BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR IS FIRST GAY-THEMED FILM TO WIN CANNES’ PALME D’OR

Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Abdellatif Kechiche’s drama Blue is the Warmest Color has won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Described in virtually every news report as “the lesbian drama,” the French film was screened near the close of the festival and immediately shot to the front of the list of favorite […]

STEVEN SPIELBERG AGREES TO HEAD CANNES JURY

After being courted for more than thirty years to head the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, Steven Spielberg has agreed to do so when the annual film competition takes place from May 15 to 26. In a statement, Festival President Gilles Jacob said that ever since he screened E.T. as a world premiere in […]

CANNES IN LOVE WITH AMOUR, WINNER OF PALME D’OR (Updated)

Michael Haneke’s Amour has won the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival. The movie, about an elderly woman, played by Emmanuelle Riva, who suffers a series of strokes, and the husband, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant, who lovingly cares for her, was a favorite of critics from the moment it […]

HANEKE’S AMOUR IS NOT THE LOVE OF MOST MOVIES

Wouldn’t you know, the current favorite to win the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival this year is arguably the most depressing film that has thus far been screened. And the least Hollywood-like. Amour, Michael Haneke’s film about a woman dying from a series of strokes and the husband who lovingly cares for […]

MOST OF CANNES JURY REVEALED

Thierry Frémaux, the artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival, announced the selection of the jurors in the main competition today (Wednesday), surprising some observers by including a non-filmmaker in the list, French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. “We have a tradition of inviting people who we know are cinephiles but who are not necessarily in cinema,” […]

THE TREE OF LIFE IS A GOLDEN PALM

Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, was the controversial winner of the 64th Cannes Film Festival’ top prize, the Palme d’Or, on Sunday. Major critics attending the festival either hailed it or scorned it; few gave it merely so-so reviews. Malick, who shuns the spotlight himself and declined to participate in a […]

CANNES CANS VON TRIER

The Cannes Film Festival today (Thursday) declared Danish director Lars Von Trier “persona non grata” effective immediately following his joking remarks at a news conference on Wednesday that he was a Nazi with an understanding of Hitler. The festival’s board said that while it offers artists “an exceptional forum to present their works and defend […]

MALICK’S TREE OF LIFE TO BE PLANTED AT CANNES

Terrence Malick’s much awaited The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, is among the films selected to compete for the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which opens on May 11. (The film had been expected to compete at the festival last year but was not completed in […]

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL TO PAY TRIBUTE TO BERTOLUCCI

The Cannes Film Festival said today (Monday) that legendary director Bernardo Bertolucci will receive an honorary Palme d’Or during its opening ceremony on May 11. Only twice before has such a tribute been paid to a director, the festival said, in 2002 to Woody Allen and in 2009 to Clint Eastwood. However, it said, beginning […]

THAI FILM WINS CANNES’ PALME D’OR AWARD

The beleaguered populace of Thailand, wracked by political turmoil and violence and chaos in the streets for the past month, finally got some news to cheer about Sunday. A film by celebrated Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Long Boonmee Raluek Chat), was awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s top […]

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