Latest news with #OscarAcademy
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pedro Pascal and Juliette Binoche add their names to Cannes letter condemning 'genocide' in Gaza
Earlier this week, a group of more than 350 international actors, directors and producers signed a letter published on the first day of the Cannes Film Festival condemning the killing of Fatma Hassona, the 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and protagonist of the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk. Hassouna was killed along with 10 relatives in an Israeli air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection. The signatories included Pedro Almodóvar, Ruben Östlund, Guy Pierce, Ralph Fiennes, Melissa Barrera, Yórgos Lánthimos, Susan Sarandon, Alfonso Cuarón and David Cronenberg. They denounced genocide in Gaza: "We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza," read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Libération and US magazine Variety. 'We are ashamed of such passivity.' The letter also urged cinema to use its art form to 'draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed' and to be 'present to protect oppressed voices.' Now, 60 more artists and celebrities have added their names to the letter condemning the film industry for its 'silence' over the ongoing and deadly impact of Israel's military campaign in Gaza – including this year's Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, Pedro Pascal, Guillermo del Toro, Noémie Merlant and Omar Sy. Other new signatories also include Riz Ahmed, Tomas Alfredson, Carter Burwell, Robin Campillo, Camille Cottin, Adèle Haenel, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Moore, Alice Rohrwacher and Peter Straughan. Read the full letter below: Fatma Hassona was 25 years old. She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by the Israeli army on 16 April 2025, the day after it was announced that Sepideh Farsi's film 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,' in which she was the star, had been selected in the ACID section of the Cannes Film Festival. She was about to get married. Ten of her relatives, including her pregnant sister, were killed by the same Israeli strike. Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, film-makers and artists are being brutally murdered. At the end of March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who won an Oscar for his film 'No Other Land,' was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers and then kidnapped by the army, before being released under international pressure. The Oscar Academy's lack of support for Hamdan Ballal sparked outrage among its own members and it had to publicly apologize for its inaction. We are ashamed of such passivity. Why is it that cinema, a breeding ground for socially committed works, seems to be so indifferent to the horror of reality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers? As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard. What is the point of our professions if not to draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed, if we are not present to protect oppressed voices? Why this silence? The far right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+, sexist, racist, islamophobic and antisemitic movements are waging their battle on the battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that's why we have a duty to fight. Let's refuse to let our art be an accomplice to the worst. Let us rise up. Let us name reality. Let us collectively dare to look at it with the precision of our sensitive hearts, so that it can no longer be silenced and covered up. Let us reject the propaganda that constantly colonizes our imaginations and makes us lose our sense of humanity. For Fatma, for all those who die in indifference. Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies. Let's act before it's too late. When asked about the open letter at the Cultural Council in Brussels earlier this week, French minister of culture Rachida Dati told Euronews: 'It is their role to engage and to have a commitment. I believe that culture and politics go hand in hand. It can be exceptional, when we are committed to creative freedom - because as you know, at the moment there are more and more attacks on creativity. That's why I want to create a senior civil servant for creative freedom.' She added: 'I have taken measures to prevent these attacks on creativity, including many programmers and curators who no longer want to select films. There is more and more self-censorship when it comes to programming. And so, we have to commit to this freedom of creation, we have to prevent obstacles to the freedom of creation, and artists have a role to play in taking sides, in mobilising in relation to what is happening in the world.' Concluding, she shared: 'Personally, I'd be very surprised if the cultural and artistic players weren't mobilised and committed. That's what culture and politics are for. It is said that music softens morals - culture can also save the world. So, I think that everyone is doing their part.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
International Insider: ‘No Other Land'; Series Mania Wraps; BAFTA TV Noms
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here taking you through another super busy week of news. Sign up here. 'No Other Land' More from Deadline 'No Other Land' Co-Director Yuval Abraham Slams Oscar Academy Letter To Members In Wake Of Hamdan Ballal Attack American Isolation, Star Power & YA: Five Key Takeaways From This Week's Series Mania BAFTA Boss Celebrates British TV Industry In "Rude Health" But Says "Choppy Waters" Could Arise Amid Drama Funding Crisis American Film Academy criticism: On Monday, Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham wrote in an X post that his Palestinian No Other Land co-director, Hamdan Ballal, had been attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and was later detained by Israeli soldiers. The story has since moved fast. Abraham posted the next day that Ballal had been freed but was badly beaten while in custody. The 24-hour incident then sparked outcry in the film community, with strong statements from institutions including the European Film Academy. Filmmakers and actors such as Christine Vachon, Ezra Edelman, and Mark Ruffalo lent their names to public calls for Ballal's release. The incident occurred less than a month after No Other Land won the Best Documentary Oscar, a grim fact that Abraham highlighted as he criticized the American Film Academy for 'declining to publicly support' Ballal. The Academy did later send a letter to its members alluding to the incident, which Abraham posted on X and criticized for not mentioning Ballal. The American Academy rarely makes public statements about detentions or instances of violence against Academy winners, but in 2011, it did call for the release of multiple detained Iranian filmmakers, we have noted. The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Police have denied being involved in any beating. Israeli authorities have said that Ballal was detained along with several others on suspicion of throwing stones, damaging property, and compromising the security of the area. The incident is devastating and comes as global stakeholders once again try to bring about ceasefire for a conflict that has lasted nearly 18 months. Series Mania Wraps Up Cautious optimism and star power: Another year down for European TV's biggest get-together and Series Mania is now certainly very much established as such. Myself, Jesse and Stewart have spent the week in Lille taking the temperature of the global TV biz and seeing what people have to say. The vibe on the ground was cautious optimism, as creatives and producers embrace challenges with spirit. Check out our five takeaways dive deep into what people were discussing. The funding crisis in drama was front and center, although we found that this is very much not a 'one size fits all' problem and some are experiencing it more acutely than others. Stewart also had a think about the future of the fest as it hits a crossroads – it has become so big now (we hear attendance this year was up 20%) that it feels as though it could comfortably swallow up the now-defunct Cannes-based MIPTV and beyond. At the same time, star power at Series Mania only rises, with the likes of Amanda Seyfried, Christina Hendricks and Pamela Adlon all out and about and seemingly having a whale of a time in northern France. What could be next for this buzzy festival? We'll be keeping a close eye. All our coverage from the week can be found here. BAFTA Turns To Small Screen Reindeers & Horses: While the BBC will no doubt point to a 75-nom haul as evidence the corporation remains at the peak of its power, yesterday's BAFTA TV Awards anno shone a light on a trio of the biggest British streaming hits. Baby Reindeer topped the charts with eight, followed closely by Apple TV+'s Slow Horses and Disney+'s Rivals, with big names like Gary Oldman, Jonathan Pryce (for the first time) and Richard Gadd being recognized from these shows. The noms come at a time when funding local British drama is getting harder and harder, and it was therefore satisfying to see ITV's Mr Bates vs the Post Office neck-and-neck with these splashy streamer hits. Speaking to us afterwards, BAFTA boss Jane Millichip warned of 'choppy waters' if the drama affordability issues aren't resolved. She also pointed out that the tonal barriers are breaking down between shows commissioned by the broadcasters and the streamers. This time next year, two Netflix breakouts that are currently tearing up the global charts yet feel very much like they could have found a home at a British broadcaster, Adolescence and Toxic Town, might be in with a shout for BAFTAs, Millichip suggested. Elsewhere, there were high-profile snubs in the form of The Day of the Jackal, Wolf Hall's Mark Rylance and Prime Video receiving just one nomination, while there were happy surprises like the always popular Billie Piper being recognized for Netflix's Scoop. Jake's 'snubs and surprises' deep dive can be viewed here. The awards take place May 11. Jennifer Salke Out Bond seals Jen's fate: The first top exec change at a global streamer since 2020 happened overnight. Jennifer Salke is out over at Amazon MGM, although she will segue to a producer first-look deal at the same company. As there are already separate TV and film bosses at Amazon MGM, Salke will not be replaced, with Courtenay Valenti (film) and Vernon Sanders (TV) now reporting directly to Mike Hopkins. More restructuring is expected to follow and we are already hearing this could impact international, where Amazon has recently made layoffs and shuffled its pack. Salke's legacy is mixed. Big hits including The Boys, Fallout and Mr. & Mrs. Smith have come during her tenure, but they have been relatively few and far between and have run concurrent with scrutiny over expensive projects like The Rings of Power and the Russos' Citadel. Furthermore, Mike Fleming Junior writes that Salke's 'inability to mesh with the gatekeepers of the James Bond movies' might well have sealed her fate. 'While her exit from the executive suites officially is being regarded as an exit by choice into a producing deal, sources in town say it is closer to a firing,' he writes. Ears to the ground over what comes next for Amazon. 'Holy Cow'! A cheesy win: I wanted to drop what I was doing and do my best to stream Holy Cow immediately upon reading Melanie's fab Global Breakout piece this week. Mel took us to France, where Holy Cow, the feature directorial debut of Louise Courvoisier, has drawn close to 1 million spectators locally. The movie follows a teenager raised in a farming community in the Eastern department of Jura who embarks on a mission to make a prize-winning wheel of Comté cheese in the face of a series of hard knocks. Sounds brie-liant to me. Mel writes that while Holy Cow may not seem like a crowd-pleaser or box office breakout on paper, it has managed to gross roughly $6.5M from a $2.1M (€2M) budget. The pic also won best first film at the French César awards. Check out the Breakout over here. The Essentials 🌶️ Hot One: Simon Pegg movie Angels in the Asylum has stopped shooting indefinitely after running out of cash mid-way through production. 🌶️ Another: Kaley Cuoco is leading buzzy suspense TV drama Vanished alongside Sam Claflin, three-time Cesar winner Karin Viard and German actor Matthias Schweighöfer. 🪓 Breaking Baz: Our roving International Editor-At-Large brought news that Willem Dafoe has launched a program at Venice. ❌ Charged: Gérard Depardieu has been requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence following his sexual assault trial this week. 🤝 Done deal: Canada's Bell Media has bought a majority stake in Leaving Neverland distributor Sphere Abacus. 🚪 Exiting: Fremantle Asia and Lat AM CEO Ganesh Rajaram, after 20 years. 🍿 Box office: Nancy broke the exclusive news that Pablo Larraín's Maria has become the Chilean filmmaker's highest grossing movie at the international box office. 💼 New job: September 5 co-producer Constanze Guttman has joined Leonine. ⛺ Fest latest: Glasgow Film Festival industry boss Samantha Andie Bennett chatted with Diana about a busy year. 👀 First footage: Of Stay Forte, which stars Judd Hirsch and Selma Blair as Israeli hostages who, after a desperate escape from the tunnel network in Gaza, tragically fall victim to friendly fire. This week's International Insider was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Stewart Clarke. Zac Ntim contributed. Best of Deadline '1923' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us' Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘No Other Land' Co-Director Yuval Abraham Slams Oscar Academy Letter To Members In Wake Of Hamdan Ballal Attack
Oscar-winning No Other Land filmmaker Yuval Abraham is continuing to exert pressure on the Oscar Academy for the way it has responded to a violent settler attack on Palestinian co-director Hamdan Ballal and his Israeli military detention earlier this week. Israeli director Abraham, who had previously criticised the organisation's failure to publicly support Hamdan in the wake of his arrest, has hit out at a letter co-signed by Bill Kramer and Janet Yang sent to Academy members on Wednesday, seemingly in response to what happened to Ballal. More from Deadline 'No Other Land' Director Says "US Academy Declined To Publicly Support Hamdan Ballal" Following Attack And Detainment Doc Talk Podcast: Latest On 'No Other Land,' Plus A New Film On The AUM Cult Behind A Deadly Sarin Gas Attack 'No Other Land' Co-Director Hamdan Ballal Freed, Says Yuval Abraham They condemned 'harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints', but also noted that the Academy represented 'close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.' Abraham slammed the letter. 'After our criticism, the academy's leaders sent out this email to members explaining their silence on Hamdan's assault: they need to respect 'unique viewpoints',' wrote Abraham in an X post. He also noted that unlike a previous statement in favor of persecuted Iranian director Jafar Panahi, the letter had failed to mention Ballal by name. 'Compare this, to the academy's rightfully strong position when it's the Iranian government oppressing filmmakers,' he wrote, posting an extract of the letter related to Panahi's detention in 2010. Deadline has contacted the Academy in Abraham's comments but has not received a response. In a incident for which there are multiple eyewitnesses as well as video footage, Ballal was attacked by Israeli settlers in his home village of Susiya on Tuesday evening, he was then arrested by Israeli soldiers and held in a military base overnight. The filmmaker has since recounted how he feared for his life. The attack took place less than a month after Ballal was feted at the 97th Academy Awards ceremony in L.A. with the Best Documentary prize, alongside co-directors, Abraham, fellow Palestinian filmmaker and activist Basel Adra and Israeli cinematographer, editor and director Rachel Szor. Best of Deadline Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us' Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Paramount's 'Regretting You' Adaptation So Far
