Latest news with #ItWasJustAnAccident
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
10 Must-See Movies At Sydney Film Festival 2025
One of life's greatest joys is going to the movies by yourself. Taking your seat by yourself, perhaps giving an air of mystery or intrigue, as you get ready to be the cinephile you truly are. Letterboxd at the ready, snacks brought from home in a Ziploc bag, emotional support water bottle giving you all the comfort you a truly liberating experience and I encourage you ALL to do it. Plus, even if everyone in the cinema is a complete stranger to everyone else, you're all going to laugh, or cry, or scream — or all three — at the same movie you're about to watch. And there's no better place to condense all these good feels and good vibes into a short space of time than at a film festival. This year, the Sydney Film Festival has come in swinging with some huge titles I've been dying to see. It Was Just An Accident First on the list is the winner of this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes i.e. the big dog movie award of all big dog movie awards. Directed by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, It Was Just An Accident is a thriller that promises to be the ultimate revenge the key characters aren't sure that they're taking revenge on the right person. It's meant to be equal parts exhilarating, funny, and morally grey — sounds like a must-watch to me. On Swift Horses Jacob Elordi hooking up with Diego Luna. Will Poulter hooking up with Daisy Edgar-Jones. It's a romantic drama (obviously) set against the aftermath of the Korean War, so you know it's going to balance that should they/shouldn't they romantic questions with the moral dilemma of wartime considering Elordi's fresh off the back of another wartime drama with The Narrow Road to the Deep North, you can be sure he's well and truly in his bag with this one. Together It's probably the most anticipated Aussie movie of the year, and it's set to kick off the entire festival with a bang. Starring IRL lovers Dave Franco and Alison Brie, this movie, helmed by Michael Shanks in his directorial debut (!), isn't going to be one for the faint-hearted. Take my warning now — If you watched The Substance last year because everyone was talking about it, only to leave horrified, maybe skip this everyone else, this body horror is opening the festival for a reason. It's going to be a big one, and you're gonna see Dave and Alison like you've never seen them before. My Father's Shadow This movie is the first Nigerian film to ever make the Cannes official selection, and now Aussies are getting a chance to watch the drama that's slowly winning audiences over of the best parts of the Sydney Film Festival is that it gives you a chance to see movies you'd probably never be able to otherwise, and My Father's Shadow is the perfect example of that. Following a father and his two young kids as they head into Nigeral's capital Lagos, the kids become exposed to political views that they've never seen in their rural home — and, apparently, all through stunning cinematography. The Mastermind If you're anything like me, you probably can't get enough of Josh O'Connor after watching Challengers last year. Now, our boy is booked and busy, and has a slew of movies currently in production, but the one that has me most excited is The a heist movie set in the '70s (so completely different to Challengers) and stars Alana Haim (yes, of that HAIM) in her second ever movie role after absolutely killing it in 2021's Licorice Pizza. Dangerous Animals A nail-biting, truly Australian horror movie that stars Jai Courtenay as a shark-obsessed serial killer hunting down Zephyr, played by Yellowstone's Hassie Harrison, a Gold Coast surfer to determined to survive the killer's sadistic I say more??? The Secret Agent Sometimes you just really need to sink your teeth into a heavy political thriller that really gets your wheels year, that movie is The Secret Agent, out of Brazil. Set amid the draconian political era of Brazil as last year's Oscar-winning I'm Still Here, this movie follows a guy on the run from the regime, taking on an assumed identity while also looking to reunite with his son. But a wanted man is still a wanted man, so he's going to need to figure something out before he's snatched right back I, for one, can't wait to watch it unfold. Twinless Now, Sydney Film Festival's official website says the less you know about Twinless going into it, the better. I'm all for experiencing movies like that (I knew nothing about Everything Everywhere All At Once before attending a preview screening that would ultimately change my life).That being said, here's what we do know. This movie is about a queer bromance, stars Dylan O'Brien, and it's meant to have you peeing yourself with laughter. Sign me TF up. Eddington Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix and Austin Butler (!) star in this movie about a fictional town riddled by COVID-19 (!!) in May 2020 directed by the evil genius behind Hereditary and Midsommar, Ari Aster (!!!).While I'm personally not ready for films and TV to depict the pandemic, I know Ari Aster's take is going to be so creative and twisted that I'll have no choice but to sit and watch. And finally, Fwends Girl fed up with her Sydney law firm job heads to Melbourne to reconnect with her mate, who is a bit of a space cadet (head's always in the clouds). Seems simple, right?This promises to be a movie that is strictly, above all else, about female friendship. We're gonna watch these two best mates recount office horror stories, break-up tales and whatever else fills their brains as they trawl through Melbourne, and I have a feeling its going to reach so far into our souls and psyche that we won't be able to stop thinking about it long after the credits have rolled. You can check the full program for the 2025 Sydney Film Festival, and snap up remaining tickets, here.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Breaking Baz @ Cannes: 'Even If I'm Fired, I Stay,' Declares Defiant Thierry Frémaux; Festival Victors Dance The Night Away After Strongest Selection In Years
Thierry Frémaux, the Delegate Général of the Cannes Film Festival, is propping up the Majestic Beach's main bar. The joint's buzzing, the victors being lionized after what has been acknowledged as a strong competition and selection, and I have the temerity to wonder idly when he'll retire. 'I don't know,' he murmurs. 'You know, in France the social contract is something different.' More from Deadline Cannes Winners: Palme D'Or Goes To Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just An Accident'; Grand Prize Is Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value'; 'The Secret Agent' Scores For Wagner Moura & Kleber Mendonça Filho – Full List Cannes Film Festival 2025: Read All Of Deadline's Movie Reviews Including Palme D'Or Winner 'It Was Just An Accident' Cannes Winners Are Again Good For Neon But Create Confusing Picture For Oscar Race - Which Films Could Place In Both? 'Even if I'm fired, I stay,' he finishes defiantly. He laughs, then turns the tables and cheekily asks when I will retire. 'I don't want you to retire,' he says caressing my arm. 'Stay with us.' Fremaux first visited Cannes in 1979, driving from Lyon in a truck. Every day that year he remained on the Croisette without watching any movies 'because I couldn't attend any film. Each evening I used to go back to the highway and sleep in the car in the gas station.' Today (it now being the early hours of Sunday) he says, he will pick up his car at the Carlton 'and go back to Lyon like I was 19 again,' he says wistfully. 'It's in my tradition to come by car… we need to feel, I don't want to say forever young, but it is something like that. When you, me, whoever, are in the screening room there is no age. No young people, no old people.' Together we marvel over the diversity of the winners. There's Jafar Panahi, the Iranian-born director of Palme d'or winner It Was Just An Accident, and Norwegian Joachim Trier who took the Grand Prix prize for Sentimental Value. Oliver Laxe, director of Sirât, born in Paris to Galician emigrants, was joint Jury Prize winner with Berlin-born Mascha Schilinski the director of Sound of Falling, and so on all the way to Nigerian-born Akinola Davies Jr. who was garlanded with a Special Mention by the Caméra d'or jury for My Father's Shadow which was shown in Un Certain Regard. I note that Nadia Melliti who is French-Algerian heritage was named best actress for her beautifully captured performance as a young woman discovering her attraction for other women in Hafsia Herzi's The Little Sister, while it seemed that the the Cannes bubble was cheering for Jennifer Lawrence to win for Die, My Love – Lynne Ramsay's incendiary study of the disintegration of a marriage. Melliti tells me that Herzi's casting director discovered her 'walking along the street.' She'd never acted before. Her background was in sport. Now it's in acting. I tell Frémaux that it angers me that people forget that Cannes represents the whole world, not just the white western bit of it, and that cinema isn't just the shiny and splashy stuff from Hollywood. Nodding in agreement, Frémaux remarks that since the origin of Cannes 'we are universal,' and remembers John Ford's comment, 'Be local, you will be universal.' 'We are not in France,' says Frémaux. 'Cannes is not a French film festival. It's a film festival in France and it's an international film festival,' he says reminding me that its official name is Festival International du Film. 'We have for the first time Nigeria in Un Certain Regard. We have Czech, Iran… Cannes is a journey. We make that journey in the selection process.' He observes that in the past Asia meant films only from Japan. 'And then in the beginning of the new century, Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand. And now it's Africa and not only ex-French Africa,' while conceding that 'maybe not enough' attention had been paid to Africa: 'Again, it's a frustration of the festival' but 'we pay attention on what is going on everywhere …' He looks me in the eye because he knows I'm about to ask about America and the orangutan in the White House, and I mean no offence to the great apes. However, he cuts me off at the chase. 'Regarding, of course, the US and what is going on in the world, in cinema not only in Cannes, there is no border. The language is cinema, the emotion is cinema or cinema is emotion. And the emotion is the same wherever you were born.' I wonder if others will second my emotion that Ari Aster's Eddington is a masterpiece about the sad decline of the United States? Frémaux and I warmly embrace and I scoot over to Renate Reinsve who's so darn good in Trier's Sentimental Value. The actress is taking a break, she tells me, ahead of starring in Alexander Payne's already announced movie Somewhere Out There. 'Not one person has a bad word to say about Alexander and I'm looking forward to working with him,' says Reinsve, although she refuses to say what the film's about, except that 'it's a remarkable script.' Filming, she says, begins in February on locations in Denmark and Ireland. Stellan Skarsgård plays Reinsve's father, a film director, in Sentimental Value. I tell him that the character reminds me, in part, of Lear, except that his filmmaker overcomes his madness. Later, I chat briefly to Elle Fanning who, as I noted in a previous column, excels in Sentimental Value, just as she did in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown. Fanning plays a Hollywood 'type actress' in Trier's movie, but says, that she and the director tried not to make her a caricature. Whatever they did, it's some of her best work. She says that her performance was aided by the fact that she went from shooting Predator: Badlands in New Zealand directly to filming a beach scene with Skarsgård in Deauville. 'It was the kind of role my character might have played, so it was very meta,' says Fanning. Before he goes, I snap a few photos of Trier and his editor Oliver Bugge Coutté. They've been friends for years and, back in the day, shared an apartment with three others in St. John's Wood, NW London, while they were students at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield. The flat was ideally situated, he says, because it was close to Marylebone train station, 'just a few stops to the school,' where the late agent Jenne Casarotto first saw his work and signed him. He's still with the Casarotto Ramsay & Associates agency, represented by Elinor Burns. Akinola Davies Jr. shows the same devotion to his longtime agent Roxana Adle at LARK management. The My Father's Shadow director has been inundated since the film was shown at the festival. But he's staying firm with both Adle and Element's Rachel Dargavel. 'To get to me, they'll have to go through Roxana,' says Davies who was on a hike outside Marseilles when he received a message suggesting he return to Cannes in time for the closing ceremony. He was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and boots and his black-tie clobber was in a car miles away in Marseilles. Somehow, he and Nicholas Hayes,his producing partner at Red Clay Pictures, made it back to the Palais in time. I felt sad that Akinola's brother Wale, with whom he wrote the film, was not with him. However, I shall never forget when Davies's name was called and he stood up – and stood out due to his blond-dyed hair – and the world of cinema applauded him. I couldn't make out what he was saying; was it to the crowd or to himself, I asked? 'I have a little motto I repeat to myself when I'm nervous,' he responds, about not being alone and to be kind to yourself and others. Davies spent most of the night hanging out with Hayes, Dargavel, the BFI's Ama Ampadu, as well as Element's Emma Norton and producer Lee Groombridge who were producers on Pillion. Pillion's director Harry Lighton won the best screenplay honour in Un Certain Regard and he was on the Majestic Beach too and there was something touching about seeing them engaging and being supportive of each other. Spotting Jafar Panahi, I went over to pay my respects and to point out that his winning the Palme d'or had brought tears to Cate Blanchett's eyes. 'I saw that,' he acknowledges softly behind dark glasses he's still sporting at one in the morning. I play the room and the pier one last time. Then I hear the beat of Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now). I look over to the dance floor and it sinks in that the world Frémaux was talking about is on that floor letting its collective hair down. The beat that brings us together must never stop. Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far Everything We Know About 'The Testaments,' Sequel Series To 'The Handmaid's Tale' So Far
CairoScene
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Cannes Review: ‘It Was Just An Accident' Examines Torture
Cannes Review: 'It Was Just An Accident' Examines Torture Jafar Panahi is one of Iran's most celebrated and defiant filmmakers. He rose to international prominence with his debut feature The White Balloon, which won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes in 1995. From the beginning, his films stood out for their deep empathy for the struggles of ordinary Iranians. Works like The Circle, Offside, and Taxi pushed the boundaries of Iranian cinema with their sharp social commentary. He often likes to blend fiction with a documentary-style of storytelling. But Panahi's refusal to conform to state expectations has come at a heavy cost. In 2010, after years of government pressure, he was arrested and handed a six-year prison sentence along with a 20-year ban on filmmaking, interviews, and travel. He was accused of spreading propaganda against the regime. Remarkably, he continued making films in secret and smuggled them out of the country to major festivals. For example, This Is Not a Film (2011) was shot while under house arrest and became a symbol of artistic resistance. His latest film, It Was Just An Accident, has perhaps the most fascinating premise of Jafar Panahi's career. What if, on a random ordinary day, you suddenly come face-to-face with the man who tortured you? The man who drove your fiancé to commit suicide? What if he denies who he is? Worse yet. What if he's now a seemingly gentle man with a family of his own? Panahi spins this ethical dilemma into a gripping psychological thriller that's as morally complex as it is emotionally shattering. Yet, even with such a harrowing premise, It Was Just An Accident is surprisingly light-hearted. Panahi infuses the film with deadpan humour that recalls the quirky charm of Little Miss Sunshine. A significant portion of the film takes place in a run-down minibus. More and more people join the ride. We gradually learn that they too were tortured by the same man. To reveal anything more would ruin the film for you. But I will say this, It Was Just An Accident contains perhaps the most perfect ending of any film I've seen this year. The film makes us question whether we are to blame the individual torturer, or if he is merely a component in a much larger and more insidious machine. Panahi deliberately invited viewers to reflect on Hannah Arendt's concept of the 'banality of evil'. This notion suggests that some of the most horrific acts in history have not been committed by monsters. Rather, they were being committed by ordinary individuals who were simply obeying orders and conforming to oppressive systems. Panahi frames the torturer as a husband, a father, and a man performing the mundane rituals of daily life. Can someone be both a loving parent and a former agent of terror? Can humanity and monstrosity co-exist in the same person? The film avoids offering easy answers. Instead, it invites a kind of active spectatorship where audiences must reckon with the discomfort of moral ambiguity. It's one of the best films of the year.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iran summons French diplomat over praise of Palme d'Or-winning film 'It Was Just An Accident'
Iran has summoned France's representative in protest after the French foreign minister praised the Cannes-winning Iranian film as 'a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had praised It Was Just An Accident after it won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film by famed dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi centres on a man, Vahid, who abducts his suspected captor after being tortured in prison. To satisfy pangs of doubt, he decides to confirm his suspicion by bringing the man, locked in his van, to other former prisoners for identification. Panahi, who was back in Cannes for the first time in 15 years due to a travel ban in Iran, drew on the experiences from his own imprisonment as well as the stories of detainees around him. Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our review of and our full debrief of Panahi's win in this week's . Iran's Foreign Ministry said the French minister was summoned over his 'interventionist, irresponsible and instigative allegations,' the state-run IRNA news agency reported. 'Spare us Iranians the lectures. You have no moral authority whatsoever,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, citing France's approach to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Last week, France threatened 'concrete action' against Israel if the country didn't halt the offensive in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. However, the statement was mostly dismissed as empty threats. Immediately following the award's announcement, the Iranian state news agency had announced a more muted celebration of the award, crediting the country's film industry for winning a second Palme d'Or after Abbas Kiarostami's 1997 drama, Taste of Cherry. In Iran, film productions need to receive script approval from the government to shoot in public. Panahi refuses to do that, knowing they won't allow him to make the films he wants to, and It Was Just an Accident was filmed without cooperation. Iranian state TV called the film a mixture of 'lie and smearing' as well as an 'underground' film produced without the required permits in Iran. State TV also chastised Panahi for not mentioning the plight of the Palestinians in his acceptance speech. The Mizan news agency, an arm of the country's judiciary, reported on the win as part of the 'Political Cannes Film Festival,' suggesting that the prize was given to Panahi because of his political leanings. However, pro-reform media outlets and activists praised Panahi. 'This victory is no accident — it is the result of a tireless dedication to exploring humanistic values and human rights,' said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who was also previously imprisoned at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Panahi was banned from travelling out of Iran in 2009 for attending the funeral of a student killed in anti-government protests, a judgment later extended to two decades. But even when placed under house arrest, Panahi kept making movies, many of which are among the most lauded of the century. He made 2011's This Is Not a Film on an iPhone in his living room. Taxi (2015) was clandestinely shot almost entirely within a car - and ended up winning that year's Golden Bear at the Berlinale. Panahi was arrested in 2022 when he went to the Tehran prosecutor's office to inquire about the arrests of two other Iranian filmmakers. A judge later ruled that he must serve six years for an earlier sentence on charges of propagandising against the government from 2011 that had never been enforced. In early 2023, Panahi went on a hunger strike and was released from Evin Prison. Panahi said he would not seek asylum in another country, despite the risks of additional imprisonment. 'It's simple. I'm unable to live here,' he said last week in Cannes. 'I have no ability to adapt to a new country, a new culture. Some people have this ability, this strength. I don't.' On Monday, Panahi touched down in Tehran's international airport to cheers. One person was heard shouting "woman, life, freedom" as Panahi passed through the airport - a phrase that became the slogan for protests that broke out across Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022. In his acceptance speech at Cannes, Panahi said, "What's most important now is our country and the freedom of our country," and called for Iranians to "join forces". He added: "No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do, or what we should not do."
Euronews
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Has watchmaker Omega leaked the identity of the new James Bond?
It's one of the most closely guarded secrets in the industry: the identity of the next 007. It has been four years since the release of Daniel Craig's dramatic swansong as Bond in No Time To Die, and since then the rumour mill has been working overtime. We reported last year that one candidate may have the edge over countless others and now, an unlikely source may have confirmed it and let the vodka martini-swigging cat out of the bag. Luxury watchmaker Omega has announced Bond-favourite Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the brand's latest global ambassador. So what, you may ask? Well, it's not just any gig, considering the watch brand has been Bond's marker of choice ever since Pierce Brosnan got his Omega in GoldenEye. Add the fact that both Brosnan and Daniel Craig were Omega ambassadors before they headed to MI6, and it doesn't seem to be much of a (perfectly timed) coincidence... Une publication partagée par OMEGA (@omega) In an Instagram post, Omega praised Taylor-Johnson's visit: 'OMEGA welcomes Aaron Taylor-Johnson to our watchmaking home in Bienne. The actor and Golden Globe winner stepped into our watchmaking home for an exclusive tour, meeting the watchmakers behind our timepieces.' The post features the 34-year-old looking smooth as a veal cutlet in a brown suede jacket, flaunting a stunning Omega piece – a Speedmaster First OMEGA in Space - on his left wrist. The actor stated: 'I have always had an appreciation for timepieces but especially for Omega. Now, after visiting the factory, I am in awe of the skill required to manufacture such a luxurious product.' Une publication partagée par OMEGA (@omega) There is still no official announcement confirming the Kick-Ass, Nosferatu and 28 Years Later actor to be the next Bond. But considering the franchise is getting a massive overhaul courtesy of Amazon, who are keen to speed up to process, this is looking mighty promising and maybe more than a rumour. Still, only time will tell. Iran has summoned France's representative in protest after the French foreign minister praised the Cannes-winning Iranian film as 'a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had praised It Was Just An Accident after it won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film by famed dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi centres on a man, Vahid, who abducts his suspected captor after being tortured in prison. To satisfy pangs of doubt, he decides to confirm his suspicion by bringing the man, locked in his van, to other former prisoners for identification. Panahi, who was back in Cannes for the first time in 15 years due to a travel ban in Iran, drew on the experiences from his own imprisonment as well as the stories of detainees around him. Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our review of It Was Just An Accident and our full debrief of Panahi's win in this week's Culture Catch-Up. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the French minister was summoned over his 'interventionist, irresponsible and instigative allegations,' the state-run IRNA news agency reported. 'Spare us Iranians the lectures. You have no moral authority whatsoever,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, citing France's approach to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Last week, France threatened 'concrete action' against Israel if the country didn't halt the offensive in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. However, the statement was mostly dismissed as empty threats. Immediately following the award's announcement, the Iranian state news agency had announced a more muted celebration of the award, crediting the country's film industry for winning a second Palme d'Or after Abbas Kiarostami's 1997 drama, Taste of Cherry. In Iran, film productions need to receive script approval from the government to shoot in public. Panahi refuses to do that, knowing they won't allow him to make the films he wants to, and It Was Just an Accident was filmed without cooperation. Iranian state TV called the film a mixture of 'lie and smearing' as well as an 'underground' film produced without the required permits in Iran. State TV also chastised Panahi for not mentioning the plight of the Palestinians in his acceptance speech. The Mizan news agency, an arm of the country's judiciary, reported on the win as part of the 'Political Cannes Film Festival,' suggesting that the prize was given to Panahi because of his political leanings. However, pro-reform media outlets and activists praised Panahi. 'This victory is no accident — it is the result of a tireless dedication to exploring humanistic values and human rights,' said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who was also previously imprisoned at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Panahi was banned from travelling out of Iran in 2009 for attending the funeral of a student killed in anti-government protests, a judgment later extended to two decades. But even when placed under house arrest, Panahi kept making movies, many of which are among the most lauded of the century. He made 2011's This Is Not a Film on an iPhone in his living room. Taxi (2015) was clandestinely shot almost entirely within a car - and ended up winning that year's Golden Bear at the Berlinale. Panahi was arrested in 2022 when he went to the Tehran prosecutor's office to inquire about the arrests of two other Iranian filmmakers. A judge later ruled that he must serve six years for an earlier sentence on charges of propagandising against the government from 2011 that had never been enforced. In early 2023, Panahi went on a hunger strike and was released from Evin Prison. Panahi said he would not seek asylum in another country, despite the risks of additional imprisonment. 'It's simple. I'm unable to live here,' he said last week in Cannes. 'I have no ability to adapt to a new country, a new culture. Some people have this ability, this strength. I don't.' On Monday, Panahi touched down in Tehran's international airport to cheers. One person was heard shouting "woman, life, freedom" as Panahi passed through the airport - a phrase that became the slogan for protests that broke out across Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022. In his acceptance speech at Cannes, Panahi said, "What's most important now is our country and the freedom of our country," and called for Iranians to "join forces". He added: "No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do, or what we should not do."
