Noémie Merlant’s star is rising as an actress. Baby Ruby and Tár won her international recognition across 2022 and 2023, while anticipation is growing around her starring role in Audrey Diwan’s English-language reboot of erotica classic Emmanuelle. In the meantime, Merlant is hitting Cannes with The Balconettes, her second film in the director’s chair after Mi iubita, mon amour. Set against a Marseille heatwave, the riotous comedy and gorefest co-stars Merlant alongside Souheila Yacoub and Sanda Codreanu as female flatmates who are pushed to the brink when a late-night drink with an attractive neighbor (played by Emily in Paris actor Lucas Bravo) takes a bloody turn.
Deadline: What was the inspiration for Les Balconettes?
NOÉMIE Merlant: Four, five years ago I fled my home in a sort of escape from something that was suffocating me. I sought refuge with two girlfriends who were living together and stayed for several months.
Deadline: What was the inspiration for Les Balconettes?
NOÉMIE Merlant: Four, five years ago I fled my home in a sort of escape from something that was suffocating me. I sought refuge with two girlfriends who were living together and stayed for several months.
- 5/17/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: CAA has laid off a number of staff in its global TV division and is centralizing the team to the U.S. and UK.
We understand that staffers based in countries such as Mexico, Africa, Germany and the UK have been made redundant; less than 10 people have been affected.
One of CAA’s most prominent global TV agents, Stockholm-based Pete Stone, is relocating to London. Stone moved to Stockholm nearly four years ago when ICM Partners – prior to its CAA acquisition – took a minority stake in Swedish agency Albatros. In London, CAA rival UTA acquired storied British agency Curtis Brown in 2022.
Details of CAA’s move to centralize global TV to the U.S. and London are still being ironed out and there could be more strategic shifts to come, we understand. A spokesman for CAA, which employees about 3,400 people, declined comment.
CAA had been hiring international TV agents...
We understand that staffers based in countries such as Mexico, Africa, Germany and the UK have been made redundant; less than 10 people have been affected.
One of CAA’s most prominent global TV agents, Stockholm-based Pete Stone, is relocating to London. Stone moved to Stockholm nearly four years ago when ICM Partners – prior to its CAA acquisition – took a minority stake in Swedish agency Albatros. In London, CAA rival UTA acquired storied British agency Curtis Brown in 2022.
Details of CAA’s move to centralize global TV to the U.S. and London are still being ironed out and there could be more strategic shifts to come, we understand. A spokesman for CAA, which employees about 3,400 people, declined comment.
CAA had been hiring international TV agents...
- 4/11/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress and director Judith Godrèche made an appeal at the French César Awards on Friday for a new era of truth around the issue of sexual abuse and harassment in France’s cinema world after decades of silence and denial.
“For some time now, voices have been unleashed, the idealized image of our fathers has been shattered, power almost seems to be in a state of turmoil, could it be possible for us to look at the truth in the eye?,” she said in scheduled address.
“To take on our responsibilities? To be actors, actresses of a world that is questioning itself?, “ she asked. “For some time now, I’ve been talking and talking, but I can’t hear you, or only a little. Where are you? What are you saying? A whisper. Half a word.”
Her appearance at the César ceremony comes three weeks after the actress filed an...
“For some time now, voices have been unleashed, the idealized image of our fathers has been shattered, power almost seems to be in a state of turmoil, could it be possible for us to look at the truth in the eye?,” she said in scheduled address.
“To take on our responsibilities? To be actors, actresses of a world that is questioning itself?, “ she asked. “For some time now, I’ve been talking and talking, but I can’t hear you, or only a little. Where are you? What are you saying? A whisper. Half a word.”
Her appearance at the César ceremony comes three weeks after the actress filed an...
- 2/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Justine Triet became the second female filmmaker in the Cesar Award’s 49-year history to win the best director trophy for “Anatomy of a Fall,” which also won best film, original screenplay, actress for Sandra Huller, supporting actor for Swann Arlaud and editing at the French film industry’s big night. Thomas Cailley’s supernatural drama “The Animal Kingdom” also dominated the race, picking up a raft of prizes, including cinematography, costumes, visual effects and music. The ceremony unfolded at the Olympia Theater in Paris on Friday evening and aired lived on Canal+.
Triet’s movie, which is vying for five Oscars, stars Hüller as a novelist who is put on trial following the mysterious death of her husband at their remote chalet. The movie is produced by Marie-Ange Luciani at Les Films de Pierre and David Thion at Les Films Pelleas.
Triet dedicated her best film award to all women,...
Triet’s movie, which is vying for five Oscars, stars Hüller as a novelist who is put on trial following the mysterious death of her husband at their remote chalet. The movie is produced by Marie-Ange Luciani at Les Films de Pierre and David Thion at Les Films Pelleas.
Triet dedicated her best film award to all women,...
- 2/23/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Playing his signature brand of rural French absurdity in stark counterpoint to the grandiose strains of a space opera, Bruno Dumont returns with The Empire: his Barbarella bourguignon, his dijionnaise Dune. The Empire is the story of two warring factions: one whose mothership resembles the palace of Versailles; the other’s as if someone glued together two Notre Dames, crypt to crypt. It follows their envoys on earth, now in human form and attempting to capture a toddler who they believe to be the Chosen One––whose mere presence makes them bow down like bodies in rigor mortis. There are blasé beheadings with lightsabers, a group of men on Boulonnais horses who call themselves the Knights of Wain, and, for no apparent reason, the commandant (Bernard Pruvost) and lieutenant (Philippe Jore) from P’tit Quinquin.
If that all sounds like a mixed bag it’s probably because The Empire is...
If that all sounds like a mixed bag it’s probably because The Empire is...
- 2/19/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The Satire Strikes Back: Dumont Claims His Own Multi-Verse
It’s sometimes difficult to predict what mode French auteur Bruno Dumont will be choosing for his latest film project. Initially revered for his rural, austere tendency for Neo-realism, which earned him comparisons to Bresson and Pialat, Dumont has also shown a penchant for outrageous provocations and thorny social satires. His latest, L’empire, was rumored to be a Star Wars parody, but even this kind of statement is rather superficial considering Dumont seems to hold such reference points in cultural contempt. The film quite infamously triggered the self-exile and retirement of Adèle Haenel from the French film industry, which may lead many to expect Dumont would be pushing boundaries with this odd bird premise.…...
It’s sometimes difficult to predict what mode French auteur Bruno Dumont will be choosing for his latest film project. Initially revered for his rural, austere tendency for Neo-realism, which earned him comparisons to Bresson and Pialat, Dumont has also shown a penchant for outrageous provocations and thorny social satires. His latest, L’empire, was rumored to be a Star Wars parody, but even this kind of statement is rather superficial considering Dumont seems to hold such reference points in cultural contempt. The film quite infamously triggered the self-exile and retirement of Adèle Haenel from the French film industry, which may lead many to expect Dumont would be pushing boundaries with this odd bird premise.…...
- 2/19/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSMe and You and Everyone We Know.The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and have voted to end the strike as of 12:01 a.m. Pt this morning. A summary of the agreement is available here. Before the details were released, the WGA negotiating committee had this to say in a statement: "We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership." The WGA has also encouraged their members to support SAG-AFTRA's ongoing picket line.A new novel from Miranda July is due out in May of next year: All Fours follows an artist in the throes of a midlife crisis and a messy divorce. While driving...
- 9/27/2023
- MUBI
Early last year we learned Bruno Dumont would next direct the science fiction feature The Empire, then said to mingle “the common life of the inhabitants of a fishing village on the Opal Coast [with] the parallel and epic life of knights of interplanetary empires.” Little else has been known since, other than once-cast Adèle Haenel leaving the project for fear it propagates “dark, sexist and racist” attitudes, mocks victims of injustice, and exhibits general disregard for non-white perspective. Not the press most would seek, but not exactly counteracted by French distributor Arp Sélection describing The Empire as Dumont’s “caustic, cruel and crazy vision of Star Wars” in posting the first (French-only) trailer, released ahead of the film’s likely 2024 debut.
Herein we find a scale well beyond anything Dumont’s yet mounted––so intriguing that one might overlook it’s also set in his Quinquin Cinematic Universe. Whatever trepidation Haenel’s comments can instill,...
Herein we find a scale well beyond anything Dumont’s yet mounted––so intriguing that one might overlook it’s also set in his Quinquin Cinematic Universe. Whatever trepidation Haenel’s comments can instill,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was Céline Sciamma’s big breakout moment, but the French director was clearly a major talent in the making from the very start of her career.
In 2007, the then 29-year-old filmmaker premiered her first feature at Cannes Film Festival, after writing the movie’s script during her final year at the prestigious film school La Fémis. The story of three teen girls awakening to their sexualities during a single summer, “Water Lillies” featured Sciamma’s future romantic partner and collaborator Adèle Haenel, and established the type of female-focused and queer stories she would spend her entire career bringing to the screen.
Following the positive reception of “Water Lillies,” Sciamma chased it with 2011’s “Tomboy,” a sharply observed coming-of-age about a 10-year-old exploring their gender identity. 2014’s “Girlhood,” about four Black teen girls living in Paris, brought Sciamma further attention, thanks to a much talked...
In 2007, the then 29-year-old filmmaker premiered her first feature at Cannes Film Festival, after writing the movie’s script during her final year at the prestigious film school La Fémis. The story of three teen girls awakening to their sexualities during a single summer, “Water Lillies” featured Sciamma’s future romantic partner and collaborator Adèle Haenel, and established the type of female-focused and queer stories she would spend her entire career bringing to the screen.
Following the positive reception of “Water Lillies,” Sciamma chased it with 2011’s “Tomboy,” a sharply observed coming-of-age about a 10-year-old exploring their gender identity. 2014’s “Girlhood,” about four Black teen girls living in Paris, brought Sciamma further attention, thanks to a much talked...
- 9/12/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Roman Polanski’s Italian producer Luca Barbareschi used the Venice press conference for The Palace, Polanski’s latest black comedy, as an opportunity to blast U.S. streamers for not backing the controversial director.
Noting that Polanski’s back catalog, including such films as Chinatown, The Ghostwriter and Rosemary’s Baby, is carried on many U.S. platforms, he chastized the streamers for not investing in the director’s latest production.
“I don’t understand why all the platforms: Paramount+, Amazon, Netflix, have Polanski’s [older movies] that are making millions for them,” he said. “Why won’t they produce Polanski’s new movie?”
The Palace is set at Switzerland’s Gstaad Palace luxury hotel and examines the interactions between the hotel’s serving staff and the phenomenally wealthy guests in the run-up to a New Year’s Eve party to ring in the new millennium of 2000. Mickey Rourke, John Cleese, Fanny Ardant,...
Noting that Polanski’s back catalog, including such films as Chinatown, The Ghostwriter and Rosemary’s Baby, is carried on many U.S. platforms, he chastized the streamers for not investing in the director’s latest production.
“I don’t understand why all the platforms: Paramount+, Amazon, Netflix, have Polanski’s [older movies] that are making millions for them,” he said. “Why won’t they produce Polanski’s new movie?”
The Palace is set at Switzerland’s Gstaad Palace luxury hotel and examines the interactions between the hotel’s serving staff and the phenomenally wealthy guests in the run-up to a New Year’s Eve party to ring in the new millennium of 2000. Mickey Rourke, John Cleese, Fanny Ardant,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Roman Polanski’s Italian producer Luca Barbareschi got emotional at the press conference for “The Palace,” a black comedy that is the director’s new work and premieres at the Venice Film Festival today.
“It’s been very difficult to make this film,” said Barbareschi, a multi-hyphenate who also stars in “The Palace.” “Polanski is not easy [to finance]” he added, noting that “there is a hole – France – in the middle of this film,” since French companies refused to participate in its production.
Polanski’s previous film, “An Officer and a Spy,” a period drama about the Dreyfus affair, scooped the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, won best director at the Cesar Awards and was one of the highest grossing French films of 2019. But the film’s Cesar win sparked such a massive scandal in France that it prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards org.
Now that “The Palace” got made,...
“It’s been very difficult to make this film,” said Barbareschi, a multi-hyphenate who also stars in “The Palace.” “Polanski is not easy [to finance]” he added, noting that “there is a hole – France – in the middle of this film,” since French companies refused to participate in its production.
Polanski’s previous film, “An Officer and a Spy,” a period drama about the Dreyfus affair, scooped the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, won best director at the Cesar Awards and was one of the highest grossing French films of 2019. But the film’s Cesar win sparked such a massive scandal in France that it prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards org.
Now that “The Palace” got made,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera has shown once again that he is not scared to court controversy.
The festival head has given Roman Polanski a safe festival berth for his new movie The Palace at Venice, in a selection that is likely to spark debate alongside the inclusion of Woody Allen’s Coeur de Chance.
They are among 12 films due to play Out of Competition at the 80th edition running August 30 to September 9.
Barbera told Italian journalists in a Q&a after the main lineup announcement that Polanski, who turns 90 in August, will not make the trip to the Lido, while Woody is down to attend.
Related: Venice Is Still Hopeful That Its Red Carpet Will Be Full Of Stars If Movies Such As ‘Ferrari’, ‘Priscilla’ & More Are Granted SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements
The Palace will still make for a starry red carpet with its ensemble cast featuring Oliver Masucci,...
The festival head has given Roman Polanski a safe festival berth for his new movie The Palace at Venice, in a selection that is likely to spark debate alongside the inclusion of Woody Allen’s Coeur de Chance.
They are among 12 films due to play Out of Competition at the 80th edition running August 30 to September 9.
Barbera told Italian journalists in a Q&a after the main lineup announcement that Polanski, who turns 90 in August, will not make the trip to the Lido, while Woody is down to attend.
Related: Venice Is Still Hopeful That Its Red Carpet Will Be Full Of Stars If Movies Such As ‘Ferrari’, ‘Priscilla’ & More Are Granted SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements
The Palace will still make for a starry red carpet with its ensemble cast featuring Oliver Masucci,...
- 7/25/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has bought U.S. rights to “The Animal Kingdom,” Thomas Cailley’s creature-filled dystopian thriller which world premiered as the opening night selection of Cannes Un Certain Regard.
Produced by Pierre Guyard at Nord-Ouest Films, “The Animal Kingdom” was financed and co-produced by Studiocanal, which handles French distribution and international sales. The film is set in a world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. It boasts stellar performances by Roman Duris (“Final Cut”), Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”) and Paul Kircher (“Winter Boy”). Magnet will release the film next year.
Duris stars as François, who sets off to save his wife, who has been affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile (Kircher), their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with...
Produced by Pierre Guyard at Nord-Ouest Films, “The Animal Kingdom” was financed and co-produced by Studiocanal, which handles French distribution and international sales. The film is set in a world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. It boasts stellar performances by Roman Duris (“Final Cut”), Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”) and Paul Kircher (“Winter Boy”). Magnet will release the film next year.
Duris stars as François, who sets off to save his wife, who has been affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile (Kircher), their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with...
- 7/20/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Roman Polanski’s “The Palace” has been set for release in Italian theatres in September, prompting speculation that the controversial director’s black comedy set in a posh hotel in the Swiss Alps resort of Gstaad on the eve of the new millennium could be launching from the Venice Film Festival.
Italy’s Rai Cinema, which is a main backer of Polanski’s new film, has slated a September 28 local release date via its 01 Distribuzione unit for “The Palace,” which has an ensemble cast including Mickey Rourke, John Cleese and Fanny Ardant. Other key cast members include German actor Oliver Masucci (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”); Portugal’s Joaquin De Almeida; the U.K.’s Bronwyn James (“The Dig”) and Italy’s Fortunato Cerlino (”Gomorrah”).
The Palace/Courtesy Rai Cinema
Besides announcing the release date, production company Eliseo Entertainment and Rai Cinema have also issued a dippy decadent poster...
Italy’s Rai Cinema, which is a main backer of Polanski’s new film, has slated a September 28 local release date via its 01 Distribuzione unit for “The Palace,” which has an ensemble cast including Mickey Rourke, John Cleese and Fanny Ardant. Other key cast members include German actor Oliver Masucci (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”); Portugal’s Joaquin De Almeida; the U.K.’s Bronwyn James (“The Dig”) and Italy’s Fortunato Cerlino (”Gomorrah”).
The Palace/Courtesy Rai Cinema
Besides announcing the release date, production company Eliseo Entertainment and Rai Cinema have also issued a dippy decadent poster...
- 6/8/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
(Welcome to Movies Are Gay, a Pride Month series where we explore the intentional, or accidental, ways Lgbtqia+ themes, characters, and creatives have shaped cinema.)
Celine Sciamma's 2019 romance "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" is a gorgeous and wonderful work of art, a love story so intense and beautiful that when it was released straight to the Criterion Collection, most critics merely nodded in approval. It felt right. There also didn't seem to be many complaints when the film was elected as the thirtieth greatest film of all time on the Sight & Sound 2022 poll.
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire" follows two women who are essentially left alone on an island together. There are no men here. When women gather, it's to perform impromptu a cappella numbers on a cliff at night, bonding around a fire, and reveling in feminine energy. Late in the film, a mansion house servant...
Celine Sciamma's 2019 romance "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" is a gorgeous and wonderful work of art, a love story so intense and beautiful that when it was released straight to the Criterion Collection, most critics merely nodded in approval. It felt right. There also didn't seem to be many complaints when the film was elected as the thirtieth greatest film of all time on the Sight & Sound 2022 poll.
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire" follows two women who are essentially left alone on an island together. There are no men here. When women gather, it's to perform impromptu a cappella numbers on a cliff at night, bonding around a fire, and reveling in feminine energy. Late in the film, a mansion house servant...
- 6/3/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
With all the headlines dedicated to the #MeToo movement over the past few years, it can sometimes feel like the industry has made progress — certainly, enough to launch several biopics and television shows about its own misconduct. But this is still a time when “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” actress Adèle Haenel feels compelled to quit the French film industry in protest, and when the director of the Cannes Film Festival feels the need to say, out loud, that Cannes is not a “festival for rapists.”
Read More: Cannes Director Says Event Is Not “A Festival For Rapists”
Needless to say, there’s still work to be done, and it’s good that these conversations continue to happen – especially when they involve an icon of the French film industry, Marion Cotillard.
Continue reading Marion Cotillard Says #MeToo Has Taught Young Actresses What’s ‘Not Right’ at The Playlist.
Read More: Cannes Director Says Event Is Not “A Festival For Rapists”
Needless to say, there’s still work to be done, and it’s good that these conversations continue to happen – especially when they involve an icon of the French film industry, Marion Cotillard.
Continue reading Marion Cotillard Says #MeToo Has Taught Young Actresses What’s ‘Not Right’ at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2023
- by Matthew Monagle
- The Playlist
A bold departure from France’s cinema tradition of social realism, Thomas Cailley’s widely ambitious sophomore outing “The Animal Kingdom” is equally a creature-filled dystopia, an emotionally charged father-and-son drama and a coming-of-age tale.
The character-driven film world premiered to warm reviews at the Cannes Film Festival where it bowed the Un Certain Regard section. “The Animal Kingdom” is represented in international market by Studiocanal and was produced by Pierre Guyard at Nord Ouest Films, and co-produced by Artemis.
“The Animal Kingdom” takes place in an undetermined future in France which has been swept by a genetic disease causing people to transform into creatures that are being hunted down and killed or institutionalized by authorities. Kircher, the breakout star of Christophe Honoré’s “Winter Boy,” plays 16-year-old Emile whose mother was institutionalized after showing first signs of a genetic mutation. He lives with his father Francois (Romain Duris) who is struggling to overcome grief.
The character-driven film world premiered to warm reviews at the Cannes Film Festival where it bowed the Un Certain Regard section. “The Animal Kingdom” is represented in international market by Studiocanal and was produced by Pierre Guyard at Nord Ouest Films, and co-produced by Artemis.
“The Animal Kingdom” takes place in an undetermined future in France which has been swept by a genetic disease causing people to transform into creatures that are being hunted down and killed or institutionalized by authorities. Kircher, the breakout star of Christophe Honoré’s “Winter Boy,” plays 16-year-old Emile whose mother was institutionalized after showing first signs of a genetic mutation. He lives with his father Francois (Romain Duris) who is struggling to overcome grief.
- 5/21/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The rom-com has always appeared to be in safe hands with French-language cinema, but Quebecois director Monia Chokri wanted to push the boundaries of the genre even further with her new film “Simple comme Sylvain.”
“French people like to talk about love but they always do it in the same way of toxic relationships. And there aren’t so many [rom-coms] made by women,” says Chokri, who was last in Cannes in 2019 with her debut feature, “A Brother’s Love,” which won Un Certain Regard’s Jury Cup de Coeur.
“Simple comme Sylvain” centers on a posh French-Canadian woman in a sexless marriage who turns her life upside down when she has an affair with her contractor.
The Quebec-born actor broke out in meaty roles in Canadian auteur Denys Arcand’s “The Age of Darkness” and Xavier Dolan’s “Heartbeats” and “Laurence Anyways.” She also acts in “Simple comme Sylvain,” playing her protagonist’s outspoken best friend,...
“French people like to talk about love but they always do it in the same way of toxic relationships. And there aren’t so many [rom-coms] made by women,” says Chokri, who was last in Cannes in 2019 with her debut feature, “A Brother’s Love,” which won Un Certain Regard’s Jury Cup de Coeur.
“Simple comme Sylvain” centers on a posh French-Canadian woman in a sexless marriage who turns her life upside down when she has an affair with her contractor.
The Quebec-born actor broke out in meaty roles in Canadian auteur Denys Arcand’s “The Age of Darkness” and Xavier Dolan’s “Heartbeats” and “Laurence Anyways.” She also acts in “Simple comme Sylvain,” playing her protagonist’s outspoken best friend,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome, Insiders. Cannes is now well under way while the picket lines remain busy in LA. Jesse Whittock here in London. I’ve rounded up all the big and important news from film and TV, so sit back and enjoy the read. Subscribe here.
Cannes Gets In Gear Cannes
Controversy: Diana Lodderhose here reporting from Cannes where it’s been all systems go on the Croisette since the festival kicked off with the opening of Johnny Depp starrer Jeanne du Barry on Tuesday. It wouldn’t feel like a proper Cannes without a healthy dose of controversy. Festival head Thierry Frémaux responded to French actress Adèle Haenel’s suggestion that Cannes is part of a French eco-system that turns a blind eye to sexual violence. “It’s not true and the proof is that if you believed it, you would not be here, listening to me now, taking your accreditations...
Cannes Gets In Gear Cannes
Controversy: Diana Lodderhose here reporting from Cannes where it’s been all systems go on the Croisette since the festival kicked off with the opening of Johnny Depp starrer Jeanne du Barry on Tuesday. It wouldn’t feel like a proper Cannes without a healthy dose of controversy. Festival head Thierry Frémaux responded to French actress Adèle Haenel’s suggestion that Cannes is part of a French eco-system that turns a blind eye to sexual violence. “It’s not true and the proof is that if you believed it, you would not be here, listening to me now, taking your accreditations...
- 5/19/2023
- by Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress Jane Fonda said on a recent episode of ‘Watch What Happens Live’ that French director Rene Clement asked to sleep with her during the making of their 1964 thriller ‘Joy House’.
Fonda starred in the film opposite Alain Delon and Lola Albright, reports Variety.
‘Watch What Happens Live’ host Andy Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down.” The Oscar-winning actor replied: “The French director Rene Clement.”
Fonda elaborated: “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and I pretended I didn’t understand.”
“I have stories for you, kid, (but) we don’t have time,” Fonda added.
Clement was 51 years old at the time of production, while Fonda...
Fonda starred in the film opposite Alain Delon and Lola Albright, reports Variety.
‘Watch What Happens Live’ host Andy Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down.” The Oscar-winning actor replied: “The French director Rene Clement.”
Fonda elaborated: “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and I pretended I didn’t understand.”
“I have stories for you, kid, (but) we don’t have time,” Fonda added.
Clement was 51 years old at the time of production, while Fonda...
- 5/18/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux is not good at playing defense. When asked at Monday’s pre-opening day press conference about an open letter published by (retired) actress Adèle Haenel accusing the festival of protecting “its rapist chiefs,” among them Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu, Frémaux responded that “if you thought that it’s a festival for rapists, you wouldn’t be here listening to me, you would not be complaining that you can’t get tickets to get into screenings.” “Festival for rapists” is a clunkily phrased self-own for Frémaux and his subsequent leap to ticketing problems is equally ungainly—but the access problems […]
The post Cannes 2023: Occupied City first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2023: Occupied City first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/17/2023
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux is not good at playing defense. When asked at Monday’s pre-opening day press conference about an open letter published by (retired) actress Adèle Haenel accusing the festival of protecting “its rapist chiefs,” among them Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu, Frémaux responded that “if you thought that it’s a festival for rapists, you wouldn’t be here listening to me, you would not be complaining that you can’t get tickets to get into screenings.” “Festival for rapists” is a clunkily phrased self-own for Frémaux and his subsequent leap to ticketing problems is equally ungainly—but the access problems […]
The post Cannes 2023: Occupied City first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2023: Occupied City first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/17/2023
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Johnny Depp is speaking out.
On Wednesday, the Hollywood star attended the press conference for his new French film, “Jeanne du Barry”, which opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Read More: Cannes 2023: Johnny Depp ‘Held Back Tears’ After 7-Minute Standing Ovation For ‘Jeanne du Barry’ Premiere
The actor arrived 42 minutes late to the press conference, which had already gotten under way, and was immediately peppered with questions about his return to the screen following his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard last year.
“The majority of you who have been reading for the last five or six years, with regards to me and my life — the majority of what you’ve read is fantastically, horrifically written fiction,” Depp said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The fact is, we’re here to talk about the film. But it’s like asking the question, ‘How are you doing?’ But what’s underneath in the subtext is,...
On Wednesday, the Hollywood star attended the press conference for his new French film, “Jeanne du Barry”, which opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Read More: Cannes 2023: Johnny Depp ‘Held Back Tears’ After 7-Minute Standing Ovation For ‘Jeanne du Barry’ Premiere
The actor arrived 42 minutes late to the press conference, which had already gotten under way, and was immediately peppered with questions about his return to the screen following his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard last year.
“The majority of you who have been reading for the last five or six years, with regards to me and my life — the majority of what you’ve read is fantastically, horrifically written fiction,” Depp said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The fact is, we’re here to talk about the film. But it’s like asking the question, ‘How are you doing?’ But what’s underneath in the subtext is,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Jane Fonda revealed on a recent episode of “Watch What Happens Live” that French director René Clément asked to sleep with her during the making of their 1964 thriller “Joy House.” Fonda starred in the film opposite Alain Delon and Lola Albright.
“Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down.” The Oscar-winning actor replied: “The French director René Clément.”
Fonda elaborated, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and I pretended I didn’t understand.”
“I have stories for you, kid, [but] we don’t have time,” Fonda added.
Clément was 51 years old at the time of production, while Fonda was 27. Clément was one...
“Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down.” The Oscar-winning actor replied: “The French director René Clément.”
Fonda elaborated, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and I pretended I didn’t understand.”
“I have stories for you, kid, [but] we don’t have time,” Fonda added.
Clément was 51 years old at the time of production, while Fonda was 27. Clément was one...
- 5/17/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
The letter targets “the political positions displayed by the Cannes Festival” in particular.
More than 123 French actors and actresses have signed an open letter denouncing sexual harassment in the French film industry, calling it “a dysfunctional system that crushes and annihilates”.
On the same day that Cannes welcomed Maïwenn’s Jeanne Du Barry and its star Johnny Depp, and just ahead of the premiere of Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming in competition, the letter targets “the political positions displayed by the Cannes Festival” in particular. “By rolling out the red carpet to men and women who assault, the festival sends the...
More than 123 French actors and actresses have signed an open letter denouncing sexual harassment in the French film industry, calling it “a dysfunctional system that crushes and annihilates”.
On the same day that Cannes welcomed Maïwenn’s Jeanne Du Barry and its star Johnny Depp, and just ahead of the premiere of Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming in competition, the letter targets “the political positions displayed by the Cannes Festival” in particular. “By rolling out the red carpet to men and women who assault, the festival sends the...
- 5/17/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Johnny Depp returned to Cannes, making his return to the French film festival for the first time since appearing in court with ex-wife Amber Heard last year to debut his new film “Jeanne du Barry”.
The film marks Depp’s first project after years of controversy in the wake of his messy divorce from Heard, which included allegations of rampant drug abuse, domestic violence and bizarre behaviour.
The film had been heralded as Depp’s comeback, and that certainly appeared to be the case after its Cannes premiere, with Depp and co-star/director Maïwenn met with a rousing seven-minute standing ovation.
Read More: Cannes 2023: Juror Brie Larson Dodges Question About Attending Johnny Depp’s Film; Amber Heard Supporters Protest On Red Carpet
According to Variety, Depp “held back tears” as the crowd throughout the prolonged applause for his performance as King Louis IV, waving to the audience and appearing...
The film marks Depp’s first project after years of controversy in the wake of his messy divorce from Heard, which included allegations of rampant drug abuse, domestic violence and bizarre behaviour.
The film had been heralded as Depp’s comeback, and that certainly appeared to be the case after its Cannes premiere, with Depp and co-star/director Maïwenn met with a rousing seven-minute standing ovation.
Read More: Cannes 2023: Juror Brie Larson Dodges Question About Attending Johnny Depp’s Film; Amber Heard Supporters Protest On Red Carpet
According to Variety, Depp “held back tears” as the crowd throughout the prolonged applause for his performance as King Louis IV, waving to the audience and appearing...
- 5/16/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Jane Fonda is calling out late French filmmaker René Clément over on-set sexual harassment.
The “Book Club: The Next Chapter” actress revealed to “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen that Clément propositioned her while filming 1964 thriller “Joy House.” The film also starred Alain Delon and Lola Albright, featuring both American and French actors under Clément’s agreement with MGM. Natalie Wood was originally set to star before dropping out; Fonda replaced the “Rebel Without a Cause” actress.
Host Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down,” to which Fonda replied, “The French director René Clément.”
The Oscar winner continued, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and...
The “Book Club: The Next Chapter” actress revealed to “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen that Clément propositioned her while filming 1964 thriller “Joy House.” The film also starred Alain Delon and Lola Albright, featuring both American and French actors under Clément’s agreement with MGM. Natalie Wood was originally set to star before dropping out; Fonda replaced the “Rebel Without a Cause” actress.
Host Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down,” to which Fonda replied, “The French director René Clément.”
The Oscar winner continued, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and...
- 5/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Actors Mads Mikkelsen and Johnny Depp are back in the same headline again.
Mikkelsen arrived in his stylish best at the world premiere of Depp’s “Jeanne du Barry” at the Cannes Film Festival opening night. The “Hannibal” star had wife Hanne Jacobsen as his plus one while Depp walked the red carpet with the entire team of “Jeanne du Barry.”
Mikkelsen famously replaced Depp in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” after Depp made headlines following his explosive trial with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Mads Mikkelsen, left, and Hanne Jacobsen pose for photographers upon arrival at the opening ceremony and the premiere of the film ‘Jeanne du Barry’ at the 76th international film festival. — Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP
After Depp won the trial, which grabbed headlines for most of 2022, Mikkelsen told Deadline that he’s a fan of Depp’s work and added that he could return to the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.
Mikkelsen arrived in his stylish best at the world premiere of Depp’s “Jeanne du Barry” at the Cannes Film Festival opening night. The “Hannibal” star had wife Hanne Jacobsen as his plus one while Depp walked the red carpet with the entire team of “Jeanne du Barry.”
Mikkelsen famously replaced Depp in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” after Depp made headlines following his explosive trial with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Mads Mikkelsen, left, and Hanne Jacobsen pose for photographers upon arrival at the opening ceremony and the premiere of the film ‘Jeanne du Barry’ at the 76th international film festival. — Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP
After Depp won the trial, which grabbed headlines for most of 2022, Mikkelsen told Deadline that he’s a fan of Depp’s work and added that he could return to the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.
- 5/16/2023
- by Divya Goyal
- ET Canada
The assault allegation against “Jeanne du Barry” writer/director/star Maïwenn has become even more complex.
After Maïwenn admitted to attacking French journalist Edwy Plenel, the Mediapart magazine editor-in-chief is citing Maïwenn’s possible motive: retaliation for the publication reporting on her ex-husband Luc Besson’s sexual abuse allegations. “Léon, the Professional” director Besson was accused in 2018 of repeatedly raping Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy over the course of two years, as well as multiple other women. The case against Besson was dismissed in 2021 after an investigation.
Maïwenn was married to Besson in 1992; she was 16 years old when they wed. Besson knew Maïwenn since she was age 12, and the couple began dating when the actress was 15 years old. Maïwenn said during the 1994 DVD extras for controversial film “Léon, the Professional” that the central relationship was inspired by her and Besson’s love story. The couple divorced in 1997.
“We published what...
After Maïwenn admitted to attacking French journalist Edwy Plenel, the Mediapart magazine editor-in-chief is citing Maïwenn’s possible motive: retaliation for the publication reporting on her ex-husband Luc Besson’s sexual abuse allegations. “Léon, the Professional” director Besson was accused in 2018 of repeatedly raping Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy over the course of two years, as well as multiple other women. The case against Besson was dismissed in 2021 after an investigation.
Maïwenn was married to Besson in 1992; she was 16 years old when they wed. Besson knew Maïwenn since she was age 12, and the couple began dating when the actress was 15 years old. Maïwenn said during the 1994 DVD extras for controversial film “Léon, the Professional” that the central relationship was inspired by her and Besson’s love story. The couple divorced in 1997.
“We published what...
- 5/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
If you thought Johnny Depp starring in a film might be a lightning rod of controversy, imagine the movie’s director spitting on a journalist.
“Jeanne du Barry” will open the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night, marking Depp’s return to the red carpet, following legal battles that have largely defined the actor for the past few years. Ahead of the film’s premiere, the director, French actor and filmmaker Maiwenn, admitted to assaulting a journalist by spitting on him.
“She’s outspokenly anti-#MeToo and she made a gesture to please her world, and that’s why she bragged about it on TV. We could see a sort of pride that echoed that world,” journalist Edwy Plenel tells Variety in his first interview since the spitting incident. Plenel was referring to Maiwenn’s comments published by Paris Match in 2020, saying “It’s crazy how many stupidities they say these days!
“Jeanne du Barry” will open the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night, marking Depp’s return to the red carpet, following legal battles that have largely defined the actor for the past few years. Ahead of the film’s premiere, the director, French actor and filmmaker Maiwenn, admitted to assaulting a journalist by spitting on him.
“She’s outspokenly anti-#MeToo and she made a gesture to please her world, and that’s why she bragged about it on TV. We could see a sort of pride that echoed that world,” journalist Edwy Plenel tells Variety in his first interview since the spitting incident. Plenel was referring to Maiwenn’s comments published by Paris Match in 2020, saying “It’s crazy how many stupidities they say these days!
- 5/16/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Elizabeth Wagmeister
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Dano is sharing his support for the WGA strike even while abroad.
The actor, writer, and director revealed during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival press conference that he is ready to join wife and fellow filmmaker Zoe Kazan “on the picket line” after serving on the Cannes jury.
“My wife is currently picketing with my six-month-old, strapped to her chest,” Dano said. “I will be there on the picket line when I get home.”
The Writers Guild of America strike began May 2 after six weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing the likes of Netflix, Disney, Apple, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., Paramount, Amazon, and more. Writers are demanding better pay, residuals structures, and protection against AI as a replacement tool for their work, among other concerns. Multiple productions have halted in solidarity with the demonstrations.
Dano wrote and directed indie film “Wildlife” alongside co-writer Kazan,...
The actor, writer, and director revealed during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival press conference that he is ready to join wife and fellow filmmaker Zoe Kazan “on the picket line” after serving on the Cannes jury.
“My wife is currently picketing with my six-month-old, strapped to her chest,” Dano said. “I will be there on the picket line when I get home.”
The Writers Guild of America strike began May 2 after six weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing the likes of Netflix, Disney, Apple, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., Paramount, Amazon, and more. Writers are demanding better pay, residuals structures, and protection against AI as a replacement tool for their work, among other concerns. Multiple productions have halted in solidarity with the demonstrations.
Dano wrote and directed indie film “Wildlife” alongside co-writer Kazan,...
- 5/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Brie Larson is steering clear of discussing Cannes opening night film “Jeanne du Barry.”
The vocal member of the #MeToo and Times Up movements serves on the 2023 Cannes Film Festival jury, but sidestepped whether or not she will be viewing the opening night film starring Johnny Depp.
“You’re asking me that?” Larson said during the press conference, as “Jeanne du Barry” is out of competition and therefore not a requirement for jury members. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically.”
The “Fast X” actress added, “You’ll see, I guess, if I will see it. And I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”
Larson noted that this year’s festival is her “first time here” and she would be open to Cannes including superhero films like her own “Captain Marvel” franchise some day.
“I only know my perspective,...
The vocal member of the #MeToo and Times Up movements serves on the 2023 Cannes Film Festival jury, but sidestepped whether or not she will be viewing the opening night film starring Johnny Depp.
“You’re asking me that?” Larson said during the press conference, as “Jeanne du Barry” is out of competition and therefore not a requirement for jury members. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically.”
The “Fast X” actress added, “You’ll see, I guess, if I will see it. And I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”
Larson noted that this year’s festival is her “first time here” and she would be open to Cannes including superhero films like her own “Captain Marvel” franchise some day.
“I only know my perspective,...
- 5/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
After one of France’s top actors, Adèle Haenel, announced she was quitting a French film industry that she denounced for “complacency toward sexual aggressors,” Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux rejected her criticisms while addressing members of the media Monday.
Haenel, star of the 2019 Cannes entry “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” last week published an open letter in the Telerama magazine in which the 34-year-old said Cannes and other pillars of the French film industry are “ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs.”
Read More: Martin Scorsese Set To Stir Cannes Again, 47 Years After ‘Taxi Driver’
Fremaux strongly disagreed while speaking to journalists before the festival kicks off Tuesday with the premiere of Maïwenn’s historical drama “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp.
“No doubt for somewhat radical reasons, she had to make this comment about Cannes, which was obviously false,” said Fremaux.
In 2019, Haenel accused...
Haenel, star of the 2019 Cannes entry “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” last week published an open letter in the Telerama magazine in which the 34-year-old said Cannes and other pillars of the French film industry are “ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs.”
Read More: Martin Scorsese Set To Stir Cannes Again, 47 Years After ‘Taxi Driver’
Fremaux strongly disagreed while speaking to journalists before the festival kicks off Tuesday with the premiere of Maïwenn’s historical drama “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp.
“No doubt for somewhat radical reasons, she had to make this comment about Cannes, which was obviously false,” said Fremaux.
In 2019, Haenel accused...
- 5/15/2023
- by Divya Goyal
- ET Canada
Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux is responding to French actress Adèle Haenel’s claims that the annual festival has supported “sexual aggressors” like director Roman Polanski and actor Gerard Depardieu.
Haenel, who publicly announced her retirement from acting in March 2022, penned an open letter last week slamming the Cannes Film Festival for protecting sexual abusers. “They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” Haenel wrote. “It bothers them that the victims make too much noise. They preferred that we disappear and die in silence.”
She added that Cannes was “ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs” and claimed that the French industry effectively “canceled” its own #MeToo movement.
Now, Cannes festival director Fremaux defended the festival from Haenel’s “radical” and “false” comments.
“She’s very radical, but it’s an erroneous comment,” Fremaux said. “It’s misplaced. She didn’t think that when she came to...
Haenel, who publicly announced her retirement from acting in March 2022, penned an open letter last week slamming the Cannes Film Festival for protecting sexual abusers. “They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” Haenel wrote. “It bothers them that the victims make too much noise. They preferred that we disappear and die in silence.”
She added that Cannes was “ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs” and claimed that the French industry effectively “canceled” its own #MeToo movement.
Now, Cannes festival director Fremaux defended the festival from Haenel’s “radical” and “false” comments.
“She’s very radical, but it’s an erroneous comment,” Fremaux said. “It’s misplaced. She didn’t think that when she came to...
- 5/15/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
At a press conference the day before the start of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, artistic director Thierry Fremaux defended Johnny Depp, warded off complaints about the digital ticketing system, and declined to comment on Woody Allen. Again and again, he redirected the conversation to the movies.
“So you’re not really asking about the cinema?” he responded to one journalist. “I won’t talk about films that aren’t here,” he said later.
Fremaux has a history of deflection when it comes to the delicate navigation of cultural and political subjects at the center of the world’s most prominent film festival; a wrong word can set off a media firestorm and this year many distractions loom.
“Jeanne du Barry”Cannes
There’s Depp, who appears for a few minutes in opening selection “Jeanne du Barry” and has a directing vehicle at the market; the looming WGA strike, which prohibits...
“So you’re not really asking about the cinema?” he responded to one journalist. “I won’t talk about films that aren’t here,” he said later.
Fremaux has a history of deflection when it comes to the delicate navigation of cultural and political subjects at the center of the world’s most prominent film festival; a wrong word can set off a media firestorm and this year many distractions loom.
“Jeanne du Barry”Cannes
There’s Depp, who appears for a few minutes in opening selection “Jeanne du Barry” and has a directing vehicle at the market; the looming WGA strike, which prohibits...
- 5/15/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The head of the Cannes Film Festival, Thierry Fremaux, defended the inclusion of Johnny Depp’s comeback move in this year’s festival and rebuffed criticism from French actress Adèle Haenel, who recently wrote that Cannes would “do anything to defend their rapist chiefs.”
As Variety reports, Fremaux addressed the issues during a press conference ahead of the opening night of Cannes — which will be led by the premiere of Depp’s new movie, Jeanne du Barry. The movie — directed by and co-starring Maïwenn — marks Depp’s first major project...
As Variety reports, Fremaux addressed the issues during a press conference ahead of the opening night of Cannes — which will be led by the premiere of Depp’s new movie, Jeanne du Barry. The movie — directed by and co-starring Maïwenn — marks Depp’s first major project...
- 5/15/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Delegate general also addresses threat of civil unrest spilling over into festival.
Cannes’ delegate general Thierry Fremaux has apologised for glitches in the festival’s ticketing system, defended the selection of Johnny Depp-starrer Jeanne du Barry as opening film and addressed the threat of civil unrest in France spilling over into the festival.
At a press briefing on the eve of Cannes, Fremaux acknowledged problems with the festival’s online ticketing system which has seen some press, critics and other festgoers having trouble in securing spots for high profile titles.
“It is evident that the ticketing system whether here...
Cannes’ delegate general Thierry Fremaux has apologised for glitches in the festival’s ticketing system, defended the selection of Johnny Depp-starrer Jeanne du Barry as opening film and addressed the threat of civil unrest in France spilling over into the festival.
At a press briefing on the eve of Cannes, Fremaux acknowledged problems with the festival’s online ticketing system which has seen some press, critics and other festgoers having trouble in securing spots for high profile titles.
“It is evident that the ticketing system whether here...
- 5/15/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
This year, the Cannes Film Festival actually broke its own record for the number of female filmmakers in the official competition. That’s great news for an event that has come under fire in recent years for having less diversity and inclusivity than other prestigious festivals. But we aren’t talking about this fact nearly as much as we would have if Cannes didn’t select a Johnny Depp feature for its Opening Film.
Continue reading Cannes Director Says Event Is Not “A Festival For Rapists” Amid Johnny Depp Controversy & Adele Haenel Open Letter at The Playlist.
Continue reading Cannes Director Says Event Is Not “A Festival For Rapists” Amid Johnny Depp Controversy & Adele Haenel Open Letter at The Playlist.
- 5/15/2023
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Cannes Film Festival Thierry Frémaux has responded to French actress Adèle Haenel’s suggestion that Cannes is part of a French eco-system that turns a blind eye to sexual violence.
The actress made the comments in an open letter in weekly TV magazine Télérama last week, in which she announced she was leaving the film industry because of its “general complacency” towards sexual predators.
The letter has stoked debate in the local film industry with some professionals getting behind her move, while others say they do not recognise the French cinema world in her comments.
Frémaux said her comments on Cannes were clearly “false.”
“I can only comment about what she said about Cannes, by saying that I suppose to be radical, she felt obliged to make this comment on Cannes, but it’s false, erroneous,” he said.
“She didn’t think that way when she came to the festival as an actress,...
The actress made the comments in an open letter in weekly TV magazine Télérama last week, in which she announced she was leaving the film industry because of its “general complacency” towards sexual predators.
The letter has stoked debate in the local film industry with some professionals getting behind her move, while others say they do not recognise the French cinema world in her comments.
Frémaux said her comments on Cannes were clearly “false.”
“I can only comment about what she said about Cannes, by saying that I suppose to be radical, she felt obliged to make this comment on Cannes, but it’s false, erroneous,” he said.
“She didn’t think that way when she came to the festival as an actress,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Thierry Fremaux doesn’t see anything controversial about having a Johnny Depp film open the biggest film festival in the world.
Depp stars as French king Louis Xv in Jeanne du Barry from French director Maiwenn, which will kick off the 2023 Cannes Film Festival tomorrow. The choice raised some eyebrows in the U.S., where Depp has been more famous of late for his messy divorce, involving allegations of domestic abuse, from actress Amber Heard and a pair of high-profile defamation suits. One, filed in Britain over an article in the tabloid The Sun which to him as a “wife-beater,” he lost. The other, filed in the U.S. against Heard, Depp won, and was awarded more than $10 million in damages.
But Fremaux said Depp’s public image did not factor into the decision to pick the film.
“I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.
Depp stars as French king Louis Xv in Jeanne du Barry from French director Maiwenn, which will kick off the 2023 Cannes Film Festival tomorrow. The choice raised some eyebrows in the U.S., where Depp has been more famous of late for his messy divorce, involving allegations of domestic abuse, from actress Amber Heard and a pair of high-profile defamation suits. One, filed in Britain over an article in the tabloid The Sun which to him as a “wife-beater,” he lost. The other, filed in the U.S. against Heard, Depp won, and was awarded more than $10 million in damages.
But Fremaux said Depp’s public image did not factor into the decision to pick the film.
“I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.
- 5/15/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes Film Festival’s chief Thierry Fremaux asked journalists Monday if they really believed Cannes was celebrating rapists, as recently suggested by “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” actor Adele Haenel in an open letter published last week in Telerama.
Haenel, who quit acting in films after Roman Polanski won best director at the Cesar Awards in 2020, said she retired from the film industry for political reasons, and said Cannes was “ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs,” citing Polanski, Gerard Depardieu and Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board (Cnc).
Fremaux told journalists at a press conference ahead of the 2023 festival’s opening night that Haenel, who was at Cannes to present “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” in competition in 2019, was making “radical” comments that were “false.”
“She didn’t think that when she came to Cannes unless she suffered from a crazy dissonance,...
Haenel, who quit acting in films after Roman Polanski won best director at the Cesar Awards in 2020, said she retired from the film industry for political reasons, and said Cannes was “ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs,” citing Polanski, Gerard Depardieu and Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board (Cnc).
Fremaux told journalists at a press conference ahead of the 2023 festival’s opening night that Haenel, who was at Cannes to present “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” in competition in 2019, was making “radical” comments that were “false.”
“She didn’t think that when she came to Cannes unless she suffered from a crazy dissonance,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Maïwenn Lo Besco, director of the Cannes Film Festival’s Johnny Depp-starring opening film Jeanne du Barry, has admitted to assaulting a leading French journalist.
In a live TV interview promoting the film, the actress-director was quizzed about reports in April that Edwy Plenel, co-founder and editor-in-chief of investigative news website online Mediapart, had filed a complaint against her for assault.
According to French news reports a woman approached Plenel while he was lunching with his lawyer in a Paris restaurant, pulled back his head by his hair and then spat in his face. Restaurant staff identified the attacker as Maïwenn to Plenel.
Maïwenn seemed unfazed by the question on the incident which came at the end of a good-natured 15-minute interview on nightly chat show Quotidien.
“Can you confirm? Can you say more?” asked presenter Yann Barthès.
“Can I confirm that I assaulted him, or that I received a complaint?...
In a live TV interview promoting the film, the actress-director was quizzed about reports in April that Edwy Plenel, co-founder and editor-in-chief of investigative news website online Mediapart, had filed a complaint against her for assault.
According to French news reports a woman approached Plenel while he was lunching with his lawyer in a Paris restaurant, pulled back his head by his hair and then spat in his face. Restaurant staff identified the attacker as Maïwenn to Plenel.
Maïwenn seemed unfazed by the question on the incident which came at the end of a good-natured 15-minute interview on nightly chat show Quotidien.
“Can you confirm? Can you say more?” asked presenter Yann Barthès.
“Can I confirm that I assaulted him, or that I received a complaint?...
- 5/11/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Noémie Merlant, the French actor of “Tár,” is reteaming with Celine Sciamma, who directed her in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” for her sophomore outing, “The Balconettes.”
The fantastical comedy horror movie is being written by Merlant with the collaboration of Céline Sciamma. MK2 Films will launch sales at the Cannes Film Market. Filming is slated to begin this summer.
Set in a boiling Marseille neighborhood plagued by a heat wave, the movie revolves around three roommates who gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbors from their balcony. Until a late-night drink turns into a bloody affair. Sometimes gory, sometimes brazen, always playful. Merlant stars in the film alongside Souheila Yacoub (“Dune 2”) and Sanda Codreanu (“Mi Iubita Mon Amour”).
Merlant, who won this year’s Cesar Award for her role in Louis Garrel’s “The Innocent,” made her feature debut as a director with “Mi Iubita Mon Amour” which played at Cannes,...
The fantastical comedy horror movie is being written by Merlant with the collaboration of Céline Sciamma. MK2 Films will launch sales at the Cannes Film Market. Filming is slated to begin this summer.
Set in a boiling Marseille neighborhood plagued by a heat wave, the movie revolves around three roommates who gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbors from their balcony. Until a late-night drink turns into a bloody affair. Sometimes gory, sometimes brazen, always playful. Merlant stars in the film alongside Souheila Yacoub (“Dune 2”) and Sanda Codreanu (“Mi Iubita Mon Amour”).
Merlant, who won this year’s Cesar Award for her role in Louis Garrel’s “The Innocent,” made her feature debut as a director with “Mi Iubita Mon Amour” which played at Cannes,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Adèle Haenel: 'I delete you from my world. I'm leaving, I'm going on strike, I'm joining my comrades for whom the search for meaning and dignity outweighs that of money and power' Photo: Richard Mowe After two years away from the spotlight French actress Adèle Haenel, who notably starred opposite Noémie Merlant in Céline Sciama’s Portrait Of A Lady on Fire, has announced that she has decided to “retire from cinema” partly as a protest against “the profession’s widespread complacency toward sexual predators”.
Haenel, 34, who recently has been seen recently on the barricades in Paris as part of the street protests against President Macron’s pension reforms, said in an open letter to the weekly magazine Telérama: “I delete you from my world. I'm leaving, I'm going on strike, I'm joining my comrades for whom the search for meaning and dignity outweighs that of money and power.
Haenel, 34, who recently has been seen recently on the barricades in Paris as part of the street protests against President Macron’s pension reforms, said in an open letter to the weekly magazine Telérama: “I delete you from my world. I'm leaving, I'm going on strike, I'm joining my comrades for whom the search for meaning and dignity outweighs that of money and power.
- 5/10/2023
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Adèle Haenel, the French star of Cannes prize-winning film “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” vanished from the film world in the aftermath of the 2020 Cesar Awards ceremony. That year, Roman Polanski won best director and Haenel, who was on the ground for her nomination with “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” walked out of the ceremony in a burst of anger upon hearing Polanski’s name, shouting “Bravo pedophilia!”
Several months prior, Haenel had accused French director Christophe Ruggia of having sexually harassed her for years starting when she was just 12 years old, prompting the birth of France’s #MeToo movement. Since then, Haenel exited the movie biz to dedicate herself to political activism, as well as theater and dance with the artist Gisèle Vienne. She recently appeared on French TV to support the strike and protest against the country’s unpopular pension reform.
While some hoped she would...
Several months prior, Haenel had accused French director Christophe Ruggia of having sexually harassed her for years starting when she was just 12 years old, prompting the birth of France’s #MeToo movement. Since then, Haenel exited the movie biz to dedicate herself to political activism, as well as theater and dance with the artist Gisèle Vienne. She recently appeared on French TV to support the strike and protest against the country’s unpopular pension reform.
While some hoped she would...
- 5/9/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” actress Adèle Haenel is calling out the French film industry for supporting known sexual abusers.
Haenel wrote an op-ed letter for French publication Télérama in which she denounced the “general complacency” toward “sexual aggressors” like actor Gerard Depardieu, who was recently accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women, and director Roman Polanski, who raped then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977.
“They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” Haenel wrote (via The Hollywood Reporter). “It bothers them that the victims make too much noise. They preferred that we disappear and die in silence.”
Doubling down on her retirement from movies, she added that the French industry has effectively “canceled” its own #MeToo movement over the years, writing, “You have the money, the strength, and all the glory [but] you won’t have me as a spectator. I cancel you from my world.”
Haenel previously accused French...
Haenel wrote an op-ed letter for French publication Télérama in which she denounced the “general complacency” toward “sexual aggressors” like actor Gerard Depardieu, who was recently accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women, and director Roman Polanski, who raped then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977.
“They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” Haenel wrote (via The Hollywood Reporter). “It bothers them that the victims make too much noise. They preferred that we disappear and die in silence.”
Doubling down on her retirement from movies, she added that the French industry has effectively “canceled” its own #MeToo movement over the years, writing, “You have the money, the strength, and all the glory [but] you won’t have me as a spectator. I cancel you from my world.”
Haenel previously accused French...
- 5/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
French actress Adèle Haenel, the star of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, has announced her retirement from the movie business, saying the complacency and indifference of the French industry to the #MeToo movement is behind her decision.
In a letter published on media news site Télérama on Tuesday, Haenel she wanted to use the public declaration of her retirement from the film business as a way to call out the “general complacency” within the French industry “vis-à-vis sexual aggressors.”
Despite several high-profile examples of sexual abuse and misconduct within the French film industry, many of which came to light in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Haenel says the powers that be have chosen to ignore and ostracize women who have come forward to sound the alarm. “They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” she writes in her Télérama letter, referencing three of the most prominent French film figures accused of abuse.
In a letter published on media news site Télérama on Tuesday, Haenel she wanted to use the public declaration of her retirement from the film business as a way to call out the “general complacency” within the French industry “vis-à-vis sexual aggressors.”
Despite several high-profile examples of sexual abuse and misconduct within the French film industry, many of which came to light in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Haenel says the powers that be have chosen to ignore and ostracize women who have come forward to sound the alarm. “They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” she writes in her Télérama letter, referencing three of the most prominent French film figures accused of abuse.
- 5/9/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
French actor-director Maiwenn, whose latest film “Jeanne du Barry” starring Johnny Depp is set to open the Cannes Film Festival, is being sued by Edwy Plenel, the editor-in-chief of Mediapart magazine for allegedly attacking him at a restaurant.
A police complaint was filed on March 7 by Plenel, accusing Maiween of aggression. Variety confirmed the filing with the Paris prosecutor’s office following local news reports. In the complaint, Plenel alleges that he was assaulted by Maiwenn in late February while eating at a restaurant in the posh seventh arrondissement of Paris.
Maiwenn, who was sitting by herself at a nearby table, allegedly came to his table and grabbed him by the hair before spitting in his face without saying a word, then stormed out of the venue, leaving Plenel “traumatized by the incident,” according to the news outlet Afp, which quoted the police complaint.
Variety has reached out to Maiwenn’s attorney for comment.
A police complaint was filed on March 7 by Plenel, accusing Maiween of aggression. Variety confirmed the filing with the Paris prosecutor’s office following local news reports. In the complaint, Plenel alleges that he was assaulted by Maiwenn in late February while eating at a restaurant in the posh seventh arrondissement of Paris.
Maiwenn, who was sitting by herself at a nearby table, allegedly came to his table and grabbed him by the hair before spitting in his face without saying a word, then stormed out of the venue, leaving Plenel “traumatized by the incident,” according to the news outlet Afp, which quoted the police complaint.
Variety has reached out to Maiwenn’s attorney for comment.
- 4/7/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles, Feb 3 (Ians) Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fell from grace in France since the premiere of his last film ‘An Officer and a Spy’ in competition at Venice in 2019, is back with ‘The Palace’ that could make a surprise splash on the festival circuit.
Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, was leading a pleasant life in France for decades until he came back into the global spotlight with the Lido premiere of ‘An Officer and a Spy’ and scooped the Grand Jury Prize, reports Variety.
Shortly after the movie’s Venice bow, Polanski faced new allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. When he went on to win best director at France’s Cesar Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Oscars, industry outcry prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards.
As per Variety,...
Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, was leading a pleasant life in France for decades until he came back into the global spotlight with the Lido premiere of ‘An Officer and a Spy’ and scooped the Grand Jury Prize, reports Variety.
Shortly after the movie’s Venice bow, Polanski faced new allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. When he went on to win best director at France’s Cesar Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Oscars, industry outcry prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards.
As per Variety,...
- 2/3/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Since premiering his last film “An Officer and a Spy” in competition at Venice in 2019, Roman Polanski has fallen from grace in France. But he’s now back with a new movie called “The Palace” that could make a surprise splash on the festival circuit.
Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, was leading a pleasant life in France for decades until he came back into the global spotlight with the Lido premiere of “An Officer and a Spy” and scooped the Grand Jury Prize.
Shortly after the movie’s Venice bow, Polanski faced new allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies. When he went on to win best director at France’s Cesar Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Oscars, industry outcry prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards org. The scandal sparked the...
Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, was leading a pleasant life in France for decades until he came back into the global spotlight with the Lido premiere of “An Officer and a Spy” and scooped the Grand Jury Prize.
Shortly after the movie’s Venice bow, Polanski faced new allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies. When he went on to win best director at France’s Cesar Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Oscars, industry outcry prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards org. The scandal sparked the...
- 2/2/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.