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French court confirms dropping of rape case against director Besson
The Paris court of appeal on Tuesday confirmed the dropping of rape accusations against French film director Luc Besson, one of the highest profile controversies of the #MeToo era in the country.
King of the creepy Cronenberg imagines future of sex at Cannes
Sci-fi shockmeister David Cronenberg grossed out the Cannes Film Festival Monday with an ultra-creepy take on the future of sex starring Kristen Stewart, Lea Seydoux and long-time collaborator Viggo Mortensen.
Airbnb stops booking stays in China: source
Home rental service Airbnb is shutting down its business in China as a pandemic lockdown shows no sign of ending there, a source close to the company told AFP Monday.
It's 'K-Cannes' as South Korean entries entice film fest
South Korean movies are making a strong showing at the Cannes Film Festival, riding on a wave of enthusiasm for series like "Squid Game" and movies like "Parasite", and catering to a taste for sophisticated intrigue and polished action.
Chelsea Flower Show: unexpected gardeners and the queen in a buggy
Queen Elizabeth II put in an appearance at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show on Monday, as it returned to its traditional May slot after the hiatus of the coronavirus pandemic.
Iran films show 'parallel reality' on women: director at Cannes
An Iranian director, who unsettled Cannes with a film about a serial killer "cleansing" the holy city of Mashhad of prostitutes, on Monday criticised the way women are represented in Iranian films.
Rising star of African art hits on colonialism, tyranny and beauty of black
In a serene studio filled with birdsong, Omar Ba takes off his shoes and gets down on his hands and knees. Then the renowned Senegalese artist begins to paint a five-metre-long canvas a deep, dark shade of black.
'Men' brings blood-soaked toxic masculinity to Cannes
Rising star Jessie Buckley admits she is no horror film junkie, but was happy to take on the wild, gore-splattered "Men" thanks to its provocative look at issues around toxic masculinity.
Paris street art legend Miss.Tic dies aged 66
Miss.Tic, whose provocative work began cropping up in the Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris in the mid-80s and made her a pioneer of French street art, died on Sunday aged 66, her family told AFP.
'Strange' reigns but 'Downton' shows class on N.America screens
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" continued its domination in North American theaters this weekend, earning an estimated $31.6 million, while the latest "Downton Abbey" came in a stately second, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.
Queen's pet passions to take centre stage in Jubilee parade
Corgi dogs, horses and swans are all being put through their paces in a historic warehouse in Coventry ahead of their starring roles in a parade to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign.
How to TikTok your way to a prize at the Cannes Film Festival
You no longer need millions of dollars and a distribution deal to win prizes at the Cannes Film Festival -- just a mobile phone and a bit of ingenuity will do.
'A great joy': punk laureate Patti Smith granted France's highest honor
As a child, punk-poet icon Patti Smith was instructed never to accept anything from strangers -- which meant one day she was forced to decline a campaign button she coveted and everyone else had.
'Enormously risky': How NFTs lost their lustre
A slew of celebrity endorsements helped inflate a multi-billion dollar bubble around digital tokens over the past year, but cryptocurrencies are crashing and some fear NFTs could be next.
It's Marx vs Reagan as Swedish rollercoaster hits Cannes film fest
Swedish cult director Ruben Ostlund wowed the Cannes Film Festival with a rollercoaster movie about glamour, class, silly money and human nature on Saturday, involving the drunken delivery of quotes by Karl Marx and Ronald Reagan, and stomach-churning scenes of mass sea sickness.
Kill Japan's elderly? Cannes film probes chilling idea
A Japanese film-maker is shaking Cannes film audiences to the core with a dystopian vision of her country in which old people agree to be euthanised to solve the challenge of a rapidly ageing population.
Tilda Swinton says stories are vital as new fantasy film hits Cannes
Tilda Swinton said Saturday that the world needs stories more than ever as her fantastical new fable "Three Thousand Years of Longing", from "Mad Max" creator George Miller, premiered at Cannes.
Graffiti brings Benin's walls alive with treasures from past
On a blue and yellow background, the graffiti artist retouches a spray-painted image of the half-man, half-shark statue of King Behanzin, one of the stolen treasures returned to Benin by France late last year.
Musk, Bolsonaro talk free speech, deforestation in Brazil
Billionaire Elon Musk jetted into Brazil Friday to meet far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and unveil a project to link thousands of Amazonian schools to the internet and expand satellite monitoring of the rainforest.
Woman storms Cannes red carpet to protest Ukraine rapes
A woman stripped off on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival to reveal her body painted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag with the words "Stop Raping Us" in a solo protest on Friday.
All-star Cannes contender tracks dawn of Trump's America
A moving drama starring Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway premiered to cheers at Cannes, charting what director James Gray on Friday called the moment when America lost its way.
Amnesty urges Yemen rebels to free journalists on death row
Amnesty International has urged Yemen's Huthi rebels to free four journalists facing the death penalty for "espionage" in the war-torn country, ahead of an appeal court hearing on Sunday.
Elvis' granddaughter says watching new biopic 'very intense'
Elvis Presley's granddaughter, Riley Keough, said Friday it was "very intense" watching the new biopic about the rock'n'roll legend, which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival next week.
Hindu extremists target Muslim sites in India, even Taj Mahal
Thirty years after mobs demolished a historic mosque in Ayodhya, triggering a wave of sectarian bloodshed that saw thousands killed, fundamentalist Indian Hindu groups are eyeing other Muslim sites -- even the world-famous Taj Mahal.
Cars swapping vroom for volts in London garage
Tucked away in a workshop under a London Underground line, cars are undergoing a green metamorphosis as they shed their cylinders, spark plugs and pistons for electric engines.
New Scandinavian film wave rolls into Cannes
A new generation of Scandinavian filmmakers is making waves, following in the footsteps of Ingmar Bergman, Lars von Trier and the Dogme movement, with three directors in competition at Cannes this year.
Bolsonaro to meet Elon Musk in Brazil: government source
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is set to meet with billionaire Elon Musk on Friday, according to a government source.
Sisi-mania: Austria's starry empress returns to screens
She was the Princess Diana of the 19th century. An impossibly glamorous Austro-Hungarian empress whose star-crossed love life and tragic end entranced the public.
'Straight to your soul': Japan's taiko reinvents drum tradition
In a hall on Japan's Sado island, 71-year-old Yoshikazu Fujimoto strikes the imposing drum mounted before him, producing a boom so powerful that it reverberates through the floorboards.
McGregor return to 'Star Wars' inspired by love for 'difficult' prequels
When Ewan McGregor first played a lightsaber-wielding Jedi hero in the much-maligned "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, he didn't feel much love from the fans.
Johnny Depp's star was dimming because of 'unprofessional behavior': former agent
Johnny Depp's career and finances were already in serious trouble before his then-wife Amber Heard accused him of domestic violence in 2016, his former agent and business manager testified on Thursday.
'Chariots of Fire' and 'Blade Runner' composer Vangelis dies aged 79
"Blade Runner" and "Chariots of Fire" composer Vangelis, the Oscar-winning electronic music pioneer whose distinctive musical style defined a generation of film soundtracks, has died aged 79, Greece's prime minister said on Thursday.
Contemporary African art festival returns to Senegal
The 14th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art, the continent's largest contemporary art event, opened Thursday in Senegal's capital with the top prize awarded to an Ethiopian painter.
'Blade Runner' composer Vangelis dead at 79
"Blade Runner" and "Chariots of Fire" composer Vangelis, the electronic music pioneer and sole Greek to win an Academy Award for best original score, died late Tuesday aged 79.
England footballers' wives libel spat ends with judgment reserved
A headline-grabbing libel case over an online spat between two England footballers' wives wrapped up on Thursday, after lifting the lid on tabloid double-dealing and the lives of the rich and famous.
Vangelis, musical child prodigy who composed iconic film scores
"Blade Runner" and "Chariots of Fire" composer Vangelis, the electronic music pioneer and sole Greek to win an Academy Award for best original score, has died at the age of 79.
Ukrainians show off colourful shirts to celebrate unity
Ukrainians donned colourful embroidered shirts on Thursday for a normally light-hearted annual celebration that this year is being viewed as a symbol of national unity against Russia's invasion.
Cancel Dostoevsky? Russian director calls for moderation
Russian movie director Kirill Serebrennikov on Thursday said that boycott of his country's cultural activities in reaction to the ongoing war in Ukraine were understandable, but could go too far.
Ukrainians at Cannes call for total Russian ban
Ukrainians at the Cannes Film Festival said Thursday that all Russians should have been banned from the event -- even those who have spoken out against the war.