Ari Folman, Nadav Lapid, Hagai Levi Among 250 Israeli Filmmakers Protesting New Shomron Fund for the ‘Oppression of the Palestinian People’

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Franco-Swiss director and New Wave linchpin Jean-Luc Godard, who revolutionized world cinema with his ground-breaking debut, “Breathless,” and never stopped pushing the envelope of his creativity, has died. He was 91. The news was first reported in Liberation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pathé, which operates France’s leading cinema circuit, is planning to enter the Paris stock exchange in 2024, Variety has confirmed. The company’s president, Jérôme Seydoux, revealed the group’s long-gestated listing project in an interview with the French publication Les Echos. Seydoux said the company suffered a loss of approximately €100 million during the financial years 2020 and 2021, mainly due to the fact that theaters in France were shut down for a total of 300 days during the pandemic. While it ruffled feathers by selling “Coda” to Apple at Sundance in 2021 in a splashy $25 million deal, the company was one of the rare French studios which maintained its release plans for major local productions during the health crisis, for instance Martin Bourboulon’s “Eiffel” with Romain Duris and Emma Mackey, and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Notre Dame on Fire.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” won the Grand Prize of the Deauville American Film Festival on Saturday evening during a ceremony which was followed by the French premiere of Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” “Aftersun” had world premiered at Critics Week in Cannes where it won a prize. The movie marks the feature debut of Wells, a New York-based Scottish filmmaker. Headlined by “Normal People” actor Paul Mescal, the bittersweet drama follows a father and his daughter who take a holiday at a Turkish resort in the late 1990s. The movie is being represented in international markets by Charades and will be distributed in North America by A24.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off a banner world premiere of Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” at the Venice Film Festival, Ana de Armas’s next stop was the Deauville Film Festival in France where she received the Hollywood Rising-Star Award on Friday (Sept. 9) in the jam-packed Palais des Congres. Attended by Dominik and the film’s producers, the ceremony was followed by the French premiere of the Netflix movie, in which de Armas delivers a riveting performance as Marilyn Monroe. De Armas, who notably starred in “Knives Out,” “No Time to Die” and “Grey Man,” succeeds Dylan Penn, Sophie Turner, Elle Fanning and Shailene Woodley as recent recipients of the Hollywood Rising Star Award.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Playwright-turned-filmmaker Florian Zeller (“The Father”), who is at Venice with “The Son,” is joining forces with the European group Mediawan (“Call My Agent!”) and former CAA executive Federica Sainte-Rose to launch Blue Morning Pictures, a new production company. The multi-year deal will see Mediawan finance and produce with Blue Morning Pictures programming across an array of platforms. Zeller recently relocated in Los Angeles to accompany the release of “The Son” in the U.S., and promote the film during the awards season. Operating from both Paris and L.A., Zeller will now be working hand-in-hand with Sainte-Rose to develop a slate of premium films and television series.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent  SF Studios (“A Man Called Otto”) is set to produce and distribute “The Abyss,”  a female-driven Swedish disaster film directed by Richard Holm (“Johan Falk”) and chronicling the tragic events that took place in the mining town of Kiruna. Now shooting on location, the movie is headlined by Tuva Novotny(“Annihilation”) who stars alongside  Kardo Razazzi (“Honour”)and Peter Franzen (“Vikings”), Felicia Truedsson (“Young Royals”), Tintin Poggats Sarri (“Charter”) and Edvin Ryding (“Young Royals”). “The Abyss” stars Novotny as Frigga, who tries to balance her risky job as a security manager in the Kiirunavaara mine with her family life, her new love Dabir (Razazzi) and her ex, who doesn’t want to let go (Franzén). But when the ground suddenly starts to shake under their feet, the puzzle of life doesn’t matter and the struggle to not be pulled into the abyss begins. 

Bradley Cooper's 5-year-old daughter Lea De Seine looked utterly adorable alongside her famous parents in New York on Wednesday.MORE: Lady Gaga finally addresses Bradley Cooper romance rumours following that Oscars duetIn photos obtained by The Daily Mail, little Lea could be seen holding hands with her parents Bradley, and Russian model mum Irina Shayk.WATCH: Bradley Cooper heaps praise on co-star Lady GagaOpting for a spectacular purple shimmery dress adorned with giant yellow stars, the trendy tot certainly stood out from the crowds.READ: Lady Gaga has the best nickname for co-star Bradley CooperMORE: Who is Irina Shayk? Everything you need to knowExes Bradley, 47, and Irina, 36, put on a united front as they warmly embraced on the sidewalk before crossing the street with their only daughter. The couple announced their split in 2019The Silver Linings Playbook actor sported a laid-back look comprising a pair of grey joggers, a simple black T-shirt, and a pair of white athletic trainers.

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk continued to spark reconciliation rumors on  Wednesday, as the two were spotted sharing a hug on the streets of New York.The Nightmare Alley actor, 47, and the Russian model, 36, shared the friendly exchange while taking a walk with their daughter Lea De Seine, five.The duo then put on a united front as they both walked hand-in-hand with their little one while crossing the street.  Friendly exes: Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk continued to spark reconciliation rumors on Wednesday, as the two were spotted sharing a hug on the streets of New YorkCooper sported a laid-back look for the outing, wearing a black T-shirt, grey sweatpants and white and orange sneakers. Meanwhile the runway sensation was dressed down as well, wearing a black shirt, matching bell bottom pants, and sneakers.The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model shielded her eyes from the sun with a pair of black sunglasses.  Hugs: The Nightmare Alley actor, 47, and the Russian model, 36, shared the friendly exchange while taking a walk with their daughter Lea De Seine, five Adorable family: The duo then put on a united front as they both walked hand-in-hand with their little one while crossing the street She accessorized the look with a black purse, featuring a gold chain, slung over her shoulder.Meanwhile their blonde youngster looked cute as ever in a sparkly purple dress with yellow stars. The outing comes after it was reported that the couple were thinking about rekindling their romance, after Irina recently shared a family holiday photo of the two looking cozy in the Bahamas.

Oliver Stone is in Venice this year to debut his latest documentary, Nuclear. Written alongside political scholar Joshua S. Goldstein, the film sets out to re-examine the role nuclear power can play in our lives and makes the case that the energy source is humanity’s only realistic alternative to fossil fuels in the fight against climate change. Deadline sat down with Stone and Goldstein prior to the film’s premiere on the Lido to discuss why the pair decided to link up and how the lengthy production process almost “took the life” out of Stone.

DAISY May Cooper has revealed that her lockdown pregnancy shone a light on her marriage difficulties with husband Will Weston before they broke up. The award-winning comedian, tied the knot with her husband Will in 2019, but the pair split just two years later in July 2021, after Daisy confessed that they both felt "pressured" to settle down and get married. Daisy admitted that being pregnant in Lockdown made her realise there was 'no real love' in their marriage.

As it is 60 years since they wed, it’s safe to say one couple’s marriage has been as smooth as the bowling greens they love.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent   Eight years after delivering his Oscar-nominated film “Timbuktu,” Abderrahmane Sissako is set to make his anticipated directorial comeback with “The Perfumed Hill.” Gaumont is representing in international markets and will introduce it to buyers at at Toronto. The French studio will also distribute the film in France, while Cohen Media Group will release it in the U.S. Re-teaming Sissako with his “Timbuktu” co-writer Kessen Tall, “The Perfumed Hill” is a romance drama set between China’s tea hills, the Ivory Coast and Cape Verde. It stars Nina Melo (“Girlhood”), Han Chang (“Little Big Women”) and Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Films Pelleas, the Paris-based banner behind Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” (pictured), is set to produce Guillaume Senez (“Our Struggles”)’s next project, as well as the feature debut of Anne-Sophie Bailly whose short “The Midwife” is currently playing at Telluride. The Paris-based banner’s roster of completed roster includes Karim Moussaoui’s “L’Effacement,” and Annie Ernaux’s documentary “Les annes Super-8.” “Mona” revolves around around a woman in her 60’s who raised alone her disabled son and is at a point in her life where she aspires to start caring for herself. But when her son is unexpectedly having a baby, Mona finds herself with another heavy responsibility to bear.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has scored key territory deals on Japanese director Koji Fukada’s “Love Life,” which makes its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Set in contemporary Japan, “Love Life” is a character-driven film revolving around Taeko and her husband, Jiro, who are living a peaceful existence with her young son, Keita. When a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father, Park, back into her life, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man to cope with the pain and guilt. Popular Japanese actress Fumino Kimura (“The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill”) headlines the film. MK2 Films has now sold the movie to Teodora (Italy), Imagine (Benelux), Leopardo (Portugal), Demiurg (Ex Yugoslavia), New Cinema (Israel), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), Edko (Hong Kong), Impact Films (India) and Encore Inflight (Airlines).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent On Sunday night, an hour before the hotly anticipated Sept. 5 world premiere of “Don’t Worry Darling” on the Lido, Variety celebrated director Olivia Wilde with a cocktail party hosted at the posh Danieli Hotel in Venice. Wilde, who is unveiling her second feature as a director out of competition at the festival, graces the cover of Variety’s Venice issue, on newsstands now. It marks the first dedicated Venice magazine issue that Variety has done, as the magazine’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh pointed out. “We couldn’t think of a better subject than Olivia,” Setoodeh said. Setoodeh praised Warner Bros., the studio behind “Don’t Worry Darling,” for championing theatrical releases.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Best-known for her role as Noemie in the hit French series “Call My Agent!,” Laure Calamy has emerged in recent years as one of France’s biggest stars and most versatile actors. After a busy career in theater and many notable supporting roles, she finally got a shot at leading roles, and kudos have followed, for Caroline Vignal’s romantic comedy “My Donkey, My Lover and I,” which was part of Cannes’ Official Selection and earned her a Cesar award, and Eric Gravel’s social drama “A Plein Temps,” for which she won best actress at Venice in the Horizons section. Calamy is now on a roll and she’s shown that she can play anything. Case in point: Over this summer, she was at Locarno to present Blandine Lenoir’s period drama “Angry Annie,” in which she plays a working mother who joins the Movement for the Liberation of Abortion and Contraception (the film won Variety‘s Piazza Grande Award), and she’s now at Venice with Sebastien Marnier’s psychological thriller “The Origin of Evil,” in which she flirts with genre. In-between Locarno and Venice, she also made a stop at Angouleme Film Festival, where she presented “Angry Annie” and Marc Fitoussi’s “Two Tickets to Greece.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent It took a pandemic and a lockdown for “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn to make a directorial comeback in Denmark, where he had delivered the “Pusher” trilogy early in his career. “Sometimes the strangest things come in mysterious ways, and this is one of those,” Refn says of “Copenhagen Cowboy,” his Netflix original series, slated to world premiere Sept. 9 at the Venice Film Festival. Since “Drive,” Winding Refn has directed the Bangkok-set thriller “Only God Forgives,” with “Drive” star Ryan Gosling; “The Neon Demon,” with Elle Fanning playing an aspiring model in Los Angeles.; and the Amazon Prime Video series “Too Old to Die Young,” starring Miles Teller as a grieving cop in crime-ridden Southern California. He was preparing another project set abroad when the pandemic hit.

More than 250 of Israel’s top filmmakers have signed an open letter, saying they will not seek funding from, nor cooperate with the recently–established Shomron (Samaria/West Bank) Film Fund, following the fund’s inaugural film festival in the occupied West Bank.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent After taking a break from his filmmaking career to preside over the French film promotion org Unifrance, Jean-Paul Salomé has made a big comeback with a pair of films with Oscar-nominated French actor Isabelle Huppert. The latest one, “The Sitting Duck,” is world premiering at Venice in the Horizons section. Adapted from Caroline Michel-Aguirre’s book “La Syndicaliste,” “The Sitting Duck” tells the true story of Maureen Kearney, the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse who becomes a whistleblower, denouncing top-secret deals that shook the French nuclear sector. One day, Kearney is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina. Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. However, after an investigation, the police accused her of staging the attack herself.