Entertainment
Farhadi, Almodovar, Zvyagintsev To Vie For Top Cannes Festival Prize
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, Spain’s Pedro Almodovar and Russia’s Andrey Zvyagintsev will be among 21 directors vying for the coveted Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival next month, organisers said on Thursday.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux revealed a list of films in the main competition, including three from Japan and three from Spain, while major Hollywood studios are set to be notable in their absence on the French Riviera.
Other frontrunners for the top prize will include Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the 2018 competition with “Shoplifters”, and former winner Cristian Mungiu from Romania, whose new film “Fjord” is set in Norway and stars Renate Reinsve.
Out of competition, there will be a surprising amount of football at the high temple of French cinema, with documentaries about legendary forward Eric Cantona and the England-Argentina 1986 World Cup match featuring a notorious handball from Diego Maradona.
American A-listers will be thin on the ground at the 79th edition of Cannes, although Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart are set to star in the Paris-set “Full Phil” by French director Quentin Dupieux.
“The United States will be represented. The studios a bit less,” Fremaux told a press conference in Paris.
Organisers had already announced that plane-mad US movie legend John Travolta will present his directorial debut “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” out of competition about a young boy’s journey in the “golden age of aviation”.
Fremaux noted the high number of historical films at Cannes this year, as well as movies that provide some escapism from the grim realities of current affairs.
“We realised that the Western world needs gentleness, songs, nature, and that the countries of the Global South, as people say… need security, need prosperity and need to provide care for children and families,” he added.
Hollywood and Broadway legend Barbra Streisand will be awarded the festival’s customary Honorary Palme d’Or this year, as will New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson, best known for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Filmmaker Park Chan‑wook will be head of the jury that will award the Palme d’Or, the most prestigious prize in the film industry after the Oscar for best film.
The director of “Oldboy” and “No Other Choice” most recently is the first South Korean to hold the position and replaces French acting legend Juliette Binoche who held the role last year.
The 2025 edition gave the top prize to dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi and his wry thriller “It Was Just an Accident”.
European film festivals have recently found themselves drawn into the conflicts raging in the Middle East and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in particular.
AFP
Lady Gaga has welcomed her first child with fiancé Michael Polansky, marking a major new chapter for the Grammy-winning singer.
The 40-year-old pop star, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, became a mother after years of speaking publicly about her desire to start a family.
US media reported the arrival on Friday, with People confirming the news through a source. Page Six was first to report that Gaga and Polansky had welcomed their first baby together.
However, the couple has not disclosed the baby’s name, sex or exact date of birth.
Gaga and Polansky began dating in 2020 and became engaged in 2024. The entrepreneur has largely remained out of the spotlight while supporting Gaga’s music career and philanthropic work.
The singer, affectionately known as “Mother Monster” by her fans, has previously spoken about her hope of becoming a mother, describing motherhood as her “next starring role.”
Lady Gaga recently completed her Mayhem Ball world tour in April after the release of her latest album, Mayhem. The album earned several Grammy nominations and won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album earlier this year.
Safechuck and Wade Robson have alleged that Jackson abused them while they were minors at his Neverland Ranch. Jackson denied the allegations during his lifetime.
James Safechuck, one of the men who accused late pop star Michael Jackson of sexually abusing him as a child, is set to face questioning under oath on September 14.
Safechuck, now 48, is expected to be deposed in the revived lawsuit against companies linked to Jackson.
His mother, Stephanie Safechuck, will also face questioning on October 15 and 20, with her evidence regarded as crucial because of her family’s close relationship with the singer.
Safechuck and Wade Robson have alleged that Jackson abused them while they were minors at his Neverland Ranch. Jackson denied the allegations during his lifetime.
Court documents obtained by TMZ show that the upcoming depositions will examine the claims and the circumstances surrounding Safechuck’s relationship with Jackson’s family.
Stephanie featured prominently in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, where she described how the singer became close to her family after meeting her nine-year-old son during a television commercial shoot.
She said Jackson’s attention initially felt like “a fairytale” and that she became swept up in the relationship.
According to her account, she and her husband eventually allowed James to sleep in Jackson’s room—a decision she later claimed marked the beginning of the alleged abuse.
Stephanie said she subsequently asked her son whether anything inappropriate had happened, but he denied it at the time.
The legal battle had suffered major setbacks before a California appeal court revived the claims in 2023.
In 2020, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Safechuck could not sue Jackson’s companies. A similar ruling was issued against Robson the following year.
But the appellate court later ruled that both men could revive their lawsuits against the companies, reopening a legal fight that had appeared to be over.
Michael Jackson faced several sexual-abuse allegations in the 1990s and remained the subject of controversy until his death in 2009.
The forthcoming depositions could provide fresh testimony about the allegations, the role of Jackson’s companies and what Safechuck’s mother knew about the relationship at the time.
Here is a list of the nominees in key categories for the 78th Emmy Awards, which will be handed out in Los Angeles on Monday night.
“The Pitt” topped the nominations list with 25, followed by “Hacks” with 24.
So far, after the early prizes were awarded in mainly technical categories, horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay” leads the pack with eight.
The gala will be hosted by “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay.
(Note: the awards for supporting actors in a limited series were handed out at the pre-ceremonies)
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
“The Diplomat”
“The Gilded Age”
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Pluribus”
“Slow Horses”
“Your Friends & Neighbors”
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
“Nobody Wants This”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Shrinking”
“Widow’s Bay”
OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
“All Her Fault”
“The Beast in Me”
“Beef”
“DTF St. Louis”
“Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Mark Ruffalo, “Task”
Rufus Sewell, “The Diplomat”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”
LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”
Chase Infiniti, “The Testaments”
Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”
Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus”
Zendaya, “Euphoria”
LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Wonder Man”
Steve Carell, “Rooster”
Matthew Rhys, “Widow’s Bay”
Jason Segel, “Shrinking”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Elle Fanning, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
LEAD ACTOR, LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Riz Ahmed, “Bait”
Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit”
Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Oscar Isaac, “Beef”
Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me”
LEAD ACTRESS, LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me”
Sally Field, “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
Carey Mulligan, “Beef”
Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt”
Gerran Howell, “The Pitt”
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
Tom Pelphrey, “Task”
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, “Pluribus”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”
Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt”
Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Sepideh Moafi, “The Pitt”
Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise”
Karolina Wydra, “Pluribus”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”
Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
Nick Offerman, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Stephen Root, “Widow’s Bay”
Michael Urie, “Shrinking”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Dale Dickey, “Widow’s Bay”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Kate O’Flynn, “Widow’s Bay”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Megan Stalter, “Hacks”
Jessica Williams, “Shrinking”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE: David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE: Linda Cardellini, “DTF St. Louis”
Programs with most overall nominations:
“The Pitt” – 25
“Hacks” – 24
“Widow’s Bay” – 19
“Pluribus” – 18
“Beef” – 16
AFP
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