Latest news with #TheLittleSister
eNCA
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Cannes best actress Melliti is football player spotted in street
CANNES - Nadia Melliti, who won best actress at the Cannes Festival Saturday for her first-ever role in a film, is a French student and amateur football player who was spotted in the street. Melliti beat Hollywood stars Jennifer Lawrence and Elle Fanning to the award, with many critics also lauding Japanese child revelation Yui Suzuki in "Renoir". Before walking the red carpet for the premiere of Hafsia Herzi's "The Little Sister", the 23-year-old was preparing for exams. In the coming-of-age tale, she plays 17-year-old Fatima, a Muslim girl in Paris struggling with her identity and religion as she explores her homosexuality. "I've never done any theatre or cinema," Melliti told AFP during the festival. But she said she immediately empathised with the character when she read the script, based on a partly autobiographical novel of the same name by French writer Fatima Daas. "I identified hugely with Fatima, her surroundings and origins. My mother hails from an immigrant background," she said. "My roots are Algerian. I also have sisters." The role required her to show a wide emotional range, from scenes involving homophobia in a rough Paris school to intimate family conversations and sex with a variety of partners. Melliti said she specifically related to the film's theme of "emancipation". "When I was younger I wanted to play football. I still do today," said the actor. "I wanted to take up the sport, one people say is masculine and in which men are overrepresented. "And when I took that home, there was this emancipation -- even if for Fatima it was different, more linked to her intellect and sexuality," she added. She is seen showing off her skills, repeatedly heading a football, in the final shots of Herzi's third film as a director. - 'I hope you are very proud' - Melliti said she couldn't believe her luck when she was spotted by a casting agent near a large shopping mall in central Paris. "I was walking in the street and (she) called out to me," she said. At first "I thought she was a tourist and I wondered if my English would be up to scratch." AFP | Valery HACHE Marseille-born Herzi also has no formal acting training and was the revelation of French director Abdellatif Kechiche's 2007 hit "The Secret of the Grain". She sobbed openly as an emotional Melliti accepted the prize and spoke confidently to the Cannes audience, which included some of the world's biggest movie figures. "I have such a feeling gushing through me right now," Melliti said. "I can't describe it but it's really incredible." "Thank you Mum. I know you're watching and I hope you are very proud and happy," she added. "The Little Sister" also won the unofficial Queer Palm on Friday for films that spotlight LGBTQ themes. by Alice Hackman and Juliette Rabat
Gulf Today
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Cannes best actress Melliti is football player spotted in street
Nadia Melliti, who won best actress at the Cannes Festival on Saturday for her first-ever role in a film, is a French student and amateur football player who was spotted in the street. Melliti beat Hollywood stars Jennifer Lawrence and Elle Fanning to the award, with many critics also lauding Japanese child revelation Yui Suzuki in "Renoir." Before walking the red carpet for the premiere of Hafsia Herzi's "The Little Sister," she was preparing for exams. In the coming-of-age tale, she plays 17-year-old Fatima, a Muslim girl in Paris struggling with her identity and religion as she explores her homosexuality. "I've never done any theatre or cinema," she told AFP. Nadia Melliti (R) poses with French director and screenwriter Hafsia Herzi during a photocall with her trophy during the closing ceremony. AFP But she said she immediately empathised with the character when she read the script, based on a partly autobiographical novel of the same name by French writer Fatima Daas. "I identified hugely with Fatima, her surroundings and origins. My mother hails from an immigrant background," she said. "My roots are Algerian. I also have sisters." Melliti said she specifically related to the film's theme of "emancipation" in the film. Nadia Melliti speaks on stage after she was awarded with the Best Actress Prize for her part in the film "La Petite derniere" ("The Little Sister," alternatively called "The Last One"). AFP "When I was younger I wanted to play football. I still do today," said the actor. "I wanted to take up the sport, one people say is masculine and in which men are overrepresented." "And when I took that home, there was this emancipation — even if for Fatima it was different, more linked to her intellect and sexuality," she added. 'I hope you are very proud' Melliti said she couldn't believe her luck when she was spotted by a casting agent in the street near a large shopping mall in central Paris. "I was walking in the street and (she) called out to me," she said. At first "I thought she was a tourist and I wondered if my English would be up to scratch." Melliti was visibly moved as she received the prize in Cannes. "I have such a feeling gushing through me right now. I can't describe it but it's really incredible," she said as the director — an award-winning actor herself for films like "The Secret of the Grain" — sobbed in the audience. "Thank you Mum. I know you're watching and I hope you are very proud and happy," Melliti said. Agence France-Presse
France 24
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Cannes best actress Melliti is football player spotted in street
Melliti beat Hollywood stars Jennifer Lawrence and Elle Fanning to the award, with many critics also lauding Japanese child revelation Yui Suzuki in "Renoir". Before walking the red carpet for the premiere of Hafsia Herzi's "The Little Sister", she was preparing for exams. In the coming-of-age tale, she plays 17-year-old Fatima, a Muslim girl in Paris struggling with her identity and religion as she explores her homosexuality. "I've never done any theatre or cinema," she told AFP. But she said she immediately empathised with the character when she read the script, based on a partly autobiographical novel of the same name by French writer Fatima Daas. "I identified hugely with Fatima, her surroundings and origins. My mother hails from an immigrant background," she said. "My roots are Algerian. I also have sisters." Melliti said she specifically related to the film's theme of "emancipation" in the film. "When I was younger I wanted to play football. I still do today," said the actor. "I wanted to take up the sport, one people say is masculine and in which men are overrepresented." "And when I took that home, there was this emancipation -- even if for Fatima it was different, more linked to her intellect and sexuality," she added. 'I hope you are very proud' Melliti said she couldn't believe her luck when she was spotted by a casting agent in the street near a large shopping mall in central Paris. "I was walking in the street and (she) called out to me," she said. At first "I thought she was a tourist and I wondered if my English would be up to scratch." Melliti was visibly moved as she received the prize in Cannes. "I have such a feeling gushing through me right now. I can't describe it but it's really incredible," she said as the director -- an award-winning actor herself for films like "The Secret of the Grain" -- sobbed in the audience. "Thank you Mum. I know you're watching and I hope you are very proud and happy," Melliti said. © 2025 AFP
France 24
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Panahi wins top prize at Cannes
The highly political but wry film tells the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronted with a man they believed tortured them in jail. Panahi, who has been imprisoned twice in his home country and banned from making films, used his acceptance speech to urge Iranians to work towards freedom. "I believe this is the moment to call on all people, all Iranians, with all their differing opinions, wherever they are in the world -- in Iran or abroad -- to allow me to ask for one thing," Panahi said, according to a translation. "Let's set aside all problems, all differences. What matters most right now is our country and the freedom of our country." Brazil's Wagner Moura won the best actor award for his performance in police thriller "The Secret Agent", while France's Nadia Melliti clinched the gong for best actress. Melliti, appearing in her first film, plays a 17-year-old Muslim girl in Paris struggling with her homosexuality in Hafsia Herzi's widely acclaimed "The Little Sister". "Sentimental Value" by Norway's Joachim Trier, a moving family drama given a 19-minute standing ovation on Thursday, picked up the second prize Grand Prix. The victory for Panahi is a huge endorsement for a director who has become a symbol of defiance in his country, where his films are routinely banned. He has vowed to return to Tehran after the festival despite the risks of prosecution. Sabotage Saturday's closing ceremony was the final act of a drama-filled day in Cannes that saw the glitzy seaside resort suffer a more than five-hour power cut. The outage knocked out traffic lights and had visitors and locals scrambling for paper money because cash machines were out-of-order and restaurants were left unable to process card payments. Local officials said a suspected arson attack on the substation about 12 kilometres (seven miles) northwest of central Cannes had caused a major fire at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT). Along the coast in the opposite direction, a pylon which carries a high-voltage line was discovered with three of its four legs damaged, the local prosecutor's office announced. German director Mascha Schilinski joked that she had "had difficulty writing her speech" because of the black-out as she accepted the jury prize for widely hailed "Sound of Falling". Politics Beyond the official competition, the French Riviera has been buzzing with A-listers this year including Tom Cruise, pop sensation Charli XCX and model Bella Hadid. Beyond the champagne-filled beach parties, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump have been major talking-points. US filmmaker Todd Haynes warned of the "barbaric US presidency", while Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal admitted it was "scary" to speak out against President Donald Trump. The Gaza war has been on the minds of some of the festival's guests, with more than 900 cinema figures signing an open letter denouncing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory, according to organisers. Cannes jury head Juliette Binoche, "Schindler's List" star Ralph Fiennes, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- in town to present a documentary he stars in -- were among the signatories. But UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, said the festival felt like a "bubble of indifference" when she visited it Friday. Awards Other secondary awards were announced before Saturday's closing ceremony. The first Chechen film to screen at the Cannes Festival -- "Imago" -- won best documentary, while the film about the life of Assange -- "The Six Billion Dollar Man" -- picked up a special jury prize on Friday. In the secondary Un Certain Regard section, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes won the top prize for "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo", which follows a group of trans women living in a desert mining town in the 1980s. On a lighter note, a sheepdog which features in Icelandic family drama "The Love That Remains" won the Palm Dog prize for canine performers in festival films. Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason cast his own pet, Panda, in his poignant story about a couple navigating a separation.
South Wales Argus
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Iranian revenge thriller It Was Just An Accident wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Cate Blanchett presented the award to Panahi, who three years ago was imprisoned in Iran before going on a hunger strike. The crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation for the filmmaker. On stage, Panahi said what mattered most was the future of his country. 'Let us join forces,' Panahi said. 'No-one should tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, or what we should or shouldn't do.' The win for It Was Just An Accident extends one of the most unprecedented streaks in movies – the indie distributor Neon has backed the last six Palme d'or winners. Cate Blanchett at the 78th international film festival in Cannes (Lewis Joly/Invision/AP) Neon, which acquired It Was Just An Accident for North American distribution after its premiere in Cannes, follows its Palmes for Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy Of A Fall and Anora. The Cannes closing ceremony followed a major power outage that struck south-eastern France on Saturday in what police suspected was arson. Only a few hours before stars began streaming down the red carpet, power was restored in Cannes. The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier's Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value, his lauded follow-up to The Worst Person In The World. Kleber Mendonca Filho's Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent won two big awards, best director for Fihlo and best actor for Wagner Moura. Director Joachim Trier accepts the grand prix for Sentimental Value (Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP) The jury prize was split between two films, Oliver Laxe's desert road trip Sirat and Mascha Schilinski's German, generation-spanning drama Sound Of Falling. Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister, Hafsia Herzi's French coming-of-age drama. The Belgian brothers Jean-Luc and Pierre Dardennes won best screenplay for their latest drama, Young Mothers. The Dardennes are two-time Palme d'Or winners. Cannes' award for best first film went to Hasan Hadi, for The President's Cake, making it the first Iraqi film to win an award at the festival. Saturday's ceremony brings to a close a 78th Cannes Film Festival where geopolitics cast a long shadow, both on screen and off. Nadia Melliti accepts the award for best actress for the film The Little Sister (Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP) Shortly before the French Riviera extravaganza, which is also the world's largest movie market, US President Donald Trump floated the idea of a 100% tariff on movies made overseas. Most filmmakers responded with a shrug, calling the plan illogical. 'Can you hold up the movie in customs? It doesn't ship that way,' said Wes Anderson, who premiered his latest, The Phoenician Scheme, at the festival. That was one of the top American films in Cannes, along with Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest, the Christopher McQuarrie-Tom Cruise action film Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, and Ari Aster's Eddington.
