The publisher behind Kristi Noem’s new political memoir, No Going Back, may be wishing they could take it all back.
On Monday, Noem again ducked questions about her claims of meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, once again refusing to discuss her interactions with world leaders when questioned by a panel on CBS Mornings.
“Did you tell your ghostwriter to write that?” host Natalie Morales asked.
Noem hedged: “No, I have specifically worked on policy for 30 years. And over that time I have traveled around the world and...
On Monday, Noem again ducked questions about her claims of meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, once again refusing to discuss her interactions with world leaders when questioned by a panel on CBS Mornings.
“Did you tell your ghostwriter to write that?” host Natalie Morales asked.
Noem hedged: “No, I have specifically worked on policy for 30 years. And over that time I have traveled around the world and...
- 5/6/2024
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) upcoming memoir, No Going Back, has generated considerable controversy before its release on May 7.
Alongside the public outcry at Noem’s written recollection of when she euthanized her dog, questions have been raised about Noem’s claim to have met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while she served in Congress on the House Armed Services Committee.
In her book, Noem wrote, “Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee, I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.”
As the independent newspaper The Dakota Scout reports, congressional travel documents and reliable external sources do not provide proof of these claims.
Noem continued in her book, “I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants. Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve,...
Alongside the public outcry at Noem’s written recollection of when she euthanized her dog, questions have been raised about Noem’s claim to have met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while she served in Congress on the House Armed Services Committee.
In her book, Noem wrote, “Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee, I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.”
As the independent newspaper The Dakota Scout reports, congressional travel documents and reliable external sources do not provide proof of these claims.
Noem continued in her book, “I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants. Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve,...
- 5/3/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Kristi Noem has repeatedly affirmed that yes, she actually did murder her 14-month-old dog — but that doesn’t mean the South Dakota governor’s upcoming memoir, No Going Back, isn’t full of easily disprovable lies.
According to The Dakota Scout, which obtained a copy of the book, Noem claims that as a member of Congress, she met with elusive North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders,” Noem wrote.
According to The Dakota Scout, which obtained a copy of the book, Noem claims that as a member of Congress, she met with elusive North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders,” Noem wrote.
- 5/3/2024
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
The French Parliament has agreed to launch an inquiry into sexual and gender-based violence across the country’s film, audiovisual, performing arts, advertising and fashion sectors.
On Thursday, the Assemblée Nationale unveiled the launch of the inquiry following a speech made by French actress and director Judith Godrèche in February.
Godrèche has become a crucial figure in France’s #MeToo movement after she accused acclaimed directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillion of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. Both men have denied the claims.
She watched on, seemingly wiping away tears, as all 52 lawmakers present for the vote approved the commission on Thursday.
Parliament member for Paris and vp of the cultural affairs and education committee, Sarah Legrain, wrote on X: “The commission of inquiry against sexual violence in cinema and live performance has been launched. … It’s up to us to rise to the occasion.”
Green Party...
On Thursday, the Assemblée Nationale unveiled the launch of the inquiry following a speech made by French actress and director Judith Godrèche in February.
Godrèche has become a crucial figure in France’s #MeToo movement after she accused acclaimed directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillion of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. Both men have denied the claims.
She watched on, seemingly wiping away tears, as all 52 lawmakers present for the vote approved the commission on Thursday.
Parliament member for Paris and vp of the cultural affairs and education committee, Sarah Legrain, wrote on X: “The commission of inquiry against sexual violence in cinema and live performance has been launched. … It’s up to us to rise to the occasion.”
Green Party...
- 5/2/2024
- by Lily Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated with trial and date details: French actor Gérard Depardieu will stand trial in October on charges of sexual assault allegedly committed against two women on the set of the film The Green Shutters in 2021, the Paris Public Prosecutor said on Monday.
The announcement came after Depardieu was taken into police custody on Monday morning for questioning on sexual assault accusations.
“At the end of his police custody at the 3rd judicial police district, Gérard Depardieu was given a summons to appear before the criminal court… for sexual assaults likely to have been committed in September 2021 against two victims, on the set of the film The Green Shutters,” the prosecutor’s office said in a note.
Local media reports said that the actor had been called in for questioning on accusations related to events on the sets of Jean-Pierre Mocky’s Le Magicien et les Siamois in 2014, and Jean Becker...
The announcement came after Depardieu was taken into police custody on Monday morning for questioning on sexual assault accusations.
“At the end of his police custody at the 3rd judicial police district, Gérard Depardieu was given a summons to appear before the criminal court… for sexual assaults likely to have been committed in September 2021 against two victims, on the set of the film The Green Shutters,” the prosecutor’s office said in a note.
Local media reports said that the actor had been called in for questioning on accusations related to events on the sets of Jean-Pierre Mocky’s Le Magicien et les Siamois in 2014, and Jean Becker...
- 4/29/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
French actor Gérard Depardieu will stand trial in October on charges of sexual assault brought by two women who claim the Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac star assaulted them on set of the film The Green Shutters in 2021, the Paris Public Prosecutor said on Monday.
French police briefly detained Depardieu for questioning on Monday morning. In a note following Depardieu’s release, the prosecutor’s office said the actor was given a summons to appear before the criminal court “for sexual assaults likely to have been committed in September 2021 against two victims, on the set of the film The Green Shutters.”
Multiple media sources, including Agence France-Presse (Afp) and Bfm-tv, reported that the 75-year-old actor has been accused by two separate women of sexual assault. The alleged incidents reported occurred in 2021 — when Depardieu was shooting French film Les Violets vertes (The Green Shutters) — and in 2014 during the making of...
French police briefly detained Depardieu for questioning on Monday morning. In a note following Depardieu’s release, the prosecutor’s office said the actor was given a summons to appear before the criminal court “for sexual assaults likely to have been committed in September 2021 against two victims, on the set of the film The Green Shutters.”
Multiple media sources, including Agence France-Presse (Afp) and Bfm-tv, reported that the 75-year-old actor has been accused by two separate women of sexual assault. The alleged incidents reported occurred in 2021 — when Depardieu was shooting French film Les Violets vertes (The Green Shutters) — and in 2014 during the making of...
- 4/29/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A plane once used by King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles has been damaged. Three windows reportedly fell out of the airplane mid-flight, but no one was hurt.
King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and other VIPs have used the Titan Airways plane
A Titan Airways plane once used by King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and other VIPs experienced an air emergency. The Airbus had to make a U-turn and return to the airport due to missing and damaged windows.
King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were not on the airplane when it had mechanical problems. However, other passengers did experience the issue.
The plane was once used by the royal family, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and James Cleverly, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, on official trips abroad, reports The Telegraph. The incident took place in October 2023.
What caused the windows to fall out mid-air? King Charles III...
King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and other VIPs have used the Titan Airways plane
A Titan Airways plane once used by King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and other VIPs experienced an air emergency. The Airbus had to make a U-turn and return to the airport due to missing and damaged windows.
King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were not on the airplane when it had mechanical problems. However, other passengers did experience the issue.
The plane was once used by the royal family, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and James Cleverly, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, on official trips abroad, reports The Telegraph. The incident took place in October 2023.
What caused the windows to fall out mid-air? King Charles III...
- 4/23/2024
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
With France on its highest level of security alert amid geopolitical turmoil in Ukraine and the Middle East, organizers behind the Paris Olympics are still going ahead with ambitious plans to host the opening ceremony along the Seine river on July 26.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said on Monday in an interview with French outlets Bfm TV and Rmc that the opening ceremony could relocate to an indoor location “depending on our analysis of the context.” “We have fallback scenarios. There are plan Bs and plan Cs,” Macron said, citing the Stade de France as an alternate location.
Under the current plans put together by Tony Estanguet, the gold-medal winning French athlete who presides over the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, as many as 10,500 athletes from all around the world will parade on boats along the six-kilometer Seine River. Macron suggested the itinerary might be shortened. Original plans have already been...
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said on Monday in an interview with French outlets Bfm TV and Rmc that the opening ceremony could relocate to an indoor location “depending on our analysis of the context.” “We have fallback scenarios. There are plan Bs and plan Cs,” Macron said, citing the Stade de France as an alternate location.
Under the current plans put together by Tony Estanguet, the gold-medal winning French athlete who presides over the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, as many as 10,500 athletes from all around the world will parade on boats along the six-kilometer Seine River. Macron suggested the itinerary might be shortened. Original plans have already been...
- 4/17/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French film and TV company Gaumont has announced it is developing a six-part drama devoted to French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte Macron.
The Paris-based company said the film would consist of six 45-minute episodes and be entitled Brigitte, une femme libre, which translates as “Brigitte, a free woman” but is not confirmed as the international title.
“Written by Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, this series retraces the romantic trajectory of the first lady, Brigitte Macron,” Gaumont said in a succinct press release on Tuesday.
Charles and Pouponneau previously collaborated on the Abu Dhabi-set spy thriller Mirage and serial killer mini-series Spiral of Lies.
Gaumont did not reveal any further information on the storyline, cast or other producing partners.
Brigitte Macron’s unconventional life and early romance with her husband Macron has long been a source of fascination in France and beyond.
She met her future husband when he...
The Paris-based company said the film would consist of six 45-minute episodes and be entitled Brigitte, une femme libre, which translates as “Brigitte, a free woman” but is not confirmed as the international title.
“Written by Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, this series retraces the romantic trajectory of the first lady, Brigitte Macron,” Gaumont said in a succinct press release on Tuesday.
Charles and Pouponneau previously collaborated on the Abu Dhabi-set spy thriller Mirage and serial killer mini-series Spiral of Lies.
Gaumont did not reveal any further information on the storyline, cast or other producing partners.
Brigitte Macron’s unconventional life and early romance with her husband Macron has long been a source of fascination in France and beyond.
She met her future husband when he...
- 4/16/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, will be the subject of a biopic series produced by French mini-major Gaumont.
The six-part show is being penned by Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, who previously teamed on the thriller series “J’ai menti.”
Titled “Brigitte, une femme libre”, the series will chart the life of French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife. Gaumont is keeping the plot of the show under wraps and will be announcing the cast in the next few weeks.
Brigitte Macron’s life story surely provides plenty of material for a TV series. She met Emmanuel Macron while teaching theater at the Catholic high school Providence in Amiens. Macron was then 15 years old, while she was 40 and married with three children. In a recent interview with Paris Match, Brigitte Macron talked about her anxiety over their age gap, saying that her “head was in a mess” after she fell in...
The six-part show is being penned by Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, who previously teamed on the thriller series “J’ai menti.”
Titled “Brigitte, une femme libre”, the series will chart the life of French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife. Gaumont is keeping the plot of the show under wraps and will be announcing the cast in the next few weeks.
Brigitte Macron’s life story surely provides plenty of material for a TV series. She met Emmanuel Macron while teaching theater at the Catholic high school Providence in Amiens. Macron was then 15 years old, while she was 40 and married with three children. In a recent interview with Paris Match, Brigitte Macron talked about her anxiety over their age gap, saying that her “head was in a mess” after she fell in...
- 4/16/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Ari Wallach has made his living as a professional futurist for more than 20 years. What does that mean?
“I work with really large organizations, mostly helping them think about tomorrow — the far-off tomorrows,” Wallach explains on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.”
Wallach’s forward-looking intellect is on display in the new PBS docuseries “A Brief History of the Future,” which premiered April 3 on PBS in the U.S. He hosts the series and is an executive producer with Kathryn Murdoch, Wendy Schmidt and DreamCrew, the production banner headed by hip hop superstar Drake. Wallach and Murdoch are partners in Futurific Studios, which makes its debut with “Brief History.” The six-part series studies inventors, entrepreneurs, activists, artists and others who are pursuing innovative solutions to a range of social ills. Notable participants include French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy...
“I work with really large organizations, mostly helping them think about tomorrow — the far-off tomorrows,” Wallach explains on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.”
Wallach’s forward-looking intellect is on display in the new PBS docuseries “A Brief History of the Future,” which premiered April 3 on PBS in the U.S. He hosts the series and is an executive producer with Kathryn Murdoch, Wendy Schmidt and DreamCrew, the production banner headed by hip hop superstar Drake. Wallach and Murdoch are partners in Futurific Studios, which makes its debut with “Brief History.” The six-part series studies inventors, entrepreneurs, activists, artists and others who are pursuing innovative solutions to a range of social ills. Notable participants include French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy...
- 4/4/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Prominent far-right commentator Candace Owens has officially announced her departure from the conservative news outlet The Daily Wire.
Owens took to social media on Friday to confirm the rumors and expressed her sense of liberation. She hinted at announcements in the weeks ahead.
The split was initially revealed by Jeremy Boreing, co-founder of The Daily Wire, who stated on a public platform that the relationship between the media outlet and Owens had come to an end. The exact reasons behind the separation remain undisclosed.
Owens, who joined the organization in 2021, was among the most recognizable and influential figures associated with The Daily Wire, known for her appearances on Fox News and Infowars. She is currently engaged in a speaking tour alongside Turning Point USA, a conservative organization that has gained significant influence within the Republican Party.
An outspoken personality in right-wing media, Owens has often espoused conspiracy theories.
She has notably clashed with Ben Shapiro,...
Owens took to social media on Friday to confirm the rumors and expressed her sense of liberation. She hinted at announcements in the weeks ahead.
The split was initially revealed by Jeremy Boreing, co-founder of The Daily Wire, who stated on a public platform that the relationship between the media outlet and Owens had come to an end. The exact reasons behind the separation remain undisclosed.
Owens, who joined the organization in 2021, was among the most recognizable and influential figures associated with The Daily Wire, known for her appearances on Fox News and Infowars. She is currently engaged in a speaking tour alongside Turning Point USA, a conservative organization that has gained significant influence within the Republican Party.
An outspoken personality in right-wing media, Owens has often espoused conspiracy theories.
She has notably clashed with Ben Shapiro,...
- 3/24/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Welcome to ElectionLine’s A View From Abroad series, in which we speak with media figures who don’t live in America but keep a close eye on its politics. Every few weeks, these smart observers will provide a unique perspective on what promises to be a fraught and unpredictable campaign for the White House. This week, our interview is with Kéthévane Gorjestani, the foreign affairs correspondent for France 24, the international news network.
Kéthévane Gorjestani spent time as president of the White House Foreign Press Group, meaning she helped spearhead efforts to get more access to Joe Biden. While Trump was at the White House press podium “all the time,” Gorjestani says there was a feeling among the media corps that Biden’s handlers were more reluctant to engage. The France 24 journalist thinks this has been to Biden’s detriment.
Gorjestani argues that the president’s blunders or moments...
Kéthévane Gorjestani spent time as president of the White House Foreign Press Group, meaning she helped spearhead efforts to get more access to Joe Biden. While Trump was at the White House press podium “all the time,” Gorjestani says there was a feeling among the media corps that Biden’s handlers were more reluctant to engage. The France 24 journalist thinks this has been to Biden’s detriment.
Gorjestani argues that the president’s blunders or moments...
- 3/13/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
French President Emmanuel Macron Responds For First Time To Rumors That Wife Brigitte Is Transgender
French President Emmanuel Macron shut down claims his wife, Brigitte Macron, was born a man. On International Women’s Day, Macron, 47, addressed the rumors that his wife, 70, is transgender, saying they were misogynistic attacks.
“The worst thing is the false information and fabricated scenarios,” said President Macron. “People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your intimacy.”
Two French women were fined after spreading these rumors. However, they were able to reduce their fines on appeal, claiming they were intimidated by authorities to cover up a “state secret.” The women have been identified as Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey.
In December 2021, Roy and Rey were featured in a four-hour YouTube video in which they said Brigitte was born as a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her brother.
Macron’s step-daughter Tiphanie Auziére briefly mentioned the rumors in an interview with Paris Match.
Subscribe to our free weekly...
“The worst thing is the false information and fabricated scenarios,” said President Macron. “People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your intimacy.”
Two French women were fined after spreading these rumors. However, they were able to reduce their fines on appeal, claiming they were intimidated by authorities to cover up a “state secret.” The women have been identified as Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey.
In December 2021, Roy and Rey were featured in a four-hour YouTube video in which they said Brigitte was born as a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her brother.
Macron’s step-daughter Tiphanie Auziére briefly mentioned the rumors in an interview with Paris Match.
Subscribe to our free weekly...
- 3/10/2024
- by Ann Hoang
- Uinterview
Dominique Boutonnat, the President of France’s cinema board, will stand trial for sexual assault in June.
The producer and Cnc chief has been under investigation for two years after being indicted in February 2021 for an alleged sexual assault. In September 2022, the case was taken to trial. According to French media reports, a court in Nanterre has now set a court date for June. Boutonnat denies all charges.
Boutonnat was first placed under investigation in October 2020 after his godson filed a police complaint accusing him of an assault during a family holiday in Greece in August 2020.
When contacted about whether he would remain at the head of the Cnc following the news, the cinema body declined to comment and referred us to Boutonnat’s lawyer. We have reached out to Boutonnat’s legal team for comment.
Boutonnat was first appointed Cnc President in 2019. France’s government then gave him a...
The producer and Cnc chief has been under investigation for two years after being indicted in February 2021 for an alleged sexual assault. In September 2022, the case was taken to trial. According to French media reports, a court in Nanterre has now set a court date for June. Boutonnat denies all charges.
Boutonnat was first placed under investigation in October 2020 after his godson filed a police complaint accusing him of an assault during a family holiday in Greece in August 2020.
When contacted about whether he would remain at the head of the Cnc following the news, the cinema body declined to comment and referred us to Boutonnat’s lawyer. We have reached out to Boutonnat’s legal team for comment.
Boutonnat was first appointed Cnc President in 2019. France’s government then gave him a...
- 3/6/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Dominique Boutonnat, the president of France’s National Film Board, the Cnc, will go to court this summer to be tried for the alleged sexual assault of his godson, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The public prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, a prefecture in the western suburbs of Paris, has set a trial date for June 14.
Boutonnat is accused of assaulting his godson in August of 2020 when the latter was 21 years old, as reported by French news service Afp. The younger man accused Boutonnat, who is his godfather but with whom he has no family ties, of non-consensual touching and trying to fellate him against his will. Boutonnat denies all charges.
Boutonnat was indicted in Feb. 2021 for the alleged assault but it has taken more than two years to set a start date for the trial. The June start date means the trial will kick off just after this year...
The public prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, a prefecture in the western suburbs of Paris, has set a trial date for June 14.
Boutonnat is accused of assaulting his godson in August of 2020 when the latter was 21 years old, as reported by French news service Afp. The younger man accused Boutonnat, who is his godfather but with whom he has no family ties, of non-consensual touching and trying to fellate him against his will. Boutonnat denies all charges.
Boutonnat was indicted in Feb. 2021 for the alleged assault but it has taken more than two years to set a start date for the trial. The June start date means the trial will kick off just after this year...
- 3/6/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board (Cnc), the country’s most powerful film institution, will stand trial for alleged sexual assault starting on June 14, Variety has confirmed.
Boutonnat was indicted in February 2021 for the alleged sexual assault of his 22-year-old godson in 2020. It took over two years for the Nanterre Court to set a start date for the trial, which will kick off after the upcoming edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The information was first reported by the online publication “L’Informé.”
When contacted by Variety, the Cnc declined to comment. It’s unknown whether Boutonnat, whose term ends in 2025, will remain in post during the trial.
The National Film Board plays a crucial role in allocating subsidies to French TV and film producers, establishing selection committees and boards, as well as setting guidelines for the whole industry.
In spite of the indictment, Boutonnat was appointed...
Boutonnat was indicted in February 2021 for the alleged sexual assault of his 22-year-old godson in 2020. It took over two years for the Nanterre Court to set a start date for the trial, which will kick off after the upcoming edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The information was first reported by the online publication “L’Informé.”
When contacted by Variety, the Cnc declined to comment. It’s unknown whether Boutonnat, whose term ends in 2025, will remain in post during the trial.
The National Film Board plays a crucial role in allocating subsidies to French TV and film producers, establishing selection committees and boards, as well as setting guidelines for the whole industry.
In spite of the indictment, Boutonnat was appointed...
- 3/6/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Justine Triet’s psychothriller was shut out by France’s Oscar committee, but this genre-bending courtroom procedural, marriage drama and whodunnit feels totally new
Oscars 2024: best picture nominees – reviews, awards and where to watch
Oscar season rings in the annual cycle of gossip, debate and speculation about disputed nominations and conspicuous snubs, and this year one major story concerns the case of France fumbling the bag. Anatomy of a Fall, a courtroom thriller about a writer suspected of murdering her husband, took Cannes by storm last summer to win the Palme d’Or – making director Justine Triet the third woman to win the festival’s top prize in its 76-year history – before becoming a box office hit in France. It was, in the words of the Hollywood Reporter, “one of the rare movies which checked all the boxes for a strong Oscar entry: not only was it a...
Oscars 2024: best picture nominees – reviews, awards and where to watch
Oscar season rings in the annual cycle of gossip, debate and speculation about disputed nominations and conspicuous snubs, and this year one major story concerns the case of France fumbling the bag. Anatomy of a Fall, a courtroom thriller about a writer suspected of murdering her husband, took Cannes by storm last summer to win the Palme d’Or – making director Justine Triet the third woman to win the festival’s top prize in its 76-year history – before becoming a box office hit in France. It was, in the words of the Hollywood Reporter, “one of the rare movies which checked all the boxes for a strong Oscar entry: not only was it a...
- 2/28/2024
- by Rebecca Liu
- The Guardian - Film News
Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall won Best Film and Best Director at the 49th edition of the French César awards Friday.
Triet is only the second women to clinch the Best Director prize in the near 50-year history of the César Awards, after Tonie Marshall for Venus Beauty in 1976.
The director took to the stage with her producers Marie-Ange Luciani at Les Films de Pierre and David Thion at Les Films Pelléas.
Luciani suggested the Best Film honor, which is voted on by the some 4,600 members of the César Academy, was a sign of solidarity for the film and Triet in the light of her controversial Cannes d’Or acceptance speech which provoked a political backlash after she criticized the attitude of Emmanuel Macron’s government towards culture and cinema.
“After Justine’s speech in Cannes and the lively debate she provoked we’d like to say this...
Triet is only the second women to clinch the Best Director prize in the near 50-year history of the César Awards, after Tonie Marshall for Venus Beauty in 1976.
The director took to the stage with her producers Marie-Ange Luciani at Les Films de Pierre and David Thion at Les Films Pelléas.
Luciani suggested the Best Film honor, which is voted on by the some 4,600 members of the César Academy, was a sign of solidarity for the film and Triet in the light of her controversial Cannes d’Or acceptance speech which provoked a political backlash after she criticized the attitude of Emmanuel Macron’s government towards culture and cinema.
“After Justine’s speech in Cannes and the lively debate she provoked we’d like to say this...
- 2/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
by Cláudio Alves
The César Awards ceremony happens tomorrow, with Anatomy of a Fall poised for a sweep befitting its status as an Oscar darling. For some, its victory will taste like justice after what many have decried as a scandalous snub. After all, despite its acclaim, Justine Triet's film wasn't selected to represent France in the Best International Film race. Instead, the selection committee went with Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things, which competed against Anatomy in Cannes, losing the Palme d'Or but nabbing the Best Director prize. The decision generated much press, with people decrying it as undue punishment toward Triet, who criticized Emmanuel Macron's government in her Palme acceptance speech.
However, this perceived indignity has led to its own backlash. Hùng's film has been belittled nonstop, including by Triet on social media. It all culminated with the César nominations, where France's Oscar submission...
The César Awards ceremony happens tomorrow, with Anatomy of a Fall poised for a sweep befitting its status as an Oscar darling. For some, its victory will taste like justice after what many have decried as a scandalous snub. After all, despite its acclaim, Justine Triet's film wasn't selected to represent France in the Best International Film race. Instead, the selection committee went with Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things, which competed against Anatomy in Cannes, losing the Palme d'Or but nabbing the Best Director prize. The decision generated much press, with people decrying it as undue punishment toward Triet, who criticized Emmanuel Macron's government in her Palme acceptance speech.
However, this perceived indignity has led to its own backlash. Hùng's film has been belittled nonstop, including by Triet on social media. It all culminated with the César nominations, where France's Oscar submission...
- 2/22/2024
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
“The first shape I had in mind for this film was fiction,” filmmaker Mati Diop told a Berlin Film Festival presser this morning when quizzed on the structure of her inventive documentary Dahomey.
The doc — which screens in the Berlinale competition this afternoon — borrows its name from the former West African kingdom of Dahomey, located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin. It was founded in the 17th century by King Houegbadja. Under his reign and that of his descendants — a three-century dynasty — the kingdom was a considerable regional power, with a highly structured local economy, a centralized administration, a system of taxes, and a powerful army, including the famous Amazon women (Agodjié).
Diop’s film opens in November 2021 as twenty-six royal treasures from the former Kingdom are about to leave Paris to return to their country of origin. Along with thousands of others, these artifacts were plundered...
The doc — which screens in the Berlinale competition this afternoon — borrows its name from the former West African kingdom of Dahomey, located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin. It was founded in the 17th century by King Houegbadja. Under his reign and that of his descendants — a three-century dynasty — the kingdom was a considerable regional power, with a highly structured local economy, a centralized administration, a system of taxes, and a powerful army, including the famous Amazon women (Agodjié).
Diop’s film opens in November 2021 as twenty-six royal treasures from the former Kingdom are about to leave Paris to return to their country of origin. Along with thousands of others, these artifacts were plundered...
- 2/18/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
“When I heard that Emmanuel Macron had the intention to return the good that had been taken from colonial Africa, it was the very first time I realized that nothing was where it ought to be,” said Mati Diop of her documentary Dahomey, premiering at the Berlin Film Festival.
The doc tells the story of African art that was looted in the 19th century from the kingdom of Dahomey, following 26 artifacts that were taken back to Benin from France after French president Macron promised restitution in 2017. Among the returned works were statues of Dahomey’s former kings, King Glélé and King Béhanzin, and their throne. (The Kingdom of Dahomey was seen in Viola Davis’ historical epic The Woman King.)
“The question of returning these looted goods has always been at the heart of what I do as a filmmaker,” said Diop, via a translator, during a press conference in Berlin on Sunday.
The doc tells the story of African art that was looted in the 19th century from the kingdom of Dahomey, following 26 artifacts that were taken back to Benin from France after French president Macron promised restitution in 2017. Among the returned works were statues of Dahomey’s former kings, King Glélé and King Béhanzin, and their throne. (The Kingdom of Dahomey was seen in Viola Davis’ historical epic The Woman King.)
“The question of returning these looted goods has always been at the heart of what I do as a filmmaker,” said Diop, via a translator, during a press conference in Berlin on Sunday.
- 2/18/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jaka Bizilj, the founder of the Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation which organized the airlift from Russia of opposition activist Alexei Navalny after his poisoning in 2020, has responded to his sudden death in an Arctic Circle jail on Friday.
“Seeing the kind of treatment that they were giving him, I’ve been afraid for months that they were going to kill him,” Bizilj told Deadline.
He suggested the writing had been on wall for Navalny ever since the death of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August in the wake of his aborted coup over the summer.
“The Prigozhin case, the uprising, showed that Russia is not as stable as we all believed. After the killing of Prigozhin, Navalny was next on the list… I don’t think Putin saw him as an immediate threat but he was afraid of him in the long run,...
“Seeing the kind of treatment that they were giving him, I’ve been afraid for months that they were going to kill him,” Bizilj told Deadline.
He suggested the writing had been on wall for Navalny ever since the death of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August in the wake of his aborted coup over the summer.
“The Prigozhin case, the uprising, showed that Russia is not as stable as we all believed. After the killing of Prigozhin, Navalny was next on the list… I don’t think Putin saw him as an immediate threat but he was afraid of him in the long run,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Alexei Navalny is dead at the age of 47, following three years of incarceration in Russia. He was the most prominent opposition leader to stand against Vladimir Putin during his 24-year dictatorship.
Navalny was also a documentary filmmaker, directing and producing videos on behalf of the organization he founded in 2011, the Anti-Corruption Foundation. His last work before being imprisoned, and arguably his magnum opus, is “Putin’s Palace,” a 112-minute takedown of the leader’s corruption, written, narrated, and directed (though uncredited) by Navalny, which has received over 129 million views on his YouTube channel.
The opposition leader was also the subject of the Oscar-winning CNN Films documentary, “Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher. It’s a clip from that film that’s gone viral in the hours after the Russian prison where he was being held announced Navalny’s death. (Russian officials attributed his death to a blood clot.) The prison is a...
Navalny was also a documentary filmmaker, directing and producing videos on behalf of the organization he founded in 2011, the Anti-Corruption Foundation. His last work before being imprisoned, and arguably his magnum opus, is “Putin’s Palace,” a 112-minute takedown of the leader’s corruption, written, narrated, and directed (though uncredited) by Navalny, which has received over 129 million views on his YouTube channel.
The opposition leader was also the subject of the Oscar-winning CNN Films documentary, “Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher. It’s a clip from that film that’s gone viral in the hours after the Russian prison where he was being held announced Navalny’s death. (Russian officials attributed his death to a blood clot.) The prison is a...
- 2/16/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Welcome to ElectionLine’s A View From Abroad series, in which we speak with media figures who don’t live in America but keep a close eye on its politics. Every few weeks, these smart observers will provide a unique perspective on what promises to be a fraught and unpredictable campaign for the White House. This week, our interview is with Matt Frei, who serves as an anchor and Europe editor for Channel 4 News. He is nominated for the network presenter prize at the Royal Television Society Journalism Awards, which take place on February 28.
Donald Trump is building a wall. Not the concrete border between the U.S. and Mexico that was partially erected during Trump’s first term, but a metaphorical one of hardened electoral support.
That’s the view of Matt Frei, the veteran UK journalist who has chronicled Trump’s GOP career. “He’s building himself...
Donald Trump is building a wall. Not the concrete border between the U.S. and Mexico that was partially erected during Trump’s first term, but a metaphorical one of hardened electoral support.
That’s the view of Matt Frei, the veteran UK journalist who has chronicled Trump’s GOP career. “He’s building himself...
- 2/13/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
PBS has looked into the future and set a premiere date and unveiled a trailer for its latest high-profile docuseries.
The network will launch A Brief History of The Future, which comes from Drake’s DreamCrew, Kathryn Murdoch and Ari Wallach’s newly-launched Futurific Studios and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, on April 3.
Watch the trailer above.
The six-part series is hosted by futurist Ari Wallach and the idea is that it will help viewers imagine – and work toward – a better tomorrow. The series challenges the dystopian framework embraced by popular culture by offering a new take on the future exploring potential solutions to existential threats.
It features insights from thinkers, scientists, developers and storytellers including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, musician Grimes, architect Bjarke Ingels, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and soccer player Kylian Mbappé.
The...
The network will launch A Brief History of The Future, which comes from Drake’s DreamCrew, Kathryn Murdoch and Ari Wallach’s newly-launched Futurific Studios and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, on April 3.
Watch the trailer above.
The six-part series is hosted by futurist Ari Wallach and the idea is that it will help viewers imagine – and work toward – a better tomorrow. The series challenges the dystopian framework embraced by popular culture by offering a new take on the future exploring potential solutions to existential threats.
It features insights from thinkers, scientists, developers and storytellers including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, musician Grimes, architect Bjarke Ingels, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and soccer player Kylian Mbappé.
The...
- 2/6/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Melania Trump‘s stylist, Herve Pierre Braillard, earned over $371,000 from Donald Trump‘s Super PACs.
The payments made to Braillard were noted for “Strategy Consulting.” Eight installments of $18,000 and one of $6,000 totaled $132,000, as reported in Trump’s Pac filing with the Federal Election Commission. Since April 2022, Braillard has earned $371,000.
Braillard’s earnings have raised eyebrows among ethics watchdogs.
In the past, Melania’s office has said in a statement, “Mr. Pierre is a world-renowned artist. His work extends to many different fields, not just fashion design. His expertise is utilized for special projects and events.”
Upcoming projects and events have yet to be confirmed. Melania’s last public appearance was at her mother’s funeral on January 18.
The former first lady was widely mocked for wearing grey to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s funeral.
Braillard previously worked for Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta. One of his most...
The payments made to Braillard were noted for “Strategy Consulting.” Eight installments of $18,000 and one of $6,000 totaled $132,000, as reported in Trump’s Pac filing with the Federal Election Commission. Since April 2022, Braillard has earned $371,000.
Braillard’s earnings have raised eyebrows among ethics watchdogs.
In the past, Melania’s office has said in a statement, “Mr. Pierre is a world-renowned artist. His work extends to many different fields, not just fashion design. His expertise is utilized for special projects and events.”
Upcoming projects and events have yet to be confirmed. Melania’s last public appearance was at her mother’s funeral on January 18.
The former first lady was widely mocked for wearing grey to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s funeral.
Braillard previously worked for Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta. One of his most...
- 2/4/2024
- by Ann Hoang
- Uinterview
Ayushmann Khurrana, the youth icon and acclaimed actor, is set to attend the historic 75th Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath, New Delhi. His participation adds excitement for fans and reflects his enthusiasm for this significant event.
Unity in Diversity: Symbolized by the Parade
The Republic Day Parade is a spectacular display of India’s cultural diversity and military prowess. It stands as the largest and most important among the parades that mark the celebration of Republic Day in India. The first parade was held in 1950, and since then, it has become an annual tradition, symbolizing India’s cultural richness and unity in diversity.
Distinguished Guests at the Republic Day Parade
On this historic occasion, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the entire government, opposition leaders, and members of Parliament, will be present. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, is the chief guest, emphasizing the global significance of India’s 75th Republic Day.
Unity in Diversity: Symbolized by the Parade
The Republic Day Parade is a spectacular display of India’s cultural diversity and military prowess. It stands as the largest and most important among the parades that mark the celebration of Republic Day in India. The first parade was held in 1950, and since then, it has become an annual tradition, symbolizing India’s cultural richness and unity in diversity.
Distinguished Guests at the Republic Day Parade
On this historic occasion, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the entire government, opposition leaders, and members of Parliament, will be present. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, is the chief guest, emphasizing the global significance of India’s 75th Republic Day.
- 1/26/2024
- by Anshu Harvansh
- ReferSMS
Rihanna has met so many famous faces while in Paris, France for Fashion Week.
The 35-year-old “Diamonds” icon had adorable interactions with Natalie Portman and Glenn Close at a fashion show for Dior earlier this week. That was just the start, though!
On Wednesday (January 24), she and A$AP Rocky had a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l’Élysée!
Keep reading to find out more…
Wearing a black skirt with sky-high heels and a warm, belted jacket, Rihanna looked incredibly dignified. She finished off her look with dazzling jeweled earrings and a ring and carried a black clutch. The hitmaker’s newly blonde hair was perfectly styled.
A$AP looked equally stylish in a sweater with a jewel-encrusted neckline.
Did you see that Rihanna and A$AP recently revealed a new collaboration? Only… It’s not what you might think.
Scroll through all of the...
The 35-year-old “Diamonds” icon had adorable interactions with Natalie Portman and Glenn Close at a fashion show for Dior earlier this week. That was just the start, though!
On Wednesday (January 24), she and A$AP Rocky had a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l’Élysée!
Keep reading to find out more…
Wearing a black skirt with sky-high heels and a warm, belted jacket, Rihanna looked incredibly dignified. She finished off her look with dazzling jeweled earrings and a ring and carried a black clutch. The hitmaker’s newly blonde hair was perfectly styled.
A$AP looked equally stylish in a sweater with a jewel-encrusted neckline.
Did you see that Rihanna and A$AP recently revealed a new collaboration? Only… It’s not what you might think.
Scroll through all of the...
- 1/25/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
French prosecutors have dismissed a complaint by French actress Hélène Darras claiming she was sexually assaulted by Gérard Depardieu, citing the statute of limitations for the alleged crime.
Darras filed an official complaint against the 75-year-old French star, claiming Depardieu assaulted her on the set of Fabien Onteniente’s film Disco in 2007. Darras made her allegations public in an interview on French TV in December. The interview, combined with raw footage of Depardieu making sexually inappropriate and obscene jokes, triggered a public uproar in France that some have compared to the #MeToo movement that was galvanized by the testimonies of victims of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Thirteen women have come forward to accuse Depardieu of sexual assault involving incidents spanning two decades. In February 2021, Depardieu was charged with rape and sexual assault allegedly committed in 2018 against actress Charlotte Arnould. Darras was auditioned as a witness during that ongoing investigation and...
Darras filed an official complaint against the 75-year-old French star, claiming Depardieu assaulted her on the set of Fabien Onteniente’s film Disco in 2007. Darras made her allegations public in an interview on French TV in December. The interview, combined with raw footage of Depardieu making sexually inappropriate and obscene jokes, triggered a public uproar in France that some have compared to the #MeToo movement that was galvanized by the testimonies of victims of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Thirteen women have come forward to accuse Depardieu of sexual assault involving incidents spanning two decades. In February 2021, Depardieu was charged with rape and sexual assault allegedly committed in 2018 against actress Charlotte Arnould. Darras was auditioned as a witness during that ongoing investigation and...
- 1/22/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
French prosecutors have dismissed the complaint filed by French actor Hélène Darras alleging that Gerard Depardieu sexually assaulted her during the filming of “Disco” in 2007.
In a statement sent to Variety, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said the complaint filed on Sept. 10, 2023 will be dismissed due to the statute of limitations.
The prosecutor’s spokesperson said Darras “had decided to file a distinct complaint after being auditioned as a witness during the ongoing investigation stemming from the lawsuit by Charlotte Arnould” in 2018. Depardieu was indicted on rape charges in connection to that case in 2020.
Darras was one of the 13 women who accused Depardieu of sexual misconduct in an investigative story that ran in Mediapart in April 2023. Spanish journalist Ruth Baza also said she had filed an official complaint against the actor in Spain after being allegedly assaulted during an interview in Paris in 1995, which is beyond the 20-year statute of limitation in France.
In a statement sent to Variety, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said the complaint filed on Sept. 10, 2023 will be dismissed due to the statute of limitations.
The prosecutor’s spokesperson said Darras “had decided to file a distinct complaint after being auditioned as a witness during the ongoing investigation stemming from the lawsuit by Charlotte Arnould” in 2018. Depardieu was indicted on rape charges in connection to that case in 2020.
Darras was one of the 13 women who accused Depardieu of sexual misconduct in an investigative story that ran in Mediapart in April 2023. Spanish journalist Ruth Baza also said she had filed an official complaint against the actor in Spain after being allegedly assaulted during an interview in Paris in 1995, which is beyond the 20-year statute of limitation in France.
- 1/22/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
This week’s surprise news of conservative politician Rachida Dati becoming France’s new Culture Minister provoked an earthquake within the country’s predominantly left-leaning film and TV industry.
Dati was appointed on Jan. 11 to succeed Rima Abdul Malak as Culture Minister as part of a reshuffle of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, which also saw 34-year-old Gabriel Attal becoming Prime Minister.
A combative straight shooter with an acerbic of humor and a definite sense of style, Dati is currently mayor of the posh 7th arrondissement where she regularly mingles with stars residing in the neighborhood. But her appointment as Culture Minister was welcomed with vitriolic headlines across the media and was called out by a large chunk of the film and TV biz as a casting error. The high profile politician is seen as a potential threat to the industry’s unique model of “cultural exception,” where independent, diverse filmmaking is nurtured through subsidies,...
Dati was appointed on Jan. 11 to succeed Rima Abdul Malak as Culture Minister as part of a reshuffle of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, which also saw 34-year-old Gabriel Attal becoming Prime Minister.
A combative straight shooter with an acerbic of humor and a definite sense of style, Dati is currently mayor of the posh 7th arrondissement where she regularly mingles with stars residing in the neighborhood. But her appointment as Culture Minister was welcomed with vitriolic headlines across the media and was called out by a large chunk of the film and TV biz as a casting error. The high profile politician is seen as a potential threat to the industry’s unique model of “cultural exception,” where independent, diverse filmmaking is nurtured through subsidies,...
- 1/14/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here in a week that has had a distinctly ‘back to school’ feel to it. We’ve certainly been busy. Read on for the biggest stories of the week and sign up here.
Has #MeToo Finally Arrived in France?
Watershed: The past week has felt like a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement in France. The country’s film industry has been at the forefront of efforts to foster gender parity thanks to pioneering activist group Le Collectif 50/50 and initiatives such as the festival charter, along with extra state funding for movies hiring women for key crew positions. However, a culture of silence around allegations of sexual abuse by big figures such as Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu has long been a source of debate and consternation in and outside of the country. There are signs that a major shift is underway following a bombshell...
Has #MeToo Finally Arrived in France?
Watershed: The past week has felt like a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement in France. The country’s film industry has been at the forefront of efforts to foster gender parity thanks to pioneering activist group Le Collectif 50/50 and initiatives such as the festival charter, along with extra state funding for movies hiring women for key crew positions. However, a culture of silence around allegations of sexual abuse by big figures such as Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu has long been a source of debate and consternation in and outside of the country. There are signs that a major shift is underway following a bombshell...
- 1/12/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A collective of feminist groups held street protests across France on Thursday evening to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s support of Gérard Depardieu in the light of multiple allegations of sexual assault against the actor.
The initiative – entitled “Keep your old world, we want one without sexist and sexual violence” – was centred in Paris but also saw smaller satellite protests in cities such as Toulouse, Marseille and Lyon.
“We call on all those who defend the rights of women, children and gender minorities, and who refuse sexist and sexual violence to rallies,” the group, gathering under the banner of the Feminist Strike Collective, announced in a statement prior to the protests.
“Since #MeToo, progress has been made. Let us not allow this progress to be destroyed by irresponsible, troubling and sexist remarks by the President of the Republic which have undermined the rights of victims and the rights of all women and children,...
The initiative – entitled “Keep your old world, we want one without sexist and sexual violence” – was centred in Paris but also saw smaller satellite protests in cities such as Toulouse, Marseille and Lyon.
“We call on all those who defend the rights of women, children and gender minorities, and who refuse sexist and sexual violence to rallies,” the group, gathering under the banner of the Feminist Strike Collective, announced in a statement prior to the protests.
“Since #MeToo, progress has been made. Let us not allow this progress to be destroyed by irresponsible, troubling and sexist remarks by the President of the Republic which have undermined the rights of victims and the rights of all women and children,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Newly appointed French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal took France’s political and media spheres by surprise on Thursday as he named controversial politician Rachida Dati as his culture minister.
Her arrival in the new-look centrist cabinet was unexpected given that Dati was a spokesperson for centre-right President Nicolas Sarkozy during his presidential campaign and was Justice Minister from 2007 to 2009 under his presidency.
The appointment was made as part of a government cabinet reshuffle rolled out by Attal just two days after he became France’s youngest ever prime minister in a move by President Emmanuel Macron to reboot his presidency, which began with a centre-left mandate but is now moving the dial to the right.
Dati replaces Rima Abdul Malak whose position has been looking fragile in recent weeks after she found herself at odds with Macron over her suggestion that Gérard Depardieu should be stripped of his Legion Of...
Her arrival in the new-look centrist cabinet was unexpected given that Dati was a spokesperson for centre-right President Nicolas Sarkozy during his presidential campaign and was Justice Minister from 2007 to 2009 under his presidency.
The appointment was made as part of a government cabinet reshuffle rolled out by Attal just two days after he became France’s youngest ever prime minister in a move by President Emmanuel Macron to reboot his presidency, which began with a centre-left mandate but is now moving the dial to the right.
Dati replaces Rima Abdul Malak whose position has been looking fragile in recent weeks after she found herself at odds with Macron over her suggestion that Gérard Depardieu should be stripped of his Legion Of...
- 1/11/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
A decade ago, Gerard Depardieu played a character inspired by Dominique Strauss-Kahn — the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund who was accused of assaulting a hotel maid — in Abel Ferrara’s “Welcome to New York.” In an ironic twist, the iconic French actor has now become the poster boy for the country’s #MeToo movement, having been charged with rape and faced with over a dozen sexual assault allegations.
But the French remain divided over him due to his profile as a mascot of the country’s cinematic history. He’s starred in over 150 films, including classics such as Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s “Cyrano de Bergerac,” François Truffaut’s “Le Dernier Metro” and Bertrand Blier’s “Going Places.” However, the tide is starting to shift — while French President Emmanuel Macron refused to revoke his Legion of Honor, the Paris wax museum went ahead and removed his statue on Dec.
But the French remain divided over him due to his profile as a mascot of the country’s cinematic history. He’s starred in over 150 films, including classics such as Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s “Cyrano de Bergerac,” François Truffaut’s “Le Dernier Metro” and Bertrand Blier’s “Going Places.” However, the tide is starting to shift — while French President Emmanuel Macron refused to revoke his Legion of Honor, the Paris wax museum went ahead and removed his statue on Dec.
- 1/11/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French President Emmanuel Macron made history on Tuesday as he appointed 34-year-old politician Gabriel Attal as France’s youngest ever prime minister.
Macron has a complex relationship with France’s cinema industry, where his pension reforms, attitude to cultural funding and support of Gérard Depardieu have come under fire from some quarters, but his new prime minister comes with interesting film world connections.
The new rising star of French politics is the son of late lawyer and film producer Yves Attal, who took credits on Pedro Almodóvar’s High Heels, Roberto Benigni’s The Monster and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Stealing Beauty.
Attal’s mother Marie de Couriss also worked in a production company.
As a teenager, Attal had a small role in Christophe Honoré’s 2008 drama The Beautiful Person co-starring Louis Garrel and Léa Seydoux.
But Attal chose not to follow in his parents’ footsteps.
After private schooling at Paris’s prestigious École Alsacienne,...
Macron has a complex relationship with France’s cinema industry, where his pension reforms, attitude to cultural funding and support of Gérard Depardieu have come under fire from some quarters, but his new prime minister comes with interesting film world connections.
The new rising star of French politics is the son of late lawyer and film producer Yves Attal, who took credits on Pedro Almodóvar’s High Heels, Roberto Benigni’s The Monster and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Stealing Beauty.
Attal’s mother Marie de Couriss also worked in a production company.
As a teenager, Attal had a small role in Christophe Honoré’s 2008 drama The Beautiful Person co-starring Louis Garrel and Léa Seydoux.
But Attal chose not to follow in his parents’ footsteps.
After private schooling at Paris’s prestigious École Alsacienne,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Accusations of rape against the actor have divided the nation, with some referring to him as the ‘last monstre sacré’
On 20 December, during a 135-minute-long interview on French television, dedicated to topics such as the new law on immigration, the future bill on assisted dying, the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, Emmanuel Macron was asked about Gérard Depardieu. France’s president could have chosen to be cautious and not comment on a case that has divided France. It would probably have been wiser to have remained silent, but Macron doesn’t do caution; he speaks his mind.
“You will never see me taking part in a manhunt,” he said. As for stripping the actor of the Légion d’honneur, a procedure recently started by his culture minister Rima Abdul Malak, Macron replied, looking straight at the interviewer: “The order of the Légion d’honneur is not a moral order.
On 20 December, during a 135-minute-long interview on French television, dedicated to topics such as the new law on immigration, the future bill on assisted dying, the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, Emmanuel Macron was asked about Gérard Depardieu. France’s president could have chosen to be cautious and not comment on a case that has divided France. It would probably have been wiser to have remained silent, but Macron doesn’t do caution; he speaks his mind.
“You will never see me taking part in a manhunt,” he said. As for stripping the actor of the Légion d’honneur, a procedure recently started by his culture minister Rima Abdul Malak, Macron replied, looking straight at the interviewer: “The order of the Légion d’honneur is not a moral order.
- 12/31/2023
- by Agnès Poirier
- The Guardian - Film News
Some 600 French art and entertainment world figures have signed a “counter-petition” decrying moves to defend iconic actor Gérard Depardieu in the face of multiple accusations of sexual assault and one of rape.
The petition described a recent open letter in support of Depardieu, signed by 56 cinema world celebrities, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s public defense of the actor on a talkshow before Christmas as a slap in the face for all victims of sexual violence.
“It is the sinister and perfect illustration of the world which refuses to let things change,” read the letter posted on the site of investigative news website Mediapart on Friday.
“It is the reversal of roles where the executioner places himself as a victim, with the help of his friends. As always in cases of gender-based and sexual violence against women, the ‘presumption...
The petition described a recent open letter in support of Depardieu, signed by 56 cinema world celebrities, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s public defense of the actor on a talkshow before Christmas as a slap in the face for all victims of sexual violence.
“It is the sinister and perfect illustration of the world which refuses to let things change,” read the letter posted on the site of investigative news website Mediapart on Friday.
“It is the reversal of roles where the executioner places himself as a victim, with the help of his friends. As always in cases of gender-based and sexual violence against women, the ‘presumption...
- 12/30/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Fifty-six French stars, including Carla Bruni, Charlotte Rampling and Carole Bouquet, signed an open letter defending Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor who has been charged with rape and accused by more than a dozen other women of sexual assault, harassment or groping.
The essay, published in the conservative-leaning French newspaper Le Figaro, reads, in part: “We cannot remain silent in the face of the lynching targeting him, the torrent of hate being dumped on his personality” (via AP). “When Gerard Depardieu is targeted this way, it is the art [of cinema] that is being attacked. … Depriving ourselves of this immense actor would be a drama, a defeat. The death of the art. Our art.”
Other signatories included actors Pierre Richard, Victoria Abril and Nathalie Baye, and directors Bertrand Blier and Francis Veber.
Depardieu has not been convicted in connection with any of the allegations and denies wrongdoing. He called the open letter “beautiful” and its signatories “courageous,...
The essay, published in the conservative-leaning French newspaper Le Figaro, reads, in part: “We cannot remain silent in the face of the lynching targeting him, the torrent of hate being dumped on his personality” (via AP). “When Gerard Depardieu is targeted this way, it is the art [of cinema] that is being attacked. … Depriving ourselves of this immense actor would be a drama, a defeat. The death of the art. Our art.”
Other signatories included actors Pierre Richard, Victoria Abril and Nathalie Baye, and directors Bertrand Blier and Francis Veber.
Depardieu has not been convicted in connection with any of the allegations and denies wrongdoing. He called the open letter “beautiful” and its signatories “courageous,...
- 12/26/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Nearly 60 actors and public figures, including British actress Charlotte Rampling and former French first lady Carla Bruni, have signed an open letter claiming that French actor Gerard Depardieu is the victim of a “torrent of hatred.”
Depardieu, who was previously charged with rape in 2021, is currently facing a new sexual assault allegation after a French actress, Hélène Darras, filed a police complaint claiming he groped her in 2007. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron defended the actor in an interview, saying he “makes France proud.”
The letter, published in French newspaper Le Figaro on Christmas Day,...
Depardieu, who was previously charged with rape in 2021, is currently facing a new sexual assault allegation after a French actress, Hélène Darras, filed a police complaint claiming he groped her in 2007. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron defended the actor in an interview, saying he “makes France proud.”
The letter, published in French newspaper Le Figaro on Christmas Day,...
- 12/26/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Some 50 French entertainment personalities have signed an open letter speaking out against the public “lynching” and cancelling of Gérard Depardieu in the wake of multiple accusations of sexual assault and one of rape.
The signatories include former first lady, top model and musician Carla Bruni as well as popular actors Charlotte Rampling, Carole Bouquet, Nathalie Baye and Pierre Richard.
The signatories said they did not want to pass comment on the accusations against Depardieu but could not remain silent in the face of the backlash against the actor in recent weeks.
“We are artists, writers and cinema producers. It’s in this capacity that we’re expressing ourselves here,” read the letter, published in Le Figaro newspaper on Christmas Day.
“We don’t want to enter into debate, and we leave the judiciary to do its job. Gérard Depardieu is probably one the greatest actors. One of the last sacred icons of cinema.
The signatories include former first lady, top model and musician Carla Bruni as well as popular actors Charlotte Rampling, Carole Bouquet, Nathalie Baye and Pierre Richard.
The signatories said they did not want to pass comment on the accusations against Depardieu but could not remain silent in the face of the backlash against the actor in recent weeks.
“We are artists, writers and cinema producers. It’s in this capacity that we’re expressing ourselves here,” read the letter, published in Le Figaro newspaper on Christmas Day.
“We don’t want to enter into debate, and we leave the judiciary to do its job. Gérard Depardieu is probably one the greatest actors. One of the last sacred icons of cinema.
- 12/26/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
French broadcaster France Televisions has been blamed by supporters of Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” for contributing to the downfall of one of country’s most iconic actors with a bombshell documentary about his history of sexual abuse allegations which aired on Dec. 7.
The broadcaster’s head of film and international co-production, Manuel Alduy, tells Variety the TV group doesn’t have any agenda against Depardieu, however, and won’t boycott his films. “We will not ban films, but we won’t celebrate artists who have been accused until they’re completely cleared,” says Alduy, who joined France Televisions in 2021 after working at Twentieth Century Fox and Canal+ Group.
“Films are collective works of art and Depardieu happens to have starred in more than 100 films, including some classics of French cinema,” says Alduy. “It would be unfair for these films and for rights holders if we banned them,...
The broadcaster’s head of film and international co-production, Manuel Alduy, tells Variety the TV group doesn’t have any agenda against Depardieu, however, and won’t boycott his films. “We will not ban films, but we won’t celebrate artists who have been accused until they’re completely cleared,” says Alduy, who joined France Televisions in 2021 after working at Twentieth Century Fox and Canal+ Group.
“Films are collective works of art and Depardieu happens to have starred in more than 100 films, including some classics of French cinema,” says Alduy. “It would be unfair for these films and for rights holders if we banned them,...
- 12/22/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French President Emmanuel Macron said the actor Gérard Depardieu — who’s faced an array of sexual assault allegations over the past few years — “makes France proud.”
According to the The New York Times, Macron appeared to defend Depardieu during a recent interview on French TV. The president said he was a “big admirer” of the “great actor,” and reiterated that anyone accused of something was innocent until proven otherwise: “You will never see me participate in a manhunt,” Macron said.
Macron’s comments came after numerous women came forward with...
According to the The New York Times, Macron appeared to defend Depardieu during a recent interview on French TV. The president said he was a “big admirer” of the “great actor,” and reiterated that anyone accused of something was innocent until proven otherwise: “You will never see me participate in a manhunt,” Macron said.
Macron’s comments came after numerous women came forward with...
- 12/22/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
French President Emmanuel Macron has come out in support of Gérard Depardieu whose star has fallen in France in recent days following the airing of a documentary investigating multiple allegations of sexual assault against the actor.
“One thing you’ll never see me get involved in is a witch hunt. I hate that,” Macron said in an interview with evening talk show C à Vous on Wednesday evening.
Questioned whether he thought the actor had brought shame on France, Macron replied that he was a “great admirer of Depardieu” and that he “had made France proud.”
Depardieu’s treatment of women on and off the set has been under public scrutiny following the airing of France 2 investigative show Complément d’Enquête on December 7.
Prior to its broadcast, Depardieu already faced one charge of rape in the courts filed by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018.
The France 2 documentary revealed that a second actress,...
“One thing you’ll never see me get involved in is a witch hunt. I hate that,” Macron said in an interview with evening talk show C à Vous on Wednesday evening.
Questioned whether he thought the actor had brought shame on France, Macron replied that he was a “great admirer of Depardieu” and that he “had made France proud.”
Depardieu’s treatment of women on and off the set has been under public scrutiny following the airing of France 2 investigative show Complément d’Enquête on December 7.
Prior to its broadcast, Depardieu already faced one charge of rape in the courts filed by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018.
The France 2 documentary revealed that a second actress,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“I’m a big admirer of Gerard Depardieu,” said Emmanuel Macron candidly on the set of C’est à vous, the primetime TV magazine, when asked to comment on the downfall of Depardieu, the revered French actor who’s facing new sexual assault accusations and has crystallized a new tide of #MeToo in France.
“He’s an immense actor, who has delivered some of the most beautiful texts. He made France known, our greatest authors, our greatest characters, across the world,” said Macron. “I’ll say it as France president but also as a citizen, he makes France proud.”
Depardieu was indicted on Dec. 16, 2020 regarding allegations of rape and sexual assault tied to a 2018 lawsuit filed by actor Charlotte Arnould, but it took a bombshell investigative documentary, Complement d’Enquête, to provoke real outrage in France. In the documentary, which aired on Dec. 7, Depardieu is seen making crude, sexual and misogynistic jokes on footage,...
“He’s an immense actor, who has delivered some of the most beautiful texts. He made France known, our greatest authors, our greatest characters, across the world,” said Macron. “I’ll say it as France president but also as a citizen, he makes France proud.”
Depardieu was indicted on Dec. 16, 2020 regarding allegations of rape and sexual assault tied to a 2018 lawsuit filed by actor Charlotte Arnould, but it took a bombshell investigative documentary, Complement d’Enquête, to provoke real outrage in France. In the documentary, which aired on Dec. 7, Depardieu is seen making crude, sexual and misogynistic jokes on footage,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The fallout follows an incendiary investigative documentary Gerard Depardieu: The Fall Of The Ogre that aired earlier this month.
French actor Gerard Depardieu has been stripped of honours in France and abroad, and faces a new rape allegation from a Spanish author and journalist.
The fallout follows documentary Gerard Depardieu: The Fall Of The Ogre which aired in France on December 7 and featured footage of the actor making lewd comments to women in North Korea in 2018 and multiple accusations of sexual assault.
The Musée Grevin in Paris has removed a wax likeness of the actor that had been on display...
French actor Gerard Depardieu has been stripped of honours in France and abroad, and faces a new rape allegation from a Spanish author and journalist.
The fallout follows documentary Gerard Depardieu: The Fall Of The Ogre which aired in France on December 7 and featured footage of the actor making lewd comments to women in North Korea in 2018 and multiple accusations of sexual assault.
The Musée Grevin in Paris has removed a wax likeness of the actor that had been on display...
- 12/21/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Feminists and politicians on left condemn French president’s praise of actor as sending ‘massive support’ to man being investigated for rape
Europe live – latest updates
Feminists and politicians on the left have reacted angrily after the French president described the actor Gérard Depardieu – who is under formal investigation for rape and facing fresh scrutiny over sexist comments – as the target of a “manhunt”.
“You will never see me participate in a manhunt … hate that type of thing,” Emmanuel Macron told the broadcaster France 5, when asked about the possibility of stripping Depardieu of a state award after a documentary showed footage of sexist and inappropriate behaviour by the star.
Europe live – latest updates
Feminists and politicians on the left have reacted angrily after the French president described the actor Gérard Depardieu – who is under formal investigation for rape and facing fresh scrutiny over sexist comments – as the target of a “manhunt”.
“You will never see me participate in a manhunt … hate that type of thing,” Emmanuel Macron told the broadcaster France 5, when asked about the possibility of stripping Depardieu of a state award after a documentary showed footage of sexist and inappropriate behaviour by the star.
- 12/21/2023
- by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
- The Guardian - Film News
Former French President François Hollande has found a new gig. The Socialist Party leader, who served as the leader of France before current President Emmanuel Macron, has joined the voice cast of Silex & the City – The Movie, a feature-film spinoff of a popular, Simpsons-style short-format animated series.
Hollande will lend his famous voice to the new film, which is currently in production, joining more established French talent including Bruno Solo, Julie Gayet, Stéphane Bern, Léa Drucker, Frédéric Beigbeder, Guillaume Gallienne, Léa Salamé and Amélie Nothomb.
Silex & the City follows a Stone Age family, the Dotcoms who embark on a time-travel adventure into the future. Father Blog, voiced by Franck Ekinci, mother Spam (Noémie De Lattre) and their rebellious children Url (Fabien Limousin) and Web (Camille Serceau) are familiar to French audiences. A short-form series based on the comic of the same name by French cartoonist Jul has been a...
Hollande will lend his famous voice to the new film, which is currently in production, joining more established French talent including Bruno Solo, Julie Gayet, Stéphane Bern, Léa Drucker, Frédéric Beigbeder, Guillaume Gallienne, Léa Salamé and Amélie Nothomb.
Silex & the City follows a Stone Age family, the Dotcoms who embark on a time-travel adventure into the future. Father Blog, voiced by Franck Ekinci, mother Spam (Noémie De Lattre) and their rebellious children Url (Fabien Limousin) and Web (Camille Serceau) are familiar to French audiences. A short-form series based on the comic of the same name by French cartoonist Jul has been a...
- 12/8/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” is a movie that French people love to hate. But despite harsh criticism in France, the historical epic smashed the box office and grossed over $9.76 million from 1.15 million tickets sold in its first two weeks in theaters.
Ironically, “Napoleon” got the lowest score of all of Scott’s recent movies on Allociné, the local equivalent of IMDb, with 2.3 stars out of 5 from 4,659 users’ reviews, yet it’s one of Scott’s biggest hits in France. “Napoleon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix as Napoléon Bonaparte, a Corsica-born officer who became Emperor of France, and Vanessa Kirby as his wife as Joséphine de Beauharnais, world premiered in Paris on Nov. 14, a few days after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Scott’s last two movies, “The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci,” were warmly reviewed in France, and yet they sold only 425,000 and 800,000 tickets respectively during their releases there.
Ironically, “Napoleon” got the lowest score of all of Scott’s recent movies on Allociné, the local equivalent of IMDb, with 2.3 stars out of 5 from 4,659 users’ reviews, yet it’s one of Scott’s biggest hits in France. “Napoleon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix as Napoléon Bonaparte, a Corsica-born officer who became Emperor of France, and Vanessa Kirby as his wife as Joséphine de Beauharnais, world premiered in Paris on Nov. 14, a few days after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Scott’s last two movies, “The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci,” were warmly reviewed in France, and yet they sold only 425,000 and 800,000 tickets respectively during their releases there.
- 12/6/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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