Latest news with #CESInnovationAward
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert De Niro Unveils First Footage From Doc About Fatherhood and Says: ‘I Always Want There to Be Movies in Cinemas'
Robert De Niro unveiled the first teaser for a new documentary he's making about his late father during a Cannes Film Festival conversation on Wednesday. The discussion was moderated by the French visual artist JR, with whom De Niro is working on the film. 'We're kind of seeing where we're going,' the 81-year-old actor said about the project. 'I don't know where we'll go. There's no time limit, as far as I'm concerned. You just do it and wherever it arrives or winds up, that's OK.' More from Variety Cannes Film Market and Consumer Technology Assn. Launch CES Innovation Award Spain's Big Shoot Scene Remains Resilient, Despite Global Headwinds Spain Scores a Historic Cannes Competition Double The clip featured stunning blown-up photos of De Niro's father, a painter who died in 1993, placed around New York City — including on a boat in the harbor — as well as an appearance by Martin Scorsese. Though many of De Niro's answers to JR's questions about the film were painfully short — even hostile — the teaser saw him opening up more about his own journey with fatherhood as well as his mortality. 'Ultimately, it would be something that only time can make it more special,' De Niro said in the teaser. 'It's not essential that I see the final thing.' When asked if he was afraid of death, De Niro said: 'I don't have a choice, so you might as well not be afraid of it.' Picking back up on the topic during the conversation, De Niro said he wished to 'adjust' his answer a little. 'I'm afraid, but I don't have a choice,' he said. 'So if you know you don't have a choice, you might as well not be afraid of it. You just have to learn to embrace life, move forward and take everything good and bad.' De Niro said he isn't sure exactly when the film will come out and that production may continue even after his death. 'So once I'm not even around, he's just going to be shooting on and on forever, asking me questions when I'm in my coffin,' he said of JR. Beyond Scorsese, JR said Leonardo DiCaprio, who presented De Niro with his Cannes honorary Palme d'Or on Tuesday night, is also featured in the project. During the opening ceremony, DiCaprio said of De Niro: 'That's the thing about Bob: he doesn't say much, but when he does, it matters. Whether it's for his friends, his family, fighting for democracy or supporting the art of filmmaking — he shows up.' De Niro then delivered a fiery speech railing against U.S. President Donald Trump, calling him a 'philistine president' and declaring him an enemy of the arts. 'In my country, we're fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. And that affects all of us here because the arts are democratic,' De Niro said. 'Art is inclusive. It brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth, art embraces diversity and that's why art is a threat — that's why we are a threat — to autocrats and fascists.' At a certain point in the talk on Wednesday, the audience grew antsy with the dynamic between De Niro and JR, with one audience member even yelling: 'Talk about cinema!' It was certainly a different atmosphere than during the opening ceremony, when De Niro then delivered a fiery speech railing against U.S. President Donald Trump, calling him a 'philistine president' and declaring him an enemy of the arts. But De Niro got back into his groove when the conversation pivoted to audience questions, beginning with one about the current political turmoil around the world and how we found ourselves in this situation. 'People have to stand up for what's right because inherently we know what is right, and certain people are doing what's wrong,' he said. 'People really know what you have to do to do the right thing, and people who are not doing the right thing know they're not. And it has to bother them in some way.' De Niro continued, 'The point is that people have to have the right to make decisions collectively together, and there are many people who don't believe in that. They don't want to give it up or even do the right thing — but I don't understand that because it would give them even more power if they did the right thing.' He was also asked about the current state of cinema today, to which he replied: 'I don't even know if I have a theory on it at this point,' adding that all he knows is 'telling stories visually in film or whatever it is.' However, De Niro said he always 'wants there to be movies in cinemas like this, because there's a difference in having an experience in a theater than having one alone … Something about the tradition of being in a movie theater, experiencing whatever's being shown together, is just special. And you can't take that away from what it is.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Film Market and Consumer Technology Assn. Launch CES Innovation Award
The Cannes Film Market and the Consumer Technology Assn., the owner of technology event CES, have teamed to launch a new CES Innovation Award category: Filmmaking and Distribution. The award is in partnership with Cannes Next, the innovation-focused program that runs as part of the Cannes Film Market. The award will 'celebrate companies, startups, entrepreneurs and filmmakers developing transformative technologies that empower creative talent and industry professionals across filmmaking, production, and distribution.' More from Variety Spain's Big Shoot Scene Remains Resilient, Despite Global Headwinds Spain Scores a Historic Cannes Competition Double MMM Film Sales Picks Up Cannes ACID Closer 'The Black Snake,' ARP to Distribute in France: A 'Powerful Story of Tradition, Displacement and Identity' (EXCLUSIVE) Eligible innovations include advanced solutions for film producers, sales agents, distributors, financiers, cutting-edge generative AI technologies for screenwriting, video production, voice synthesis and state-of-the-art pre- and post-production tools, as well as next generation streaming and distribution platforms. A jury, selected by the Cannes Market and CTA, will honor 'the most innovative and impactful solutions, elevating this award to become the premier global accolade recognizing excellence in filmmaking and distribution technology.' 'We are committed to showcasing innovations that empower creatives, storytellers and industry professionals, shaping the future of cinema,' said Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of Cannes Market. 'The global reputation of CES Innovation Awards makes it the perfect platform to showcase new technologies that enhance artistic expression and unlock new business opportunities for the film industry.' 'This award showcases how creators in film can use tech to unlock new worlds,' said Gary Shapiro, CTA CEO and vice chair. 'We're thrilled to partner with Cannes Next and recognize the community of innovators who are transforming the film industry as we know it.' Product submissions for CES 2026 open in June, along with submissions to compete for the awards program. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Finland's Oura went from a tiny Kickstarter campaign to a $5.2 billion startup with Cristiano Ronaldo and Prince Harry among its fans
Mark Zuckerberg, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jennifer Aniston, and Prince Harry have one thing in common: They all own Oura Rings. The Finnish company Oura, founded in 2013, is on the verge of a growth spurt as its niche innovation in wearable tech heads for the mainstream. Demand has boomed recently, with sales set to double this year and nearing the $500 million mark. Oura just capped off a Series D funding round in December led by Fidelity Management, which values the company at $5.2 billion. The capital injection is a key milestone, given that Oura was valued at half that figure just two years ago. The global wearable tech market is set to expand by 14.6% by the end of the decade. Of that group, smart glasses and rings are the ones seeing the most growth. This could be just the beginning of Oura's popularity as the company also has plans to go 'beyond the ring' with its new influx of funding, CEO Tom Hale said. "We're seeing kind of cultural relevance here in that Oura is becoming a shorthand for how you're doing. It's like the doctor's note that isn't a doctor's note," Hale told Fortune's Leadership Next podcast earlier this year. So, what made Oura a worthy competitor to the Apple Watches of the world? Oura was founded in Finland by Petteri Lahtela, Markku Koskela, and Kari Kivela, who wanted to find a way to gather wellness information on one's finger. In 2015, the young startup launched a Kickstarter campaign (like Peloton and Allbirds did), raising over $650,000 by the end and exceeding its goal sixfold. The following year, Oura won a CES Innovation Award that helped establish it as an emerging tech company. From its early days, Oura's approach to overall wellness lured many users amid a growing focus on health. More specifically, the Oura Ring gave people insights on their sleep levels, which hit a 'sweet spot with a particular customer set,' Hale said, according to the Financial Times. Oura's app shows its users a 'Readiness Score,' a number from one to 100 that reveals their preparedness for the day based on various health metrics, including sleep quality, heart rate, body temperature, and more. 'Wearable tech is for anyone who wants to better understand the state of their health and live more optimally for longer,' Hale said. Smartwatches from Apple or Garmin serve daily utility or track exercise but aren't comfortable to wear all day long. They may also need to be charged more frequently. On the other hand, Oura Rings fit more seamlessly as an accessory and have a longer battery life. The latest version, the Oura Ring 4, which launched in October, aims to be even sleeker in its look and feel. Don't let the size of Oura's devices fool you into thinking they cost less. They follow a subscription model that costs $6 a month, while the ring costs upwards of $350. Wellness and longevity are hot topics—and Oura is playing the long game in the tech market by catering to these trends. Celebrities have been spotted wearing Oura Rings, a culmination of the overall clout the device has gathered over the past decade. CEOs think the device boosts their performance by giving them specifics on their energy levels throughout the day. For now, Oura is a leader in the tech it pioneered. Hale confidently wrote off Apple foraying into the wearable ring market, leaving the Finnish company to contend with a small but growing pool of rivals. However, Hale has noticed people pairing up an Oura ring with another wearable—often times, an Apple Watch, he told Fortune. Competitors are in plenty: for instance, this summer Samsung launched a Galaxy Ring, which doesn't charge a subscription fee and is made by one of the biggest tech companies globally. Still, Hale is unfazed by the competition; he argues that it further underscores the unique value of this category of wearable tech. Meanwhile, the Oura Ring is finding new ways to be indispensable: It's been used in marriage proposals and indicated how stressed Americans were in the lead-up to Donald Trump's election. Women are Oura's fastest-growing segment, with those between the ages of 25 and 34 representing a third of the women using its rings. Following Trump's victory, Hale quelled concerns about the privacy of medical data, assuring users that their information would be kept private. "Our business model is we serve you and our goal in serving you is to improve your health," Hale told Fortune. "You think about like some of our competition, maybe they're not quite so scrupulous or maybe they just have stronger incentives to actually, do something with that data that's not, strictly speaking, in the interests of your health. We are 100% focused on it." A version of this story was originally published on on Dec. 20, 2024. This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
