Hollywood
Jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes announced
MUMBAI: The jury for the 68th Festival de Cannes will see seven key figures in world cinema from Canada, Spain, the United States, France, Mali, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
This year, directors, screenwriters and producers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have been named as the two presidents of the Jury.
Along with the Coen brothers, the Jury will thus be made up of nine distinctive voices – four women and five men – each with the same voting rights.
Their task will be to decide among the films in competition and select the prize winners, culminating in the Palme d’or, which will be announced on stage during the festival closing ceremony on 24 May.
The jury members are: Rossy de Palma (actress – Spain), Sophie Marceau (actress, director – France), Sienna Miller (actress – United Kingdom), RokiaTraoré (composer, singer-songwriter – Mali), Guillermo del Toro (director, writer, producer – Mexico), Xavier Dolan (director, writer, producer, actor – Canada) and Jake Gyllenhaal (actor – United States).
Hollywood
Iger’s final act: Disney boss wraps up epic saga with a new captain at the helm
After 15 turbulent years, two stints in the c-suite, and billions spent on blockbuster acquisitions, Bob Iger is stepping away from the Magic Kingdom.
CALIFORNIA: The 75-year-old chief, hailed as one of the most transformative leaders in modern media, officially hands over to former parks chief Josh D’Amaro on 18 March. And this time, he’s getting the succession right.
Iger’s legacy glitters with big bets and epic wins: the $7.4bn Pixar buy, $4bn Marvel swoop, and the colossal $71bn 21st Century Fox deal. He dragged Disney into the streaming age, fought off activist investor Nelson Peltz, and saw off a political scrap with Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
But it hasn’t all been pixie dust. The forced return of Iger in 2022—after the short, shaky reign of successor Bob Chapek—tarnished an otherwise stellar run.
Now, D’Amaro takes the wheel with a streamlined leadership team and Disney firing on all cylinders. The firm’s streaming business is in the black, theme-park attendance is soaring, and five global films have hit $1billion at the box office in the past two years. Not bad for a firm that was on the ropes just months ago.
D’Amaro’s first move? A slick reorg under new president and chief creative officer Dana Walden, folding film, tv, streaming and gaming into one punchy unit. Sean Shoptaw, heading up the gaming division, now reports directly to Walden—bringing Fortnite and Epic Games collaborations closer to Disney’s creative heart.
Iger isn’t sailing off into the sunset just yet. He’ll keep busy with Angel City FC, the women’s football club he owns with his wife. And as Ann Mooney Murphy of Stevens Institute predicts: “A guy like that never truly retires.”
One era ends. Another begins. And the House of Mouse bets big on a future beyond the king.
