Latest news with #MyFather'sShadow
RTÉ News
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Element Pictures claims double win at Cannes Film Festival for second year running
Dublin and London-based film company Element Pictures have won two awards for a second year running at the Cannes Film Festival. The company behind Poor Things and Normal People won awards for Akinola Davies Jr.'s feature debut, My Father's Shadow, and Harry Lighton's feature debut Pillion. Davies Jr. received the Caméra d'Or Special Mention at Saturday night's Cérémonie du Palmarès for his film - the first Nigerian film in Official Selection in the festival's history - and is the first Nigerian Director to be honoured with the award. Lighton was awarded 'Best Screenplay during last night's Un Certain Regard awards ceremony. Hippo the Dachshund, the dog who stars in Pillon, also received a special mention, winning the 'Mutt Moment' award at the Palm Dog contest. The news marks the fourth prestigious win in two years for Element Pictures, with Jesse Plemons winning Best Actor for Kinds Of Kindness and Rungano Nyoni winning 'Best Director' for On Becoming A Guinea Fowl at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024. My Father's Shadow is a semi-autobiographical tale set over the course of a single day in the Nigerian capital Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis and was described as "A thrillingly vital account of the moment when everything changes" by Screen Daily review. Commenting on the award, the film's producer Rachel Dargavel said: "It's hard to express the pride I'm feeling that My Fathers Shadow has received this accolade. "It was made with so much love and energy and with an ambition to create something that resonated on an emotional level with anyone who took the time to watch it. "For it to have been received in this way is all at once so validating of the human spirit and all at once mind blowing - the first Nigerian film in official selection and the first Nigerian Director to be honoured with the Caméra d'Or Special Mention. "Thank you Cannes Film Festival and the Jury for shining a light on our beautiful film, I couldn't be more proud of Akinola." Pillion tells the story of "a timid man (Harry Melling) who is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker (Alexander Skarsgard) takes him on as his submissive". Reacting to the Best Screenplay win, the film's producer Emma Norton notes "This is the most amazing end to a remarkable festival experience. We've all been so blown away by the reception of Pillion and this recognition for Harry's work - from the Un Certain Regard jury - is such an honour. The icing on the cake!"
Kuwait Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Nigeria needs good fathers, says director who made Cannes history
Akinola Davies Jr -- who has made history by directing Nigeria's first ever film in competition at the Cannes film festival -- lost his father when he was two. "I've always collected father figures growing up," said the maker of "My Father's Shadow", which is in the running for the Camera d'Or for best first film. His homeland has also been looking for a father figure for a long time to put an arm round its shoulder, Akinola told AFP. The film -- which The Guardian praised as "rich, heartfelt and rewarding" -- follows a father and his two sons on an odyssey through Lagos just as the military "pulled the rug away from dreams of democracy" with yet another coup, annulling the result of the 1993 election. Many Nigerians had hoped opposition leader Moshood Abiola, known as "MKO", would save them from the military, Akinola said. Instead the generals threw him in prison. 'Dreams deferred' "There are interesting parallels between the father figures as the president of the country and as a military dictator," he said. "Growing up there was a perception that a father figure had to be a strong, authoritarian disciplinarian," said Davies, who grew up between London and Lagos. That was certainly the figure that Nigeria got after the coup in the shape of General Sani Abacha. But Akinola and his film subtly suggests that there could have been an alternative father of the nation -- a kinder, gentler, more nurturing "Daddy" personified by Sope Dirisu. The "Gangs of London" star plays a father who brings his boys from the village to Lagos in the vain attempt to get the months of backpay he is owed. He may be a good man but he is far from flawless as they discover that his eye has wandered from his wife in the big smoke. "The film is about the boys being able to hold their father accountable... And because they get to see how to be accountable they can be accountable themselves," Akinola said. The young director said the film was all about "interrogating masculinity", making a father's relationship with his children a "two-way street and not a dictatorship". Akinola wrote the screenplay with his older brother Wale, who he "idolized" as a kid -- a relationship that is mirrored in the film, with brothers Godwin Chimerie Egbo and Chibiuke Marvellous Egbo playing the boys. In a case of life imitating art, Dirisu had to be "Daddy" on set, gently laying down the law a few times, even as Marvelous -- in another echo of the script -- tried to keep his younger brother in check. "There are levels and levels," Akinola laughed. "I've witnessed my brothers become fathers, and the fatherhood that they perform with their kids is something that I would have loved to have had." With the film garnering warm reviews, and Akinola rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty on the red carpet, he said he hoped one day Nigeria's dreams would also come true. But the dreams of Africa's most populous country have been "deferred and deferred and deferred", he told AFP, "and they're still being deferred". - AFP
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5' Review: Raoul's Peck's Vital Film Shows How We're Living In A ‘1984'-Style Dystopia
When I was growing up, the lessons of 1984 – the dystopian novel by George Orwell – were all thought to pertain to the Soviet Union. Big Brother was Josef Stalin – controlling the thoughts of his people, punishing dissenters. If that had been correct, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and freeing of its similarly totalitarian satellite regimes would have rendered the novel irrelevant to our present times. 1984 would have been a mere artifact reflecting outdated concerns of an earlier era marked by sinister eradication of personal liberties. Turns out that's not the case. More from Deadline 'My Father's Shadow' Review: First Nigerian Film Selected For Competition Is A Moving Universal Story Of Fathers And Sons - Cannes Film Festival Nicole Kidman Talks Viral 'Babygirl' TikToks & Gives Mascha Schilinski's 'Sound Of Falling' A Shoutout During Cannes Talk Andrew Garfield & Focus Features Nearing Deals To Join Paul Greengrass Peasant Revolt Movie 'The Rage': Cannes Market Raoul Peck's vital documentary Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5, which premiered tonight at the Cannes Film Festival, makes it startlingly clear the degree to which we are living in Orwellian times. The parallels between the nightmare of 1984 – where Big Brother dictates every facet of life – and Trump's America have not been properly acknowledged. This film does that. Trump is unleashing thought police – e.g. the order directing the Smithsonian Institution to 'remove improper ideology' from national museums – to such a degree that it seems ripped from the pages of Orwell's novel. A nation that used to be enshrine freedom of speech in its Bill of Rights is seeing those precious liberties ground under the totalitarian boot. Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 goes well beyond just the darkening reality in America. Putin, uttering the cruel Newspeak of 'special military operation' before unleashing full-scale warfare on Ukrainian civilians, makes an appearance here, as does the military leader of Myanmar, who blithely dismisses any concern for the persecuted Rohingya minority who have been driven into Bangladesh. Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Israeli P.M. Banjamin Netanyahu, France's Marine Le Pen, Hungarian strongman Victor Orbán (a darling of the American right), Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni, the grinning Nigel Farrage, head of the UK. Reform Party – all the actual and would-be autocrats take a bow to remind us that Orwell speaks to our times as much as he did to an earlier era. The documentary serves partly as biography of Orwell, who was born Eric Arthur Blair in what is now the state of Bihar in India. Peck, who earned an Academy Award nomination for an equally incisive film – I Am Not Your Negro, about James Baldwin – shows a photograph of Orwell as a baby in the arms of an Indian nanny. Most people of his background would never have questioned their privilege, or 'right to rule,' but Peck explores how Orwell came to realize that the imperialistic ideology that was his birthright could not pass the test of moral scrutiny. He came to that realization after serving in the British Imperial Service in Burma (present-day Myanmar), where people like him in uniform abused ordinary Burmese without thinking twice. Peck offers insight into Orwell's political evolution by drawing on letters, manuscripts and other unpublished materials, with actor Damian Lewis providing the author's voice. Orwell's letters also reveal the heroic physical exertion he put in to finish 1984 as his health deteriorated from tuberculosis. 1984 was published in 1949. By January of 1950, Orwell was dead, at the age of just 46. The filmmaker uses an animation of tubercular bacteria periodically in the film to suggest Orwell's advancing illness. But that visual motif might just as well signify the unhealthy state of democracies around the world, where autocrats have infected the bloodstream of the body politic with despicable poisons as they assert every greater control over the minds and thoughts of their subjects. Trump's attempt to bring universities to heel, to punish enemies (see Friday's story about a nascent investigation into former FBI director James Comey for posting a photo on social media that Trump crowd didn't like), to deport people without due process of law, to cow the courts by encouraging his supporters to attack jurists who rule against his executive orders, to weaponize the Justice Department – the onslaught seems to have knocked the Trump opposition on its heels, left it struggling to come up with a coherent response to the Trump wrecking ball. In this film, we have the full-throated retort that's called for. Trump, incredibly, has essentially managed to rewrite January 6 to serve his own narrative. But Peck shows the true violence of the day, the noose erected on the capitol grounds meant for the neck of Trump's Vice President, Mike Pence. It's all the more chilling, then, to hear in the film the president's new characterization of that day: 'These were very peaceful people,' he says in a quote seen in the documentary. 'The love in the air, I've never seen anything like it.' Spoken like Big Brother. Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 is an urgent, indispensable film for our times. Title: Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 Festival: Cannes (Cannes Premieres section) Distributor: Neon Director: Raoul Peck Running time: 119 minutes Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More Broadway's 2024-2025 Season: All Of Deadline's Reviews Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Winners Through The Years
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rebel Wilson Responds to Latest ‘The Deb' Controversy as Legal Dispute Leaves Film in Limbo
Rebel Wilson is clearing the air after social media posts about The Deb made headlines amid the ongoing legal fight surrounding the movie. In response to video of The Deb actress Charlotte MacInnes singing at Cannes on Friday from the yacht owned by the film's financier Len Blavatnik, The Deb's Instagram account posted stories with captions critical of MacInnes. Wilson is said to be in control of the account for the movie that does not have a release plan in light of the project's legal battle. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'My Father's Shadow' Review: First-Ever Nigerian Film at Cannes Is an Elegant and Stirring Ode to Lagos 'It Was Just an Accident' Review: Iranian Auteur Jafar Panahi Returns to Cannes With an Artful Tale of Trauma and Revenge 'Love Me Tender' Review: Vicky Krieps Anchors a Hard-Hitting Chronicle of Motherhood and Sexual Freedom That Overstays Its Welcome 'Charlotte MacInnes in a culturally inappropriate Indian outfit on Len Blavatnik's luxury yacht in Cannes — ironically singing a song from a movie that will never get released because of her lies and support for the people blocking the film's release,' read one caption. A follow-up post included the message, 'So glad you got your record deal Charlotte at the expense of the 300 people who worked on The Deb and really wanna see it released.' In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter to address the posts, Wilson's team noted that she remains focused on bringing the movie to audiences: 'The entire Deb crew is looking forward for the film to finally be shown to the world. Rebel is so proud of this film and in awe of all of the hard work everyone involved put into the creation of her directorial debut.' Last summer, Wilson posted a video to Instagram accusing producers Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron and Vince Holden of embezzlement and sexual harassment. She also accused them of preventing the film from premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The producers then sued Wilson for defamation and claimed that she was attempting to land a writing credit on the film, which led Wilson to countersue months later. THR reported in November that Wilson had lost a bid to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against her. In response to Wilson's claims, MacInnes has denied accusations that Ghost abused her. The Deb is a musical film centering on a high school outcast played by Natalie Abbott, who teams up with her cousin (MacInnes), as the pair aim to shake up the upcoming debutante ball. Marking her feature directorial debut, Wilson helmed the movie from Hannah Reilly's screenplay, adapting the stage show that debuted in Sydney in 2022. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘My Father's Shadow' Review: Nigeria's First Ever Cannes Selection Marks a Miraculous Gem of Autofiction
'My Father's Shadow' pulls off a miraculous, double-edged feat with a rather simple structure. The film, written by brothers Akinola and Wale Davies and directed by the former, spans one day in the life of two young boys traveling with their father from a small village in rural Nigeria to the bustling capital city Lagos. However, as the audience is taken in by this intimate and well-observed drama, the rug gets pulled from beneath them by revealing the violence and strife that was simmering underneath. It's a trick so devastating that it completely upends the movie, elevating it into a deeply humanist narrative. As shown in opening scenes, the two brothers, Akin and Remi, have a playful, antagonistic relationship with each other, as most brothers close in age do. There's love, one-upmanship and slight resentment. Their bond is further deepened by their mutual admiration for their father, Florian (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù). That's immediately evident in the way their manner becomes quieter and more reserved when they are around him. They don't see much of him since he's earning a living in the capital. This distance adds reverence to how the kids see their father; he's more of a mythical figure in their eyes than their parent. More from Variety Rihanna Stuns Cannes Red Carpet in the Rain to Support A$AP Rocky at 'Highest 2 Lowest' World Premiere Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and A$AP Rocky (and Rihanna!) Stun Cannes as 'Highest 2 Lowest' Earns 5.5-Minute Ovation Dakota Johnson and Michael Angelo Covino's Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' Cracks Up Cannes, Earning 6-Minute Standing Ovation While their mother is away at work, Florian takes his sons with him for a day trip to Lagos. He's going to collect his wages. On the way, their bus breaks down and they have to hitchhike. Once in Lagos, they meet a few people, strange to the children but who seem familiar with Florian. They take a trip to the beach. Florian isn't able to see his boss and collect his money. All of this is presented in thoughtfully written scenes that always foreground the characters rather than the story's plot points. The screenplay is attuned to how children can interpret the alien world of adults. The camera watches all that's happening from the open-hearted, but slightly confused gaze of the young brothers. This story, written by two brothers and made by two brothers, is semi-autobiographical. That authentic historical context is further enhanced by setting the film on the day that the results of the tumultuous 1993 Nigerian election are announced. Florian, and some of the people he interacts with, are hopeful. They see a change coming. Yet TVs and radios keep announcing news of unrest, of opposition revolts being brutally crushed by the army. Hope is replaced with dread. The storytelling always remains within the POV of the boys, never revealing more than they would understand, adding emotional potency to the narrative. Meanwhile, Florian is a creation of cinematic beauty. The Davies brothers have crafted a father of mythic proportions. He's an object of idolatry, as any father is in the eyes of his children. Dìrísù, in a revelatory performance that should put him at the top of casting lists, grounds that fantasy with a realistically intense but quiet performance. He plays the father both as a romanticized vision, seen through the eyes of his boys, and as a man going through a tough time in his life, trying to juggle multiple responsibilities to his family, work and country. There are allusions that Florian has been, or may still be, politically active. He's stopped by more than one person as he travels through Lagos. His young boys see the respect these men give him, and the leadership he commands effortlessly. They also watch how women react to his confident sexy demeanor. This offers Dìrísù many volatile colors to his performance: rage, desire, humiliation, helplessness, bravery — all of it simmering below every composed sentence he utters and every measured movement he takes. The filmmakers' other master stroke is in casting brothers Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo to play Akin and Remi respectively. There is a natural and effortless authenticity to their interactions, whether they are loving or contentious to one another. Is it because they are instinctively gifted actors or because they are actual brothers? Both. Though ultimately, it doesn't matter because their synchronized performances give the film a jolt of effortless grace. As if by being so natural and at ease together, they are boosting the film's already acutely felt authenticity. At the beginning of 'My Father's Shadow,' the filmmakers allude to the fantastical element of the movie. In voiceover, we hear one of the boys say 'In my dreams I will see you.' Akinola and Wale Davies' film may be semi-autobiographical, but it's also a haunting imagination of what they could have had. What transpires could have happened, but perhaps it didn't. Therein lies the strength of the film; they imagined their childhood full of interactions they wish they had. In crafting a fictitious version of their own lives, they managed to create a meaningful memory to hold on to and persevere through — for them and for anyone lucky enough to see their film. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
