This is Beirut

'The Testament of Ann Lee': Seyfried Embodies a Feminist Prophet in Fastvold’s Poetic Tribute

This is Beirut, 03/09 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

With The Testament of Ann Lee, a movie about the founder of the 18th-century Shaker religious movement screening at the Venice Film Festival, director Mona Fastvold sought to honor a figure "on the verge of being erased from memory". Lee, played by Amanda Seyfried in the film that premiered at Venice this week, was "one of the very first American ...

Alain Delon’s Youngest Son Challenges Actor’s Final Will in Court

This is Beirut, 02/09 17:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Film Depardieu Trial France Culture

The youngest son of the legendary French actor Alain Delon is seeking to annul his final will, in a renewal of a bitter family dispute just over a year after the screen icon's death, the executor said. Alain-Fabien Delon is going to court in a bid to cancel the will, with a first hearing in March 2026, deeming it too favorable to Alain Delon's ...

French Actor Depardieu Ordered to Stand Trial for Rape

This is Beirut, 02/09 15:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Depardieu Trial France Culture

A French investigating judge has ordered cinema icon Gerard Depardieu to stand trial on charges of raping and sexually assaulting actor Charlotte Arnould in 2018, sources close to the case and a lawyer said Tuesday. The decision came after a Paris court handed Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence in a separate case in May after convicting him ...

Tom Holland Hails Nolan’s Odyssey as Script of Lifetime

This is Beirut, 02/09 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cinema Christopher Nolan Film Culture Art Spider-Man

Next summer looks set to be the summer of Tom Holland — and the famously boyish and ebullient star can hardly contain his excitement. First up will be Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of The Odyssey, out mid-July. Holland plays Telemachus, the son of the saga's hero Odysseus and a key character in the Ancient Greek saga. "The script is the ...

Star Power and Legacy Shine at Venice: "The Rock" and Kim Novak Share Spotlight

This is Beirut, 01/09 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Venice Festival Stars Italy Culture

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was set to thunder into the Venice Film Festival on Monday, with the wrestler-actor appearing in a tailor-made role in Benny Safdie's latest movie The Smashing Machine. The 53-year-old will be the star attraction at one of Europe's most prestigious film festivals, which promotes independent arthouse movies alongside a ...

Guillermo del Toro Unleashes Epic Frankenstein at Venice

This is Beirut, 31/08 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cinema Film Culture Venice Film Festival Festival Venice

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro gave birth to another monster Saturday, his big-budget Frankenstein movie, joking that the effort had left him worn out as his creation got its world premiere in Venice. The last creature he delivered here, the aquatic being in The Shape of Water, swam off with the festival's top prize in 2017 before going on ...

The Nanjing Massacre Through Film: 'Dead to Rights' and China’s Lingering Trauma

This is Beirut, 30/08 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film China Japan Massacre History Culture

The film Dead to Rights, which recounts the Nanjing Massacre of 1937-38, takes viewers through the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in China. Released just before the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan, the film has become a powerful focal point of national remembrance, attracting large crowds to its filming set, now a tourist ...

Park Chan-Wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ Unveiled at Venice: A Dark Look at Capitalism”

This is Beirut, 29/08 20:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Venice Festival Park Chan-wook South Korea Italy Culture

It took 20 years for South Korean director Park Chan-wook to return to the Venice Film Festival and the same length of time for the veteran cineaste to make his latest film. The director of Old Boy, which thrust him into the international spotlight in 2004 after winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, will premiere his latest feature, No Other Choice ...

Julia Roberts Shakes Up Venice with Campus Drama After the Hunt

This is Beirut, 29/08 17:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Film Festival Venice Julia Roberts US Italy Culture

Julia Roberts hopes to "stir it all up" for viewers of her new film about a university professor grappling with fraught US campus politics, as the Hollywood star made her debut at the Venice Film Festival on Friday. The Pretty Woman star was attending the city's festival for the first time in her career for After the Hunt, a cancel-culture ...

Werner Herzog Honored with Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice Film Festival

This is Beirut, 28/08 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Venice Festival Werner Herzog Special Award Italy Culture

Globetrotting filmmaker Werner Herzog, an eclectic risk-taker whose monumental works often explore humankind's conflict with nature, was honored with a special award on Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival. The 82-year-old arthouse giant, who helped launch New German Cinema in the 1960s, received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ahead of ...

Byblos Comes Alive with the Launch of Its First International Film Festival

This is Beirut, 27/08 20:27 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Festival Launching Jbeil Culture

The Byblos International Film Festival (BIFF) is set to kick off its inaugural edition from August 29 through August 31, 2025, bringing a new cinematic celebration to one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. The festival will take place in the atmospheric open-air setting of the Jardin des Artisans in Jbeil’ historic Old Souk, ...

Italy’s Sorrentino Embraces Doubt in Euthanasia Film at Venice

This is Beirut, 27/08 18:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Festival Film Venice Sorrentino Euthanasia Culture

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino hopes his latest film premiering Wednesday in Venice will bring attention to the controversial topic of euthanasia, while encouraging those in power to reject the need for certainty and embrace doubt. La Grazia, about an Italian president grappling with indecision over whether to sign a euthanasia bill into law, ...

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