Hollywood
Cannes: French director’s film on Tamil Tigers wins Palme D’Or
NEW DELHI: While Dheepan by French director Jacques Audiard won the Palme D’Or for the best film, renowned filmmaker Agn?s Varda received the highest distinction of an honorary Palme D’Or at the conclusion of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival in France.
The director and all-rounder swells the ranks of the exceptional award winners that include great names such as Woody Allen (2002), Manoel de Oliveira (2008), Clint Eastwood (2009), and Bernardo Bertolucci (2011).
The film, which won the top award is a moving drama dealing with three Tamil Tigers – a former soldier, a young woman and a child – who pose as a family to escape the civil war in Sri Lanka and get French asylum. It will be released in the US by IFC/Sundance Selects.
The director is also known for earlier films like A Prophet and Rust and Bone.
The awards were announced by the jury headed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and also included directors Guillermo del Toro and Xavier Dolan, actor Jake Gyllenhaal, actresses Sienna Miller, Sophie Marceau and Rossy de Palma and composer Rokia Traore.
The Best Actor award went to Vincent Lindon in La Loi Du Marché (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane Brizé while the Actress awards were shared by Emmanuelle Bercot in Mon Roi by Ma?wenn, and Rooney Mara in Carol by Todd Haynes.
The second-place award, the Grand Prix, went to first-time director Laszlo Nemes’ harrowing Holocaust drama Son of Saul, while the third-place Jury Award went to Yorgos Lanthimos’ surreal The Lobster.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien was named the festival’s best director for his lavish martial arts epic The Assassin.
The Best Screenplay award was given to writer-director Michel Franco for Chronic, the Camera d’Or to La Tierra Y La Sombra (Land and Shade) by César Augusto Acevedo.
The Short Film Palme D’Or was given to Waves ’98 by Ely Dagher from Lebanon.
Eight of the 19 films in the main competition took home awards. Favourites, which failed to make include Matteo Garrone’s twisted fairy tale compilation Tale of Tales; Justin Kurzel’s MacBeth, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard; Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs with Jesse Eisenberg and Isabelle Huppert.
The winners:
Palme d’Or: Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
Grand Prix: Son of Saul, Laszlo Nemes
Prix du Jury: The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
Best Director: The Assassin, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Best Screenplay: Chronic, Michel Franco
Camera d’Or (Best First Feature): La Tierra y la Sombra (Land and Shade), Cesar Augusto Acevedo
Best Actor: Vincent Lindon, The Measure of a Man
Best Actress: (tie) Rooney Mara, Carol, and Emmanuelle Bercot, Mon Roi
Palme d’Or, Short Film: Waves 98, Ely Dagher
Meanwhile, the Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury headed by Abderrahmane Sissako awarded the 2015 Cinéfondation Prize Share by Pippa Bianco of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, USA. The Second Prize went to Locas Perdidas directed by Ignacio Juricic Merillan from Carrera de Cine y TV Universidad de Chile, Chile; and the third prize jointly went to The Return Of Erkin directed by Maria Guskova from High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, Russia, and Victor XX directed by Ian Gamdo Lopez from ESCAC, Spain.
The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 18 student films, selected from among 593 entries from 381 film schools around the world.
The first prize winner received €15,000, with €11,250 going to the second and €7,500 to the third.
Hollywood
Disney unifies streaming, film, TV and games under Dana Walden
Debra O’Connell to chair Disney Entertainment Television in new setup
LOS ANGELES: The Walt Disney Company is pressing play on a more tightly woven future. As audiences hop between cinema screens, streaming apps and game worlds, the media giant is stitching its storytelling arms into one coordinated machine under Dana Walden.
Set to take charge as president and chief creative officer on March 18, Walden will oversee a newly unified Disney Entertainment structure that brings together streaming, film, television and the company’s fast-expanding games and digital business. She will report directly to incoming chief executive officer Josh D’Amaro.
The thinking is simple. Whether viewers are watching on Disney+, heading to the cinema or diving into a game, Disney wants the experience to feel like chapters of the same story. Walden summed it up as strengthening the emotional thread between Disney’s characters and its audiences, wherever they choose to engage.
The leadership reshuffle reads like a carefully cast ensemble. Alan Bergman continues as chairman of Disney Entertainment, studios, steering film production, marketing and distribution while sharing oversight of direct to consumer.
Streaming gets a dual command. Joe Earley and Adam Smith step in as co-presidents of direct to consumer, jointly handling strategy and financial performance across Disney+ and Hulu. Earley will also guide content strategy, while Smith retains his role as chief product and technology officer across Disney Entertainment and ESPN.
A new chair enters the frame with Debra O’Connell taking on the role of chairman, Disney Entertainment Television. She will oversee an expansive slate that includes ABC Entertainment, National Geographic and Hulu Originals, while continuing to supervise ABC News and owned stations.
Gaming, once a side quest, is now a central storyline. Sean Shoptaw, executive vice president, games and digital entertainment, moves into the Disney Entertainment fold. His remit includes partnerships such as the collaboration with Epic Games, aimed at building a Disney universe linked to Fortnite.
Elsewhere, John Landgraf remains chairman of FX, reporting to Walden, while Asad Ayaz continues as chief marketing and brand officer, reporting to both D’Amaro and Walden.
The message behind the reshuffle is clear. Disney is no longer thinking in silos of screens but in stories that travel. And with Walden at the creative helm, the company is betting that a single, seamless narrative can keep audiences hooked, whether they are watching, scrolling or playing.
