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Around Tinsel Town
>> Cannes 2024 | Winners list and highlights from the closing weekend
A jury led by director Greta Gerwig announced the winners at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. The event saw Sean Baker’s Anora clinch the prestigious Palme d’Or, outshining fierce competition from Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light and Mohammed Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Kapadia charted history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Cannes Grand Prix award. On Sunday, a congratulatory message from Kapadia’s alma mater Film and Television Institute of India garnered much attention as Kapadia was on the warpath with FTII after leading a student protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the institute. Post Kapadia’s win, Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty congratulated Kapadia, highlighted the role played by teachers in FTII, and pointed out the lack of support from the mainstream Indian film industry and government delegations typically sent to Cannes.
Meanwhile, Anasuya Sengupta became the first Indian artiste to win Un Certain Regard best actress trophy for her performance in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s Hindi-language movie The Shameless
Here are some of the major highlights from the event
> From ‘Anora’ to ‘All We Imagine As Light’, here’s the list of winners at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
> Payal Kapadia’s journey to winning the Grand Prix at Cannes and Oscars 2025 prospects
> Mysuru filmmaker Chidananda S Naik bags La Cinef top prize
> George Lucas receives Honorary Palme d’Or from dear friend Francis Ford Coppola
> Kani Kusruti displays solidarity with Palestine, carries watermelon pouch on red carpet
> Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof recalls difficult exile decision
> Cannes winner Karla Sofía Gascón faces transphobic insults from far-right French politician
> Preity Zinta presents Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens award to Santosh Sivan
> ‘Dog on Trial’ star Kodi takes home top dog prize
>> ‘All Eyes On Rafah’: Indian cinema braces backlash to voice against Israel’s attack in Palestine
After Israeli air strikes attacked a refugee camp in Rafah, killing over 40 civilians including children and injuring dozens last Sunday, the phrase ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ went viral on social media. Several Bollywood actors like Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Varun Dhawan, Tripti Dimrii, Richa Chadha, Dia Mirza and others showed support for the Palestinian people by trending the popular phrase on their social media, inspite of facing severe backlash from anti-Palestine supporters. From the southern film industries, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Trisha, Dulquer Salmaan, Rashmika Mandanna and others also posted the phrase condemning the attack.
Bollywood
Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri to star in ‘Dhadak 2,’ a remake of Tamil film ‘Pariyerum Perumal’
Ranveer Singh, Prasanth Varma shelve ‘Rakshas’, promise to collaborate in future
‘Mrs’, ‘Sumo Didi’ heading to New York Indian Film Festival
Kajol and Prabhu Deva reunite after 27 years for ‘Maharagni’
Anurag Kashyap, Gulshan Devaiah to face off in crime series ‘Bad Cop’
Saif Ali Khan, Siddharth Anand reunite for ‘Jewel Thief- The Red Sun Chapter’
Ananya Panday-led ‘Call Me Bae’ gets premiere date
‘Kota Factory’ Season 3 locks release date on Netflix
Netflix sets June 14 premiere of ‘Maharaj’, debut of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid
Work has begun on ‘Panchayat 4’, plan to make season five too, says director Deepak Kumar Mishra
Hollywood
Daniel Craig returns for third ‘Knives Out’ film; Andrew Scott, Josh O’Connor, Mila Kunis join cast
Albert Ruddy, Oscar-winning producer of ‘The Godfather,’ dies at 94
Judge rejects Alec Baldwin’s request to dismiss criminal charge in ‘Rust’ fatal shooting
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos says ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ would have been “just as big” on Netflix
Richard Dreyfuss spews transphobic hate, criticizes #MeToo movement at ‘Jaws’ screening
Brad Pitt and George Clooney reunite for Apple TV’s ‘Wolfs’
Mike Flanagan to helm new ‘The Exorcist’ film at Blumhouse
Guy Ritchie to direct Prime Video series on young Sherlock Holmes
Nicholas Galitzine tapped to portray He-Man in ‘Masters of the Universe’
Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy will pen DC Studios’ upcoming Green Lantern series, ‘Lanterns’
Regional Cinema
Actor Anjali responds to the Balakrishna controversy from ‘Gangs of Godavari’ event
Ajith Kumar meets and greets Chiranjeevi on sets of ‘Vishwambhara’
Karthi’s film with Prem Kumar titled ‘Meiyazhagan’
Karthi-Nalan Kumarasamy film titled ‘Vaa Vaathiyaar’
Dhruva Sarja’s ‘Martin’ gets a release date
Sathyaraj joins Rajinikanth-Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Coolie’
Nazriya Nazim’s comeback Malayalam film, ‘Sookshmadarshini’, co-starring Basil Joseph, goes on floors
Keerthy Suresh’s ‘Raghu Thatha’ gets a release date
First look of Allari Naresh’s ‘Bachchala Malli’ out
Suraj Venjaramoodu turns producer for his next with Aamir Pallikkal
Vasanth Ravi, Sathyaraj’s ‘Weapon’ gets a release date
Tamil filmmaker Surya Prakash passes away
World Cinema
‘Anatomy of a Fall’ star Sandra Hüller joins Ryan Gosling in Amazon MGM’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ adaptation
Léa Seydoux criticizes French President’s support for Gérard Depardieu: “A bad image for France”
Donald Trump slaps Ali Abbasi’s ‘The Apprentice’ with a cease and desist order to halt US release
‘Dream Scenario’ director Kristoffer Borgli to helm HBO’s ‘The Shards’
Trailers
Chef Carmy chases perfection yet again, with higher stakes, in trailer of ‘The Bear’ Season 3
Vishwak Sen is a short-tempered anti-hero in the trailer of ‘Gangs of Godavari’
Dennis Quaid-starrer charts the epic journey of the 40th President of the United States in the trailer of ‘Reagan’
Superhero siblings reunite to restore order in teaser of fourth and final season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’
‘Moana 2’ trailer shows Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho return for round two
Vijay Sethupathi readies for revenge against Anurag Kashyap in trailer of his 50th film, ‘Maharaja’
Sudheer Babu is a whip-smart gunsmith serving the powerless in trailer of ‘Harom Hara’
Trailer of Vikrant Massey, Mouni Roy’s ‘Blackout’ shows darkness engulf Pune
‘Haraa’ trailer shows Mohan return after 16 years in an all-new action avatar
Arjun Ashokan’s cop investigates Devika Sanjay, Mubin M Rafi in teaser of ‘Once Upon A Time In Kochi’
Surbhi Jyoti, Gashmeer Mahajani and Zayn Ibad Khan weave a tale of vengeance in ‘Gunaah’ trailer
Essential reading
1) Kajal Aggarwal interview: ‘Satyabhama’ is a mass film, but not a lady ‘Singham’
>> The actor opens up on training for action sequences post maternity break, ‘Indian 2’ and her 17-year career
2) Soori interview on ‘Garudan’: I stopped getting comedy roles after ‘Viduthalai’
>> He talks about his films ‘Kottukaali’, ‘Viduthalai’ and ‘Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai,’ and discusses how commercial outings like ‘Garudan’ are equally important
3) Kartikeya Gummakonda: The success of ‘Bhaje Vaayu Vegam’ will serve as a validation of my choice
>> The actor weighs in on his new Telugu action entertainer and being open to antagonist characters
4) What do the Cannes 2024 wins mean for the Oscars 2025?
>> As history has shown, the road from the Croisette to the Dolby Theatre is well-trodden, and this year’s winners seem ready to walk it
5) Anand Deverakonda: For ‘Gam Gam Ganesha’, I turned my fears into motivational factors
>> The actor discusses his new Telugu crime comedy, how he differs from his brother Vijay Deverakonda, and why he does not chase stardom
6) RS Durai Senthikumar interview: ‘Garudan’ is like a relay race with Soori, Sasikumar and Unni Mukundan
>> The filmmaker opens up on why he likes to write multi-hero stories, Vetri Maaran’s influences in his films, and more
7) The truth about India’s LGBTQ+ voices on screen
>> Filmmakers, actors and festival directors weigh in on why we need more normalised queer characters and storylines in Indian cinema
8) Studio Ghibli’s unsung secret sauce behind ‘The Boy and the Heron’s’ success
>> With a career spanning over four decades, Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi’s intimate compositions breathe life into Ghibli’s make-believe world
9) Actor Azees Nedumangad regrets missing the opportunity to be at Cannes with the cast of ‘All We Imagine As Light’
>> The actor speaks about the experience of working in Payal Kapadia’s movie, which won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival
10) How ‘Manthan’’s depiction of class, caste and gender hierarchies remains relevant
>> Shyam Benegal’s film made a splash at the Cannes, and ahead of its theatrical re-release, here’s a look at how the film speaks to today’s agrarian economy
11) Uorfi Javed interview: Men follow me, women stalk me
>> She talks about her role in ‘MTV Splitsvilla’ and her sartorial innovations, like a black dress with mechanical birds to an outfit with a glow in the dark planetary system
12) The ‘Maxton Hall’ curriculum: Clichés with an elective in romance
>> What does the latest addition to the ‘poor girl rich boy’ trope have in store for all of us who prefer swoon-worthy happily-ever-afters?
13) Actor Kani Kusruti’s watermelon clutch at Cannes was designed in Kochi
>> The watermelon slice is a symbol of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, and Kochi-based designer Diya John talks about how the watermelon slice bag came to be
What to watch
1) Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao’s partnership, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Mahi,’ doesn’t quite land
2) In ‘Garudan, ‘ a fantastic Soori spearheads a tale on friendship, loyalty and deceit
3) A spirited Vishwak Sen shoulders an ambitious gangster drama in ‘Gangs of Godavari’
4) ‘The Strangers: Chapter 1’ is strictly for silly scares
5) The magic in beloved volleyball anime, ‘Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle,’ doesn’t quite translate to big-screen
6) Anand Deverakonda’s low stakes crime comedy, ‘Gam Gam Ganesha,’ entertains sporadically
7) ‘Once Upon a Time in Kochi’ is a forgettable ‘comedy thriller’ that is neither funny nor thrilling
