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Denzel Washington Honored with Surprise Palme d’Or

This is Beirut, 20/05 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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A hard-hitting Egyptian political thriller shook up the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, just before a surprise Honorary Palme d’Or was awarded to Hollywood icon Denzel Washington. The evening also marked the return of French director Julia Ducournau, four years after her explosive win with Titane. The event had been kept tightly under wraps: ...

Scarlett Johansson Steps Behind Camera in Cannes Debut

This is Beirut, 20/05 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Scarlett Johansson won praise from veteran filmmaker Wes Anderson as she nervously prepared to unveil her debut feature as a director at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. Actors behind the camera are something of a trend in Cannes this year, with Twilight star Kristen Stewart and British actor Harris Dickinson both unveiling their first ...

Cannes, Reimagined: When Style Becomes a Manifesto

Bélinda Ibrahim, 19/05 17:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The Cannes Film Festival has always been a stage, not only for cinema, but for fashion that borders on the theatrical. Every May, the red carpet blooms with extravagant gowns, daring cuts and dramatic silhouettes. But in 2025, something deeper shimmered beneath the surface. Women are using style not to dazzle, but to declare. Less about seduction, ...

Wes Anderson’s Starry Cast Shines Bright at Cannes

This is Beirut, 19/05 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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US director Wes Anderson brought his latest A-list cast led by Benicio del Toro to the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, ramping up the star power as the competition reaches the halfway mark. Anderson's typically whimsical The Phoenician Scheme, which also finds roles for Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Kate Winslet's daughter, Mia Threapleton, ...

Cannes Charity Gala to Award Kevin Spacey Lifetime Honor

This is Beirut, 19/05 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey is to be given a lifetime achievement award on the fringes of the Cannes Film Festival Tuesday. The Better World Fund told AFP on Sunday that the actor — who was acquitted of nine charges of alleged sex offenses in Britain last year — will be recognized "for his decades of artistic brilliance" at a charity gala in ...

Jennifer Lawrence Stuns Cannes in 'Die, My Love'

This is Beirut, 18/05 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Jennifer Lawrence gives a raw, unflinching performance in Die, My Love, screened Saturday night in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The American actress plays a mother losing her grip on reality, opposite British actor Robert Pattinson. The film marks the eighth Cannes appearance for Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, a festival ...

Red Carpet Micro-Dramas: Cannes’ Unspoken Language

Bélinda Ibrahim, 17/05 18:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Yet, there are the gowns. The flashbulbs. The practiced smiles and impeccable poses. But that’s only the surface. Beneath the glamour lies a quiet choreography, a visual language made of gestures and body language, whispered like a secret to those who know how to watch. Each appearance on the Croisette is a delicate balance between instinct and ...

Fatih Akin Fears Jail, Blasts Turkish Government at Cannes

This is Beirut, 17/05 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Acclaimed film director Fatih Akin said he fears ending up behind bars if he returns to Turkey, with his manager there in jail accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The Turkish-German auteur — a hero to many in the country for films like Head-On, In the Fade and the Istanbul music documentary Crossing the Bridge — told AFP late ...

Culture Wars and Chaos: Joaquin Phoenix Stars in Satirical 'Eddington'

This is Beirut, 17/05 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Joaquin Phoenix stars in the darkly satirical Eddington, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, a biting take on America's culture wars set in a small New Mexico town. The film by fast-rising American director Ari Aster is an unsettling but often amusing Western-style thriller set amid America's toxic politics and conspiracy ...

Cannes: A Festival Rooted in Defiance of Fascism

Bélinda Ibrahim, 16/05 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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It was the late 1930s. The Venice Mostra, founded in 1932, was the world’s first international film festival. But by 1938, as global tensions mounted, it had turned into an ideological showcase for fascism. Under joint pressure from Hitler and Mussolini, the jury was compelled to award the festival’s top prize, the Mussolini Cup, to two ...

Tom Cruise’s Death-Defying ‘Mission’ Lights Up Cannes

This is Beirut, 15/05 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning made its big grandstand premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday, with the first reviews saying it more than lives up to its steamroller hype. "What a rush!" The Guardian declared in its five-star love letter to Cruise's $400-million behemoth, calling him a modern "superhuman action ...

Cannes 2025 Opens with Tribute, Emotion, and a Call for Reflection

Madeleine Cadoux, 14/05 09:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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From the very first minutes of the evening, the tone was clear: Cannes celebrates cinema and challenges its history, its myths, and its responsibilities. Honorary Palme d’Or to Robert De Niro One of the night’s most unforgettable moments came when Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, presented the honorary Palme d’Or to 81-year-old Robert De Niro, a ...

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