Latest news with #Ceremony
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Not the tea-cosy Yorkshire': the film about carwash workers showing the dark side of the Dales
'The Yorkshire Dales are at their most alive when it's really miserable and horrible,' says Jack King, director of award-winning British independent film The Ceremony. It's the story of carwash workers from Bradford who end up in the countryside near the quaint village of Kettlewell as they carry out a grim mission with a corpse. 'It's a weird liminal space,' adds King. 'It's dead. It's barren. There are no trees anywhere. It's not like the tea-cosy version. It can be a really nasty place.' Shot over 12 frigid January days in 2023, on a tiny budget of £120,000, The Ceremony was hampered by hailstones, flash floods and cold snaps that froze the moors and made carefully scouted locations inaccessible. Scenes were scrapped and layers hastily put on as cast and crew hunkered down in the local pub that served as their base. King says he embraced the elements and channelled a certain German director, whose struggles with on-set disasters are legendary. 'I just wanted to be Werner Herzog,' he says. 'The worse the weather and circumstances, the better the art.' King's novel approach to Dales mythology has landed well with audiences: the film won the inaugural Sean Connery prize at last summer's Edinburgh film festival. It was a helpful leg-up for King who has been making short films in his home town of Bradford for two decades. He has also forged a partnership with the band To Kill a King, for whom he crafted half a dozen inventive music videos. The Ceremony is a different proposition entirely, a bold debut feature about some of the most talked about but voiceless people in the UK: migrant workers, specifically those who work in the shady world of hand carwashes. It's been a decade in the making, King says. After working on a short film about a dysfunctional hand carwash, he wanted to go deeper in a longer format. 'I went all around Bradford,' he says, 'trying to get anyone to talk to me, which was quite hard, because they were like, 'What do you want? This is weird.' So I got an interpreter, which produced slightly better results. She was a feisty Romanian who would boss them about like she was their mum.' Supported by this no-nonsense interpreter from Harehills in Leeds, King slowly earned the trust of the people who worked in carwashes and began to gain insights into their lives. 'They were talking about other stuff,' he says. 'A lot of them were quite religious. People had very strong philosophical ideas. They had dreams and aspirations. It wasn't just like, 'Oh God, my boss is a crook and I'm scared of him and my life's shit.' There's a lot more to it.' The fact that King got anyone to speak is remarkable. Abuse is rife in the sector and the fates of workers are often in the hands of capricious bosses. Research in 2022 revealed that more than 90% of hand carwashes are likely to be employing workers illegally, despite government schemes to tackle such abuse. During his own research, King discovered a world dominated by Romanians and Kurds who found themselves in places such as Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. 'There was an interesting divide,' he says. 'They wouldn't really speak to each other. Basically, white and brown were separated.' This is the tension at the core of The Ceremony. The carwash's Romanian middle manager (Cristi, played by Tudor Cucu-Dumitrescu) and his underling, a taciturn Kurdish man called Yusuf (Erdal Yildiz), have to dispose of a body, as personal and cultural differences cause potentially fatal clashes. Cucu-Dumitrescu and Yildiz are two of just a handful of professional actors in the film. Most of the supporting cast were discovered in carwashes around West Yorkshire. The Ceremony might look and sound like classic Brit-grit: dark images of a wet and weary industrial city complemented by a story about struggle. It might also seem like a political film, a Loachian response to the constant negativity from the far right and the rightwing press about migrants. But it isn't quite what it seems. The miserable Yorkshire weather and Bradford's dark streets give it a recognisable aesthetic but there's also a magical goat that appears later on, one that has thrilled and baffled early audiences in equal measure. The small black creature has dominated post-screening Q&As. 'People say, 'I really love the film, blah, blah blah – but what's that goat about?' says King. King also describes the film as an allegory – and there is clearly some magical realism in the mix too, as unlikely bedfellows Cristi and Yusuf complete what is essentially a quest in the Yorkshire countryside. As the weather closes in, the worst sides of human nature come to the fore. 'I wanted to make something that shows people with all their contradictions,' says King. 'That's the problem with a lot of films that just see migrants as victims or criminals. Especially now, you should be allowed to be both of those things – and something else in the middle.' The dark side of the Dales has never looked as good. The Ceremony is in UK cinemas from 22 August.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Stray Kids conquers the world with dominATE tour and teases epic new album
Stray Kids conquers the world with dominATE tour Tour Triumphs That Rocked the Globe Hey, fellow K-pop enthusiasts! Imagine wrapping up a massive world tour that's not just any gig but a stadium-smashing spectacle. Stray Kids did just that with their 'dominATE' tour, hitting 27 stadiums across Asia, Oceania, Latin America, North America, and Europe. This was their first time going all-out with global stadium shows, and boy, did they make history. They became the very first K-pop act to perform at Rome's iconic Stadio Olimpico on July 30, drawing massive crowds and setting new records for attendance. According to JYP Entertainment reports, the tour attracted over 500,000 fans in total, with some stops like in Seoul pulling in 50,000 attendees per show (source: JYP Entertainment official statements and Billboard charts). That's like filling up a small city with screaming STAYs! And let's not forget the humor in it-fans joked online about how the group's energy could power a whole concert without mics, keeping the vibe light and fun. Album Buzz: 'Karma' Set to Drop Soon Now, onto the exciting part that's got everyone buzzing. Stray Kids is dropping their fourth full-length album, 'Karma', on August 22 at 1 p.m. KST. This nine-track powerhouse includes the lead single 'Ceremony', plus gems like 'Bleep', 'Creed', 'Mess', 'In My Head', 'Half Time', 'Phoenix', 'Ghost', and '0801'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Benefits of Trading Bitcoin CFDs IC Markets Learn More Undo Oh, and there are festival and English versions of 'Ceremony' to spice things up. As always, the band's in-house production trio, 3RACHA-Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han-had their hands in every track, ensuring that signature Stray Kids flair. JYP Entertainment teased it as a "big event" this summer, known for their strong concepts that blend intense beats with storytelling. Heartfelt Moments with Fans What really tugs at the heartstrings is how Stray Kids wrapped things up in Rome. They shared a touching message: "We relied on each other astron members to stand before you," while giving a massive shoutout to their fandom, STAY. It's these genuine connections that make K-pop so addictive-fans from diverse backgrounds uniting over shared beats. The tour marked first-time performances in many venues, breaking barriers and inspiring a new wave of global appreciation. Witty fan reactions flooded social media, with some quipping that Stray Kids "dominated" so hard, even ancient Roman gladiators would be jealous. "Get the latest news updates on Times of India, including reviews of the movie Coolie and War 2 ."
UPI
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Stray Kids enter arena in 'Ceremony' music video teaser
Bang Chan, Han, Felix, Seungmin, Hyunjin, I.N, Lee Know and Changbin of Stray Kids arrive on the red carpet at the Met Gala in 2024. Their upcoming album arrives Aug. 22. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 15 (UPI) -- South Korean boy band Stray Kids is teasing a new music video, which will accompany the release of its upcoming album, titled Karma. The new music follows the K-pop group's debut mixtape, Hop, which dropped in December. A music video teaser released Friday for the song "Ceremony" indicates the members of Stray Kids will compete in various sports, as they seen entering an arena. In a trailer for the album, an apparent newscaster says, "The global sporting event that returns every year -- The 2081 Karma Sports Event... is known to have eight players participating. Will they be able to break the past records?" He appears to be referring to the band members -- Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N. The album arrives Aug. 22 and will contain the songs "Bleep," "Ceremony," "Creed," "Mess," "In My Head," "Half Time," "Phoenix," "Ghost," "0801" and a festival version of "Ceremony." The music video for "Ceremony" will also drop that day. K-pop stars walk the red carpet Lisa, of Blackpink, arrives on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., on September 11, 2024. Lisa recently released a performance video for her solo single "Moonlit Floor." Photo by Derek C. French/UPI | License Photo
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Yukon and Alaska gov'ts sign new agreement to address MMIWG2S+ crisis
Representatives from the Yukon government and the State of Alaska signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) — which was first initiated in April 2024 — at a ceremony in Whitehorse on Tuesday.
Time of India
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Stray Kids drop futuristic Taekwondo-themed album 'Karma'; to hit stands on August 22
Stray Kids are ready to entertain fans with their fourth full-length album, 'Karma'. Hitting shelves on August 22 at 1 PM KST, it's their first big drop in over two years since '5-Star' smashed records in 2023. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These trailblazers, who have nabbed six consecutive No. 1s on the Billboard 200, marking them as the first artist in the chart's 69-year run to debut atop with their initial six releases. The teasers are straight-up epic. They started with chill champion poses in the stands, then dove into a lively stadium scene with vibrant crowd energy. It's all wrapped in the 'Karma Sports' concept, twisting global events like the Olympics into futuristic battles that keep you hooked. The album trailer jumps to 2081, pitting members like Hyunjin and Felix against each other as past champs in the 'Karma Sports' showdown, rocking wild animal-print outfits for that fierce edge. Pre-orders launched July 25, offering 16 versions from limited editions to vinyls - plenty of choices to snag your fave! Taekwondo Edge and Tracks That Hit Hard Here's the real punch - they've revamped classic Taekwondo gear into slick black-and-white fits, topped with edgy hair and makeup for a creative twist. As a nod to their roots, this style amps up why they're dubbed K-pop's concept masters - expect choreography with killer kicks that could steal any show! Packed with 11 tracks, all helmed by 3Racha (Bang Chan, Changbin, Han) on lyrics and production, the lead 'Ceremony' delivers anthem-level hype for workouts or parties. Highlights include 'Bleep' (2:47), 'Creed' (2:41), 'Mess' (3:29), 'In My Head' (2:56), 'Half Time' (2:50), 'Phoenix' (3:20), 'Ghost' (2:33), '0801' (3:24), and 'Ceremony' variants (festival at 2:52, English at 2:44). With collabs from Versachoi and others, it clocks in at 32:20 minutes of varied vibes. The band is keeping their promo game strong with a sports-schedule reveal on July 26 tied into '2025 Stayweek' for their fan club's seventh anniversary, plus teasers like '0801's street video on August 1 and magazine-style pics mixing suits with athletic wear. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Building a Legacy of Hits and Heart Fresh off a world tour spanning 34 cities and 55 shows, Stray Kids keep the momentum rolling. They're not just dropping tunes; they're forging a path of innovation and passion that turns newcomers into superfans. With 'Karma', brace for more of that self-crafted magic captivating crowds worldwide. Hype Building to the Big Reveal As August 22 nears, will 'Karma' grab another chart crown? Their track record says yes. This drop celebrates grit and creativity, proving good vibes come back around - get ready for a legendary 2025!
