This is Beirut

Legendary Hollywood Illustrator Drew Struzan Dies at 78

This is Beirut, 15/10 15:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Star Wars Cinema Drew Struzan Heritage Culture Art

Hollywood illustrator Drew Struzan, the man behind legendary film posters for hit films such as E.T., Star Wars and Indiana Jones, has died at the age of 78, prompting a flood of tributes. Struzan was a favorite of directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and his drawing style came to symbolize the posters of Hollywood's late 1970s and 1980s ...

French Films Thrive in Russia Despite Deep Political Divide

This is Beirut, 15/10 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Cinema Russia France Culture Art

On a cold autumn evening in Moscow, Alexandra was headed to a cinema, hoping to escape reality for a few hours by taking in a new French comedy. With Hollywood boycotting the Russian market over Moscow's offensive on Ukraine, French films are one of the few cultural windows Russians have left to the West. And even as relations between Paris ...

Sean Penn Captivates Lyon with His Unexpected Dream Role

This is Beirut, 14/10 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Sean Penn Actor Cinema Culture Art Lyon

“The dream role is the one that surprises you the way this one did,” said American actor Sean Penn on Monday in Lyon, central France, reflecting on his part as a sadistic soldier in his latest film One Battle After Another. Honored as the guest of the 17th Lumière Film Festival—an event celebrating global cinema—Penn shared insights ...

Hollywood Mourns Icon Diane Keaton After Her Passing at 79

This is Beirut, 13/10 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Diane Keaton Cinema Actress Heritage Culture Art

Fellow actors and directors who worked with Diane Keaton recalled her life and work after the family of the American actor announced her death Saturday. Keaton, who was 79, appeared in eight Woody Allen movies, winning an Oscar for her role in Annie Hall, and also starred in The Godfather films. Woody Allen ‘upset’ Woody Allen, 89, “is ...

Diane Keaton, Hollywood Legend and Woody Allen’s Muse, Dies at 79

This is Beirut, 12/10 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Diane Keaton Actress Culture Cinema Heritage Movies

American actress Diane Keaton, who won an Oscar in 1978 for her role in Annie Hall, has died in California at the age of 79, a family spokesperson told People magazine on Saturday. No further details about the circumstances of her death were immediately released, the magazine said. Diane Keaton made her Hollywood debut in 1970 with Lovers and ...

#MeToo: Trials, Settlements, and Two-Tiered Justice

Bélinda Ibrahim, 11/10 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

#MeToo Justice Hollywood Cinema Culture Trials

When #MeToo erupted, it broke years of silence. Suddenly, abuse, toxic behavior, and hidden crimes were exposed. But after the media frenzy died down, a new question emerged: does the justice system really treat everyone equally? Behind high-profile trials and secret settlements, #MeToo revealed a troubling reality. Equality before the law is not ...

Bornstars Shines at #1

Lea Mehanna, 11/10 17:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Culture Arts Movies Cinema Fashion

A fearless take on Lebanese reality, full of humor, truth, and edge. BornStars is now officially #1 at the Lebanese box office—a win for local cinema, directed by Caroline Labaki and produced by Chady Elie Mattar.

Drive-In Dreams Fade as America’s Outdoor Theaters Struggle

This is Beirut, 11/10 13:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cinema Film Movies Culture Art U.S.

Film buffs sit snugly in cars watching a drive-in movie, munching popcorn on a lovely recent fall night. Michelle Hutson, 52, has been coming to the Family Drive-In since childhood, enjoying what is now a dying form of quintessentially American entertainment. With a sigh, she notes she might soon see the last picture show as the nearly ...

#MeToo: Can a Star Rise Again After Scandal?

Bélinda Ibrahim, 10/10 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

#MeToo Stars Scandal Cinema Culture Hollywood

Autumn 2017 marked an unexpected turning point. The hashtag #MeToo exploded, amassing over a million posts in just days. Social media became a platform where voices long silenced could finally speak. In film, television and music, old wounds resurfaced, forcing many to confront the painful normalcy of abuse and silence. At the time, Rose McGowan, ...

Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Milan’s Ultimate Icon

Bélinda Ibrahim, 03/10 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Meryl Streep Anna Wintour Cinema Milan Fashion

On September 27, 2025, Milan Fashion Week tipped into fiction. That evening, the Dolce & Gabbana runway revealed—under full lights and in the front row—a duo no one expected: Meryl Streep, transformed into Miranda Priestly, and Stanley Tucci, once again in the role of Nigel, the unwavering assistant. Wearing dark sunglasses, a cream vinyl ...

Jafar Panahi Defies Iran’s Censors with Bold New Film

This is Beirut, 30/09 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Cinema Iran Cannes France Censorship Jafar Panahi

Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose latest film won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, told AFP he would continue to defy his country's censors and ignore the risk of returning to prison. His new film It Was Just an Accident, released internationally from Wednesday, chronicles the story of five Iranians confronting a man who could be ...

Cinema Hits the Runway

Bélinda Ibrahim, 27/09 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cinema Culture Runways Fashion

Fashion and cinema have long shared a mutual fascination, but during Milan Fashion Week in September 2025, the dialogue reached a new level. Gucci unveiled its ‘La Famiglia” collection not through a traditional runway show, but with a short film titled The Tiger, directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, starring Demi Moore, Julia Garner and ...

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