hopeless’, which also stars BIBI as Chi Geon’s girlfriend, is set to hit the screen on October 11 with a run time of 2 hours and 13 minutes. It will be released in South Korea and other countries simultaneously.

(Photo : Plus M Entertainment) Song Joong Ki If you are a fan of Song Joong Ki or crime dramas, you should not miss this movie. It will show you a different side of him as an actor, as well as a thrilling and captivating story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Song Joong Ki is one of the most talented and versatile actors in South Korea. He has proven his skills and charisma in various genres of movies and dramas. His latest role in ‘Hopeless’ is a challenging and daring one that will showcase his imperfections and flaws as an actor. He revealed his real scar on his face for his role as Chi Geon, a mid-level boss in a criminal organization. He also lost weight and muscle mass, dyed his hair black, and grew a beard to transform himself physically and mentally for his role. He received positive feedback from the critics and audiences at Cannes Film Festival, where ‘Hopeless’ was screened in the Un Certain Regard section. The movie also won the FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics. ‘Hopeless’, which also stars Hong Xa Bin and BIBI, is set to hit the screen on October 11 with a run time of 2 hours and 13 minutes. It will be released in South Korea and other countries simultaneously.

(Photo : Cannes Film Festival) Song Joong Ki, Hong Sa Bin If you are a fan of Song Joong Ki or crime dramas, you should not miss this movie. It will show you a different side of him as an actor, as well as a thrilling and captivating story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. We hope you enjoyed this article about Song Joong Ki and his role in ‘Hopeless’. Feel free to share it with your friends and leave a comment below. Subscribe to IDOLS KPOP for exclusive updates and captivating content. Read the full article

[thepeoplesmovies]

MUBI Set To Release Molly Manning Walker's How To Have Sex

Boutique streaming service and global distributor MUBI have announced they are set to release Molly Manning Walker’s highly anticipated directorial debut How To Have Sex. They will release it theatrically in the UK and Ireland on 3rd November. Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, How To Have Sex is a vibrant and authentic depiction of the agonies, ecstasies and…