Neon picked up Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s latest movie — “یک تصادف ساده,” — out of the Cannes Film Festival last month, marking their sixth consecutive acquisition of the French event’s top film.

“Inspired by Panahi’s second Iranian incarceration, ‘It Was Just an Accident’ follows what begins as a minor accident as it sets in motion a series of escalating consequences,” according to Neon’s Wednesday press release.

Panahi spent almost 20 years in prison or under house arrest in Iran for making films that the country deemed to be anti-government propaganda. After winning the Caméra d’Or in 1995 for “The White Balloon,” the director was able to attend Cannes this year despite a 20-year ban on making movies in 2010 and an additional prison sentence in 2022.

In his positive review of the film, Steve Pond wrote that “the bracing thing about ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is that it has married Panahi’s wit and humanism with real anger; if many of his previous films lulled you into realizing his points about oppression and injustice, this one is downright confrontational, from the moment its action begins with a man driving away from a city in the dead of night and accidentally hitting and killing a dog.”

Writer/director Panahi produced the film alongside Philippe Martin, with Sandrine Dumas and Christel Henon as co-producers and David Thion and Lilina Eche as associate producers. The film was a Les Films Pelléas and Jafar Panahi production from Iran/France and Luxembourg, with mk2 Films representing international rights.

Neon previously worked with Panahi on “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” which played as a Cannes Special Screening in 2021. The independent film production and distribution company famously also brought recent Palme d’Or winners “Anora,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Titane” and “Parasite” to American audiences.

“It Was Just an Accident” arrives in theaters on Oct. 15.

The post Neon Sets Palme d’Or Winner ‘It Was Just an Accident’ for October Release appeared first on TheWrap.

“Two Prosecutors” adapts the novella of the same name by Soviet writer and political prisoner Georgy Demidov. Set during The Great Purge, the film follows a young prosecutor who seeks justice for a man falsely imprisoned by the Soviet Union’s secret police. Demidov himself served more than a decade in Soviet labor camps after being arrested in 1938 during The Great Purge.

“Two Prosecutors” sees Ukranian director Loznitsa return to narrative filmmaking for the first time since 2018’s “Donbass,” earning him Un Certain Regard’s Prize for Best Director at Cannes. Since that time, Loznitsa has directed a number of documentaries, including “Babi Yar. Context,” which won the Golden Eye award for documentary filmmaking at Cannes in 2021.

“I am proud to entrust my latest film to Janus and excited to work with them for the first time,” Loznitsa said in a statement. “They have all my confidence to give the film the impactful North American launch it deserves.”

“Two Prosecutors” won this year’s François Chalais Prize at Cannes. The award goes to a film each year that upholds the values and tenets of journalism. Recent winners include Oscar nominees “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” and “Four Daughters.”

TheWrap’s review of “Two Prosecutors” calls the film “a quietly horrifying descent into a Kafkaesque nightmare where trying to do the right thing might just be the riskiest choice of all.” The film marks Janus Films’ fourth acquisition out of Cannes 2025 following “Magellan,” “Resurrection” and “The Love that Remains.”

“With TWO PROSECUTORS, Sergei has meticulously crafted a haunting and taut thriller rooted in the horrors of the past, yet chillingly resonant with the political realities of today,” a statement from Janus reads. “We’re proud to release this vital film and to be back in business with Kevin, Saïd, and the entire team at SBS Productions.”

The post Janus Films Acquires Cannes Prizewinner ‘Two Prosecutors’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The film stars Gael García Bernal as the Portuguese explorer and premiered out of competition last month.

“We are thrilled that Lav Diaz’s work will reach a wider North American audience than ever before through his mesmerizing ‘Magellan,’ a unique collaboration between the modern master of Filipino filmmaking and one of the finest, most soulful actors of his generation,” Janus Films shared in a Tuesday statement. “A vivid slice of vital history rendered on a grand scale, ‘Magellan’ is visually ravishing and profoundly moving.”

Janus Films negotiated the deal with Luxbox. “Magellan” was produced by Portugal’s Rosa Filmes and co-produced by Spain’s Andergraun Films and El Viaje Filmes, the Philippines’ Black Cap Pictures and Ten17P, France’s Lib Films and AKP21 and Taiwan’s Volos Films.

“It is a real pleasure for us to team up again with Janus Films and we strongly believe that ‘Magellan,’ which is for us a masterpiece of arthouse cinema, is in very good hands,” Luxbox added.

Diaz is also well known for his films “Phantosmia,” “When the Waves Are Gone,” “Season of the Devil,” “A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery,” “From What Is Before” and “The Woman Who Left,” to name a few.

Just last week, Janus Films also acquired Bi Gan’s Prix Spécial winner “Resurrection” out of Cannes.

The post Janus Films Lands ‘Magellan’ North American Rights Out of Cannes appeared first on TheWrap.

The show found Bono sharing the stage with three empty chairs, which represented his missing bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. It made for a dramatic night of memories, and he upped the drama by hiring Andrew Dominik who directed “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” and a pair of brilliant music movies featuring Nick Cave, “One More Time With Feeling” and “This Much I Know to be True.” Dominik filmed additional footage on a bare stage to create the bold and glorious Apple Original Films presentation “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” which premiered in Cannes and comes to Apple TV+ on Friday. (It’s also available on the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, in a different version that puts you onstage with Bono and includes new footage.)

I spoke to Bono about the film in Cannes, 44 years and two months after we first met backstage at the Country Club, a 1,000-seat rock club in the San Fernando Valley where U2 made its first appearance in Los Angeles in March, 1981. At the time, Bono was only 20 – and since I was the West Coast music writer for Rolling Stone, a magazine that strongly supported U2 in its early days, our paths crossed many times throughout the 1980s, from the club in Reseda to a show where Bono risked his life by jumping off the balcony of the Los Angeles Sports Arena to a pub in Dublin where I interviewed the band for a cover story at the end of their breakthrough “Joshua Tree” tour.

Our paths have not crossed as often in many years, though I saw him at the Oscars in 2004 and the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2014, and continued to go to his shows, including the spectacular run at The Sphere in Las Vegas in 2023. We caught up for a few minutes before turning to “Surrender,” taking stock of his life and trying not to be so serious all the time.

Given how far back we go, it’s strange that in recent years I’ve talked to your daughter Eve more often than I’ve talked to you.
She counseled me for today. (Laughs)

Did she? She’s good at this.
She called and said, “Listen, you just got to be yourself and be really grateful that these people (in Cannes) are allowing a non-actor their red carpet.” (Pauses) You know, that show at the Country Club, that is in a way emblematic. Because I had a white flag in my hand, I went into the crowd and people started pulling the flag out of my hand. I was like (mimes cocking his arm to throw a punch). And then I started catching myself: This might be a little hypocritical. Did I nearly throw a punch at somebody for stealing my white flag? And I went, OK, I have a lot more to learn about non-violence. (Laughs)

(Note: Bono has confused the Country Club show, which was in a small club and did not include him carrying a white flag into the audience, with the 1983 Sports Arena show at which he went into the audience with the flag.)

But it also is emblematic because that flag is still at the center of the story: the flag of surrender, the flag of non-violence. And also, by going out into the audience and jumping off the balcony into the crowd, that’s what all our video innovations has been about. That’s what the Sphere was about. I know you were at Sphere, so thank you for that. And even doing Vision Pro, these are all ways of trying to get closer to people, get to this intimacy.

You know, we have this totally pretentious description, “radical intimacy.” (Laughs)  It sounds like a sort of yoga sweat room.

Once you have written a book that’s about grappling with success and singing “giant songs,” you can’t do a normal book tour, right?
Yeah. I came up with the stage play to avoid having to do a big book tour, and to try and have some fun with it, to try and play these characters that are in my life. Because all singers are mimics. We have the ear, the musical ear. So it was fun to play my father night after night. And it was fun to play Luciano Pavarotti and do the big Italian voice. And then I realized, OK, this could be fun.

My father is definitely the star of this. He as well was giving me something to fight against, but I also realized there were values that he had, like charity. He said to me, “I appreciate what you’re doing for charity, but you wouldn’t need charity if the world was more just.” And that’s the same man who was a Catholic, who would marry a Protestant and not have his family turn up at the wedding. He had courage and he followed through. And then he said to my mother, “It’s the mother’s choice. You bring up the children as you see fit.” And so we went to this little Church of Ireland church, and he would wait outside and go up to the little Catholic church up the road.

Eventually, I became somewhat ambidextrous. In fact, multi-dextrous. (Laughs) I’m happy in a synagogue. I just want to be near the presence, whatever we call what we can’t explain, what we are in awe of. In music, in rock and roll, we go to church in the dark, right? And we root for light. Same with cinema. You’ve got a church in the dark – that’s cinema.

We’re all looking for the same thing: something to transcend our life and something that gives us connection beyond ourselves. (Laughs) People think, is he really still going on about this? I promise I’m coming back to rock ‘n’ roll. And, and instead of intimacy being the new punk rock, punk rock will be the new intimacy.

After writing the book and exploring all these issues, did it change what you want to do from here?
Yeah, it did. (Shrugs) Not enough. (His wife) Ali will still say to me, “Read your own book. When is this period of deep listening about to take place? ‘Cause I haven’t noticed it.” (Laughs) But I think I listen a bit better. I’ve been listening to the band. We’ve been playing and I’m realizing I’m one-quarter of an artist without them. It’s not just that we have chemistry. I really need them. And I’m one half of a person without Ali.

She would probably survive, maybe even be delighted to thrive outside of the relationship. She’s such an extraordinary person. But no, I need these people. So I suppose that’s what I learned at the end of it. I am dependent on others. I was frustrated that I needed these musicians. I had these melodies in my head as a kid. I grew up with all these melodies in my head, but I couldn’t play.

And there would be very funny things, like my grandmother had a piano and she was getting rid of it. I’d say to my mother, “Should we get the piano?” “We don’t have the room.”

A great one was sitting in St. Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar school. They have a huge choir. I was young, 10 or 11, and I was trying to get into the school. The headmaster said, “We have a choir here that’s quite renowned. Would you be at all interested in singing?” I was trying to say something, and my mother said, “Not at all. He’s not interested in singing.” And you might say, “How could a mother not know her child?” But she felt my discomfort, and so she was just making it easy for me. I did know that I had this thing, but my great fortune was that I needed to depend on Edge, Adam and Larry to get there. And even though that would make me a bit frustrated at times, it’s what made me.

One of the things that I love about this film is the way that U2’s music is used, but it does not try to pretend that those guys are there. Instead, it takes the guitar line from “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and gives it to the harp. It’s U2’s music, but in a different context.
Yeah. You see, I’m not playing a character. I’m playing myself in a story that all these other people wrote with me. The band. Ali. My family. My friends. Steve Pond, when he interviewed us over the years. And the people who wrote the story are still around. (Laughs) I don’t want to screw up. But without Edge, Adam and Larry, I had to find a different center to the songs. They were there to drive the story forward. They were not just there because they’re the greatest hits or the songs that people know, grateful, but they’re there to open up particular situation.

I had Bob Marley in the back of my head for “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” I wrote the lyric in in Jamaica in the house that he once owned. And if you listen to “Sunday Bloody Sunday” as a Marley song, it makes a lot more sense. But while I was singing it, I just felt this jazz thing come over me. And that was Jackknife Lee and his arrangements. I was like, “Is that Nina Simone?” I don’t really get to do that with these other musicians because they’re rock and roll bands. They want to kick your ass.

How did you tweak change the stage show for the film? Obviously we’re watching more than just what happened on stage at the Beacon Theater.
Yeah. It’s tricky to just roll cameras on your stage show. It’s a different format, a different art form. So Andrew Dominik would explain to me, “I know you think it’s intimate having people right at your feet, but the lens can see right into you and knows when you’re lying.” And I’m saying, “It knows when I’m lying? I thought Marlon Brando said he was lying for a living.” “No, when Marlon was great, he wasn’t lying. And any actor knows that, and you’re going to have to learn it.”

He was tough on me. He made me laugh, but he was tough. And yeah, it was tricky saying goodbye to your father every night. (The show includes Bono’s memories of his father’s death.) But it was a lot tougher five times in one session (with Dominik) without an audience. And Andrew going, “No, try it again.” That was a particularly bleak day for me.

Is it satisfying to look back at it now?
It’s excruciating.

Really?
I can’t watch it very often. In editing, I’d just come in every once in a while and go, “Ew.” Or, “Is it funny?” There’s a reason why Shakespeare loves tragic comedy, ’cause It’s tragic and it’s comic. But if it’s just a tragedy, it’s just whining rock stars. Like, it’s not enough to talk about losing your father and your mother, now you’re telling us about what’s going on in Northern Ireland and Africa, the squandering of human potential, blah, blah, blah.

Really, I’m having the best time of anybody’s life. That better come across. And what gives you permission to tell the tragic is the comic. I think the audience, U2’s audience, has developed a suspicion of people who are not funny.

My heroes are all comedians at the moment. Amy Schumer! I’d send her anywhere in the world to sort any situation at any time.

The post Bono on His Movie, His Memoir and Being ‘Totally Pretentious’: ‘I Promise I’m Coming Back to Rock ‘n’ Roll’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Fashion takes center stage at Cannes opening night

The 78th Festival de Cannes opened earlier this month at the Grand Théâtre Lumière with a red carpet display of cinematic prestige meets runway-worthy glamour. The evening featured the world premiere of Amélie Bonnin’s “Leave One Day” and a headline-making moment as Robert De Niro received an honorary Palme d’Or from Leonardo DiCaprio.

Jury president Juliette Binoche led the fashion charge in a Dior haute couture gown, accented with white diamond jewelry from Chopard. Juror Halle Berry followed in a striped silk organza Jacquemus trapeze dress — “La Robe Berlingot” from the “La Croisière” collection — styled with Chopard earrings and a matching cocktail ring.

Fellow jury members also brought standout looks. Known for his bold sartorial choices, Jeremy Strong embraced his reputation as a fashion rebel, in a bespoke rose-hued tuxedo by Loro Piana, finished with a bow tie, cummerbund and Henry Walk velvet shoes. Alba Rohrwacher chose a custom black Chanel gown in faille and pleated tulle, inspired by the house’s Spring/Summer 1987 haute couture collection, completing her look with Chopard accessories. Leïla Slimani opted for a minimalist crepe gown by Dior, paired with Cartier’s iconic Panthère jewelry. Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia wore a structured suit by Rishta by Arjun Saluja, accessorized with statement jewelry from Tribe Amrapali.

The ceremony set the tone for the week ahead, where the jury evaluated the films in competition and award top honors including the Palme d’Or, Grand Prix and prizes for directing and performance. Winners were announced during the closing ceremony on May 24.

MOCA announces details of its 2025 Gala

MOCA has announced the details of the MOCA Gala 2025, taking place Saturday at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Little Tokyo.

This year marks the debut of MOCA Legends, a new format honoring transformative figures in contemporary art, architecture and philanthropy. The inaugural honorees are Theaster Gates, Frank Gehry and Wendy Schmidt.

Presented in partnership with Bvlgari, the event will spotlight each honoree’s long-standing relationship with the museum and broader cultural impact—from Gehry’s iconic 1983 renovation of the Geffen space to Gates’ landmark solo show in 2011 to Schmidt’s founding of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize, whose first artist projects debut at MOCA in 2026.

“MOCA’s bold identity is shaped by visionaries like Theaster, Frank and Wendy,” MOCA director Johanna Burton said. “Their individual legacies are integral to how we present and preserve contemporary art, and how we imagine its future.”

The evening will begin with a cocktail reception in the Aileen Getty Plaza, featuring access to “Olafur Eliasson: OPEN,” followed by a seated dinner and live performance by Tierra Whack. The Grammy-nominated artist, whose 2024 debut “World Wide Whack” received wide acclaim, was recently named one of the best female rappers of all time by Billboard.

“Bvlgari is proud to celebrate MOCA’s legacy of cultural innovation,” Herve Perrot, president of Bvlgari North America, said. “This partnership honors the legends shaping the creative future.”

Funds raised from the gala support MOCA’s year-round programming, operations and staff.

To purchase a table, donate, or learn more, visit moca.org/gala2025 or contact gala@moca.org.

Pierpaolo Piccioli is the new creative director of Balenciaga

After months of speculation, Balenciaga has found its new creative director. Kering announced earlier this month that Pierpaolo Piccioli — the celebrated Italian designer best known for his tenure at Valentino — will take the helm, effective July 10. His first collection for the house is slated to debut in October.

Piccioli’s appointment marks a new era for the storied maison, following Demna’s provocative, decade-long tenure. Under Demna, Balenciaga became synonymous with dystopian silhouettes, meme-making moments and a radical subversion of luxury fashion’s norms. Piccioli, however, signals a different kind of power — one rooted in grace, craft and reverence for the house’s heritage.

“I realized the first image I ever posted on Instagram was Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 1967 wedding ensemble,” Piccioli reflected in a personal note. “I don’t know if I should take it as a sign but I now see the bigger picture.” He also paid tribute to the house’s lineage, naming Cristóbal Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang and Demna as predecessors who each shaped the brand’s identity in distinct and lasting ways.

Piccioli stepped down from Valentino in 2024 after nearly 25 years at the house, 15 of them as creative director. He was succeeded by Alessandro Michele, whose return to fashion after leaving Gucci marked another high-profile shift in the industry.

Piccioli’s approach at Valentino was defined by a modern take on couture: elegant, often romantic and rooted in craft rather than concept. The move to Balenciaga therefore suggests a tonal shift after Demna’s years of disruption and spectacle.

Kering deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini called Piccioli “one of the most talented and celebrated designers of today,” adding, “his mastery of Haute Couture, his creative voice and his passion for savoir-faire made him the ideal choice.”

Balenciaga CEO Gianfranco Gianangeli echoed the sentiment, noting: “His creative vision will thrive here. I look forward to what we will build together.”

Jacques Marie Mage unveils a new collaboration with artist Connor Tingley

Jacques Marie Mage, the Los Angeles-based luxury eyewear brand founded by designer Jerome Mage, has unveiled a new collaboration with artist Connor Tingley. The limited-edition release reimagines the brand’s iconic Dealan frame through Tingley’s distinct artistic lens.

The Connor Tingley for JMM collection draws inspiration from “The NUN Series,” a body of work painted in reverse color codes using Renaissance-era Sfumato techniques. The series — created with over 22 layers of paint — becomes fully visible only through a mobile screen, revealing hidden colors and silhouettes that explore perception, duality and the sublime. “I’m very interested in absolute truths,” Tingley said. “Dark informs light and light informs dark.”

This inaugural eyewear release marks a new chapter in an ongoing creative partnership between the luxury eyewear brand and Tingley, who first collaborated with JMM in 2021 by creating a large-scale painting for the opening of their Venice gallery.

The design centers on a single, ’60s-inspired Dealan frame, now rendered in plant-based acetate in a blue steel color with vibrant orange lenses. Details include white metal arrowhead front-pins — a first for the brand — spur-shaped rivets, silver exposed wirecores and foil-embossed hallmarks from both JMM and Tingley on the inner temples.

Available in an edition of just 50 pieces, each pair comes in a Collector’s Box Set, complete with a leather magnetic-closure case, oversized microfiber cloth featuring artwork from “The NUN Series” and a one-of-a-kind letterpress authenticity card illustrated by the artist himself.

The Connor Tingley for Jacques Marie Mage Dealan is available exclusively at the JMM Gallery in Venice and online at JacquesMarieMage.com.

Anine Bing and friends toast her new summer collection at Chateau Marmont

On May 13, Anine Bing celebrated the launch of her brand’s Summer 2025 collection with an intimate cocktail event at the iconic Chateau Marmont penthouse. Hosted by founder and chief creative officer Bing and CEO Julie Bourgeois, the evening brought together a stylish crowd of celebrities, tastemakers, stylists and friends of the brand.

Guests including Awkwafina, Alison Brie, Minka Kelly, Yvonne Strahovski, Rachel Zoe, Abby Elliott, Brianne Howey, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Caylee Cowan, Akira Akbar and Aimee Song joined stylists like Mimi Cuttrell, Jeanne Yang and Jessica Paster to preview the new collection — styled in standout pieces themselves. Attendees sipped champagne and dirty martinis and snacked on mini burgers, fries and pigs in blankets as the sun set over the city.

The Summer 2025 collection pays tribute to the brand’s Los Angeles roots, drawing inspiration from a quintessential California summer. Photographed by Ezra Petronio and styled by Malina Joseph Gilchrist, the campaign stars model Luna Bijl in a lineup of sun-faded denim, classic stripes and raffia accessories—a modern uniform for warm-weather dressing.

Each guest left with curated summer essentials including striped bikinis, bucket hats and sunglasses, all available now on aninebing.com.

Founded in 2012, Anine Bing blends Scandinavian simplicity with American energy, delivering elevated wardrobe staples for women who favor timeless style with an edge.

Burberry celebrates its new Highgrove collection at Flamingo Estate 

British luxury fashion house Burberry welcomed friends of the brand to Flamingo Estate in Los Angeles on May 16 to celebrate the launch of Highgrove x Burberry — a new collection inspired by Highgrove Gardens, the private estate of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Set among the hills of Eagle Rock, Flamingo Estate is the home and garden of founder and author Richard Christiansen, who cultivates a wide variety of plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables, and collaborates with more than 120 farms to produce high-end pantry, apothecary and bath products.

Christiansen hosted the daylong event, where guests including Aimee Song, Casey Fremont, Djuna Bel, Ethan Gaskill, Jack Innanen, Karolyn Pho, Marlon Garcia, Morgan Stewart McGraw, Robert Gigliotti and Salem Mitchell participated in a range of activities including honey tasting with the estate’s beekeeper, an ikebana class in Japanese flower arranging and a botanical soap- and shower-steamer–making workshop — all using the seasonal bounty of the estate. The afternoon ended with an alfresco cocktail party in the orchard.

Launched this month, Highgrove x Burberry includes 28 pieces across menswear, womenswear and accessories. Each piece is made from certified wool, organic cotton or organic silk, and features a custom print by British artist Helen Bullock, inspired by the Kitchen Garden at Highgrove.

Located in England’s Cotswolds, Highgrove Gardens span 15 acres and reflect King Charles III’s longtime commitment to organic gardening and environmental sustainability.

Simon Miller opens its first flagship store in the DTLA Arts District

Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand Simon Miller has opened its first-ever flagship store — located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District at Signal, a new cultural and retail destination.

The 1,000-square-foot space marks a major milestone for the brand and its founder and CEO Chelsea Hansford, who welcomed a crowd of friends, creatives and longtime supporters to fête the May 14 opening.

Nathalie and Laura Love, Ally Hilfiger, Djuna Bel, Rainey Qualley, Langley Fox, Mia Moretti, Courtney Trop, Neville Wakefield, Emily Labowe, and Amirah Kassem were among the stylish guests who gathered in a lush art deco-inspired courtyard outfitted with vintage striped cabanas, oversized palms and nods to Havana glamour. A live Cuban band provided the soundtrack while handcrafted mojitos by Zacapa and Don Julio margaritas made the rounds, alongside paella and Iberico ham carved tableside.

Inside the flagship, Hansford’s background in art and design is on full display. The space blends tropical modernism with graphic boldness — featuring custom fixtures, vintage lighting, sculptural pieces by Leonard Urso and ceramics by Peter Keil. It’s a gallery-meets-retail experience that reflects Simon Miller’s playful, art-forward DNA.

The opening also launched a new collaboration with Dorsia, the luxury reservation platform, with plans to bring Simon Miller experiences to more cities in 2025.

Through summer, the brand will activate the adjacent courtyard with signature green-striped seating and vintage-inspired umbrellas — inviting the public into the world of Simon Miller.

Founded in 2008 and reimagined by Chelsea Hansford in 2017, Simon Miller is a Los Angeles-based brand known for its elevated yet playful approach to fashion. From novelty knits to sculptural bags, the label offers luxury that does not take itself too seriously.

The Simon Miller flagship is open now at 821 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, 90013.

Have a news story for our readers? Please email Rachel.Marlowe@thewrap.com.

Interested in partnership opportunities? Please email Alex.vonBargen@thewrap.com.

The post Runway-Worthy Glamour Takes Center Stage at the 78th Festival de Cannes appeared first on TheWrap.

“Resurrection” was produced by China’s Huace Pictures and Dangmai Films with France’s CG Cinema and features a score by M83. The deal was negotiated by Janus Films and Losange Films.

The movie, which is told in six parts spanning 100 years, takes place “in a world where humanity has lost the ability to dream, and one creature remains entranced by the fading illusions of the dreamworld,” according to the official synopsis. It stars singer and actor Jackson Yee and actress Shu Qi.

TheWrap’s review of the film called it “dense and delirious,” adding that “his film pastiche plays a bit like ‘Kill Bill’ replacing all narrative structure with dream logic.”

Janus Films commented in a Tuesday statement, “Bi Gan’s ‘Resurrection’ is a kaleidoscopic, time-skipping, genre-mashing odyssey through cinema and dreams that will thrill fans of daring, visionary filmmakers like David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Leos Carax and Wong Kar-wai. We’re very proud and excited to bring this surreal, provocative, epic experience to screens across North America and to champion the work of Bi Gan, a director we have long admired.”

“Losange Films is delighted to embark on this new collaboration with the Janus Films team. Resurrection is a powerful and singular film that has been sparking passionate reactions from festival audiences, international buyers and the press,” they added. “It’s a film that truly calls for a tailored, original, and ambitious release strategy. With their impeccable taste and exceptional vision, Janus Films are the ideal partners for us.”

The post Cannes Prix Spécial Winner ‘Resurrection’ Acquired by Janus Films appeared first on TheWrap.

Most of the reviews of Linklater’s film were glowing, with TheWrap’s Ben Croll singling out Linklater’s impeccable craft as he chronicles the making of “Breathless” in the style of “Breathless,” complete with French-language dialogue.

Croll wrote: “A labor of love and a product of considerable craft, Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ — which chronicles the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’ — is more than just a valentine to the French New Wave; the film is also a stealth showcase for a filmmaker rarely heralded (or for that matter, tribuned) for his technical sophistication. Indeed, without ever calling too much attention to its more than 300 VFX-shots, Linklater’s latest plays as a hang-out film from a world gone by – a ramble across 1950s Paris that ushers viewers into the nearest café, inviting them to pull up a seat.”

This isn’t Linklater’s first collaboration with Netflix — the streamer picked up his independently made “Hit Man” starring Glen Powell and released that in 2024 to success.

Linklater also has his Ethan Hawke-starring “Blue Moon” hitting theaters in October from Sony Pictures Classics.

The post Netflix Takes Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ for $4 Million After Buzzy Cannes Debut appeared first on TheWrap.

But unlike many festivals, Cannes does not frontload its schedule with most of the high-profile titles in the first few days. With this in mind, it was in the second half of the 12-day event where some of the best, most exciting films premiered, making the festival one of the better in recent memory by closing on a high note.

The late-breaking films also helped Cannes find a tone that, while still frequently grounded in pain, was often defined by a sliver of cautious hope. Things were still frequently bleak, but there was also a beauty to these films that proved to be genuinely moving as they explored the enduring power of cinema, community, and our shared desire to dream in a world of nightmares. 

One of the films that encapsulated this was Joachim Trier’s outstanding, Grand Prix-winning “Sentimental Value.” A subtle yet soaring film about cinema and one family’s relationship to it, it is unabashedly a work about the complicated, connective power art can have in our lives. Specifically, it centers on a father and filmmaker, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), who is trying to reconnect with his daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve), who is an actress of the stage rather than the screen. As he tries to get Nora to star in what may be his last film, the fault lines of their relationship are brought to the surface just as Trier dives in deeper to explore questions about how it is that we can connect. 

The filmmaker fully explores the fraught path towards reconciliation without smoothing over its rough edges. In lesser hands, a film about how art heals all wounds could easily fall into being saccharine. Not so for Trier, who shows how wounds remain, forever felt in our memories just like the shouting echoes through the house to which the film is largely confined. This only makes the eventual moments of love the film finds that much more earned. A final look exchanged between father and daughter, both finally now seeing each other, is one of the most indelible images that will endure from the festival. As Trier said during the film’s press conference, “tenderness is the new punk,” and this slightly dorky, yet still delicately sincere, guiding ethos sums up what it was that made the best films of this festival stand out. 

This also extends to one of the most divisive yet significant films of the festival: “Alpha.” The latest from Julia Ducournau, who won the Palme d’Or for “Titane” just a few years ago, it’s a reflection of her own experience of when she was a child growing up during the height of the AIDS crisis. This, along with Ducournau leaning less into body horror and more into drama, ended up becoming a critical point of contention. While it faced an initial negative wave of reactions, it’s precisely the more unexpected tonal register that it taps into which makes it all the more significant.

It’s a deeply sad film, yes, but it’s also an earnest one about memory and loss. Its central visual motif, which shows those we love decaying before our eyes just as they become monuments to themselves, proved to be one of the most striking images of the entire festival. There is no getting around the horror, which is underplayed yet still present in every scene, but Ducournau interweaves it with gentle moments of grace that prove shattering. Loss is inescapable yet “Alpha” finds beauty in the pieces of our broken world.

Sometimes, this beauty is more humble in nature, though this only makes it more impactful and essential. There is a beauty that is felt in the eyes of the characters of Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning humanistic triumph “It Was Just an Accident.” It’s a film that feels like the embodiment of the phrase “in every person, a universe” as it takes us into the lives of a group of people still reeling from the trauma of being interrogated in prison during Iran’s brutal crackdown on dissidents.

When they think they have a chance at getting justice, or at least some sort of revenge, against the man they believe to be their interrogator, they’ll go on a darkly humorous journey trying to prove that he is indeed the torturer they believe him to be. It’s something that’s deeply personal for Panahi, who was himself imprisoned by the Iranian government and once banned from making films (though was able to attend the festival this year in what proved to be one of the most moving moments off the screen). As always, the filmmaker remains deeply interested in people, their pains and their potential for kindness, making “It Was Just an Accident” a deeply felt portrait about their humanity just as it carries with it a simmering rage against injustice. The two not only go hand in hand, but show how it is people that are the most beautiful parts of the world and cinema. 

There were many more films that tapped into this beauty, including smaller works that could easily go overlooked like “A Useful Ghost,” “Death Does Not Exist” and “Drunken Noodles,” or the ones that got some of the bigger awards like “The Little Sister” (whose first-time lead Nadia Melliti rightfully won the Best Actress award), “Resurrection” (a dizzying sci-fi epic that won a Special Award), and “Young Mothers” (which won Best Screenplay). Though it went unrewarded by the jury, one final film was not just the best of the festival but the most incisive in how it explored this: Kelly Reichardt’s magnificent “The Mastermind.”

Though Reichardt has never gotten the love that she deserves from Cannes, she has consistently made the most quietly moving and thoughtful films each time she’s part of the programming. Her latest is no different. A deconstruction of the heist film starring a never-better Josh O’Connor as J.B., a man who hatches a poorly thought-through plan to steal art from his local museum while the Vietnam War and the protests against it play out in the background, it brings Reichardt’s emphatic attention to detail and thoughtfulness about people. It’s another wryly funny film for the director, carving out plenty of sharp humor in seeing how everything comes apart in ways big and small, though it also shifts into being deeply, beautifully, reflective the longer it carries on.

After accountability comes knocking for O’Connor’s titular mastermind (an ironic title if there ever was one), he takes off on the run without any real idea of what his future will look like. In one conversation he has with an old friend, perfectly played by Reichardt’s longtime collaborator John Magaro, he is told that he could go up to Canada to be part of a commune. When J.B. balks at this, derisively saying he doesn’t want to be alongside draft dodgers, Magaro then delivers a playful, yet earnest, rejoinder. saying, “draft dodgers, dope fiends, radical feminists…..good people.” It’s the line that’s been rattling around my mind most from the festival. This is not only because of how gently funny it is, but because this humor is bound up in what so much of Reichardt’s project has been about: finding the beauty in people.

These are ordinary people, all just trying to make their way in the world, and they are often deeply flawed. Yet Reichardt brings a care for each of them, finding beauty in the smallest of scenes that then become something much larger in her hands. The evocative ending of “The Mastermind” brings the pain crashing down, but just for a minute, you feel an ache to go off to join the commune of good people up in the north. The world will continue to be full of pain, but the best, most stunning, works of cinema at Cannes this year were the ones like “The Mastermind” that find the beauty in these people all the same. 

The post Cannes 2025 Critic’s Take: The Festival’s Best Films Found Beauty in a Broken World appeared first on TheWrap.

A fire at a local electrical substation is believed to have weakened the power grid overnight, the AP also reported. Approximately 160,000 homes in the Alpes-Maritimes lost electricity.

Laurent Hottiaux, the area’s prefect, said in a statement, “All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts.” Cannes authorities also said the Croisette’s main venue the Palais des Festivals was able to use its own power supply source.

“All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions,” the festival statement said. “At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway.”

The festival will close with the awarding of the Palme d’Or Saturday night.

The post Arson Suspected as Cause of Cannes Film Festival Power Outage appeared first on TheWrap.

Panahi, who spent almost 20 years in prison or under house arrest in Iran for making anti-government films, was allowed to leave the country and go to the festival for the first time in more than two decades with the film, which deals with victims of oppression who abduct a man they believe was their torturer in prison.

“The bracing thing about ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is that it has married Panahi’s wit and humanism with real anger,” said TheWrap’s review.“… In a festival full of fury, this is one of the films that hits hardest and resonates longest.”

The review also suggested that the film, which premiered on Tuesday, could be a likely winner: “The figure of the director standing on the stage after being banned for so long is simply too irresistible, and the movie is simply too good.”

After its premiere, Neon acquired distribution rights to the film, which now means that the company has distributed the last six consecutive Palme d’Or winners, beginning with “Parasite” in 2019 and also including “Titane,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and last year’s winner, “Anora.”

Neon came to Cannes with deals to distribute two films in the main competition, Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value.” During the festival, it made additional deals with three more contenders, “Sirat,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident.”

Four of Neon’s five main-competition films ended up with awards, with only “Alpha” going home empty-handed.

The runner-up award, the Grand Prix, was given to Joachim Trier’s family drama “Sentimental Value.” The third-place award, the Jury Prize, was shared by two dark and ambitious films, Oliver Laxe’s raucous road trip film “Sirat” and Mascha Schilinski’s century-spanning “Sound of Falling.”

Wagner Moura won the Best Actor award for his performance as a dissident on the run in Kleber Mendonca Filho’s Brazilian drama “The Secret Agent,” while Best Actress award went to Nadia Melliti for “The Little Sister.”

Mendonca Filho also won the directing award for “The Secret Agent,” while the Dardenne brothers won the screenplay award for “Young Mothers.”

A special award went to “Resurrection,” the tw0-hour-and-40-minute fantasia from Bi Gan.

The Camera d’Or, which goes to the best first film from any section of the festival, went to Hasan Hadi for “The President’s Cake,” the first Iraqi film to win an award in Cannes. The film had previously won the audience award in the Directors’ Fortnight section.

The ceremony also included John C. Reilly singing the Edith Piaf classic “La vie en rose” before presenting the screenplay award.

The winners have been chosen by a jury headed by French actress Juliette Binoche. Other jurors included American actors Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong, Indian director Payal Kapadia, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani, Congolese director Dieudo Hamadi, Korean director Hong Sangsoo and Mexican director Carlos Reygadas.

The 21 films in the main competition also included Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha,” Oliver Hermanus’ “The History of Sound,” Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” Sergei Loznitsa’s “Two Prosecutors,” Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love” and Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind.”

Last year, for only the third time ever but for the second time in the last six years, the Palme d’Or winner, “Anora,” went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Two other Cannes winners, “Emilia Perez” and “The Substance,” went on to be nominated for Best Picture and to win other Oscars, while screenplay winner “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” was nominated for Best International Feature Film.

The winners:

Palme d’Or: “It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi
Grand Prix: “Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier
Jury Prize: (TIE) “Sirat,” Oliver Laxe, and “Sound of Falling,” Mascha Salinski
Best Director: Kleber Mendonca Filho, “The Secret Agent”
Best Actor: Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”
Best Actress: Nadia Melliti, “The Little Sister”
Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, “Young Mothers”
Special Prize: “Resurrection,” Bi Gan

Camera d’Or (Best First Film): “The President’s Cake,” Hasan Hadi

Short Film Palme d’Or: “I’m Glad You’re Dead Now,” Tawfeek Barhom
Short Film Special Mention: “Ali,” Adnan Al Rajeev

The post Cannes Film Festival Winners 2025: ‘It Was Just an Accident’ Wins Palme d’Or appeared first on TheWrap.