عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Entertainment

What to Look for at the Venice Film Festival

السينما تجمع ما تفرّقه المسافات (مهرجان البندقية)
السينما تجمع ما تفرّقه المسافات (مهرجان البندقية)
TT
TT

What to Look for at the Venice Film Festival

السينما تجمع ما تفرّقه المسافات (مهرجان البندقية)
السينما تجمع ما تفرّقه المسافات (مهرجان البندقية)

Frankenstein's monster, Vladimir Putin, vindictive bosses, nuclear war and at the end a Golden Lion. The 82nd Venice Film Festival begins on Wednesday.

Dozens of stars are expected on the Lido, major directorial talents are bidding for comebacks and a strong field of films are competing.

AFP selects some of the anticipated highlights and talking points for the August 27 to September 6 glam-fest:

The main competition

A total of 21 films are in the running for the Golden Lion, the festival's top prize, won last year by "The Room Next Door" by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

The most keenly awaited titles include:

- "The Wizard of the Kremlin" by Olivier Assayas

An adaptation of a best-selling book of the same name about Putin's rise to power, featuring British actor Jude Law as the Russian president.

"A House of Dynamite" by Kathryn Bigelow

The first film since 2017 by the Oscar-winning director of "Zero Dark Thirty" which sees White House officials grappling with a missile and nuclear weapons crisis.

"The Smashing Machine" by Benny Safdie

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is cast in what appears a tailor-made role as an ageing wrestler, with Emily Blunt as his wife.

"The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Kaouther Ben Hania

This drama reconstructing the real-life killing of a six-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli troops in Gaza is set to be one of the festival's most political films.

"The Testament of Ann Lee" by Mona Fastvold

A musical film about a religious sect in the United States by the co-writer of "The Brutalist", again working with her director husband Brady Corbet.

"Frankenstein" by Guillermo del Toro

A new big-budget version of the cinema classic by the Mexican director, starring hard-working Oscar Isaac, who is featured in two major Venice films.

"Jay Kelly" by Noah Baumbach

A comedy co-written by Baumbach and his wife Greta Gerwig, featuring an A-list cast led by George Clooney, who plays an actor with an identity crisis.

"Bugonia" by Yorgos Lanthimos

The latest collaboration between the Greek director and Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for her performance in their 2023 film "Poor Things", which won Venice's Golden Lion.

"No Other Choice" by Park Chan-wook

The South Korean auteur Park returns to Venice after two decades with a thriller about a vindictive manager who loses his job.

"The Stranger" by Francois Ozon

An ambitious new adaptation of French author Albert Camus's masterful novella of the same name, shot in black-and-white.

"Nuhai" ("Girl") by Shu Qi

Taiwanese superstar Shu makes her directorial debut with a story about multiple generations of women.

Best of the rest -

"After the Hunt" by Luca Guadagnino

Julia Roberts makes her Venice debut for the premiere of this cancel culture-themed drama about a sexual assault case at a prestigious American university.

"In the Hand of Dante" by Julian Schnabel

Held up by a dispute between the director and his financial backers over its 150-minute length, this crime thriller stars Isaac, with cameos from veterans Al Pacino and John Malkovich.

- "Dead Man's Wire" by Gus Van Sant

The American director's first movie since 2018 centers on a real-life hostage drama at a loan agency, with performances by Bill Skarsgard and Pacino.

Others to watch include big-budget French thriller "Chien 51", which will close the festival, and "Scarlet" by Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda.

Documentaries

German director Werner Herzog's latest film, "Ghost Elephants", about a mythical herd of elephants in Angola, stands out.

So too does a portrait of veteran American journalist Seymour Hersh by Laura Poitras, who returns to Venice after winning its top prize in 2022 for her documentary about activist photographer Nan Goldin's campaign against the opioid industry.

Other headliners include Sofia Coppola's intimate documentary about her friend the fashion designer Marc Jacobs, as well as "Broken English" by Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth about British singer Marianne Faithfull, who died in January.

Viewers will need patience -- and a strong bladder -- for "Director's Diary", a five-hour epic by dissident Russian director Alexander Sokurov based on his personal diary notes from the Soviet era.

Also showing

Netflix has three films in competition -- "Frankenstein", "A House of Dynamite" and "Jay Kelly" -- showcasing some of its best hopes of clinching its first Best Picture award at the Oscars next year.

The increasingly long run-times of films -- averaging 2h15 to 2h30 at Venice, according to Artistic Director Alberto Barbera -- caused him to grumble about the difficulty of fitting them all in the schedule.

Most Viewed

 
 
Entertainment

‘Toy Story 5’ Tackles Tech Tensions and Tween Girl Trials

This image released by Disney shows characters Bullseye, left, and Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, in a scene from Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Disney/Pixar via AP)
This image released by Disney shows characters Bullseye, left, and Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, in a scene from Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Disney/Pixar via AP)
TT
TT

‘Toy Story 5’ Tackles Tech Tensions and Tween Girl Trials

This image released by Disney shows characters Bullseye, left, and Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, in a scene from Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Disney/Pixar via AP)
This image released by Disney shows characters Bullseye, left, and Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, in a scene from Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Disney/Pixar via AP)

For actor Joan Cusack, who voices the animated cowgirl Jessie in Disney's “Toy Story 5,” it was important that the film tell a different kind of story — one centered on the experiences of girls.

“I mean, we’re half the population,” she told Reuters.

Cusack emphasized the value of stories told from a female perspective, saying they bring a distinct emotional depth.

“Girl stories are great because they offer a different point of view. If you do it well, there’s real emotion in it. I think it’s real,” the “Working Girl” actor added.

Alongside Cusack, franchise veterans Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as the toys Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

In the latest installment, the toys confront a ⁠new threat: the rise ⁠of electronics, which increasingly replace them in children’s lives.

At the center is Bonnie, a little girl who feels pressured to swap her toys for a high-tech tablet called Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee, in order to fit in with a judgmental group from her dance class.

The conflict sparks an emotional journey for Jessie as she supports Bonnie while questioning her own place in a tech-driven world.

“Toy Story 5,” directed by Andrew Stanton and co-written by Stanton and Kenna ⁠Harris, is the fifth installment in Pixar’s popular franchise and a sequel to "Toy Story 4," which was directed by Josh Cooley.

The film is projected to deliver the franchise’s strongest domestic box office debut, with an opening weekend estimated between $150 million and $175 million, according to Paul Dergarabedian, head of media analytics at Rentrak, a global measurement and research company serving the entertainment industry.

Daniel Loria, senior vice president of content strategy and editorial director at Boxoffice Pro, similarly forecasts an opening in the $150 million to $175 million range. He said "Toy Story 5" could become one of the highest-grossing films of 2026 and potentially surpass $500 million domestically, marking a new franchise record.

The franchise is vital to Disney, which relies on the popularity of its stories and characters to bring ⁠visitors to its theme ⁠parks, sell merchandise and watch its Disney+ streaming service.

The "Toy Story" films have brought in about $3 billion in global box office, according to Rentrak.

Tim Allen said he was surprised by how deeply the film affected him when he first watched it.
“This was horrifying to watch as an adult,” he told Reuters, explaining that the film’s themes of bullying struck an emotional chord for him as a father of girls.

For Tom Hanks, the franchise’s lasting appeal lies in the toys’ compassion for one another.
“Being part of this ensemble - friends who will do anything for each other whenever they are needed - that’s powerful,” the two-time Academy Award winner said.

“There’s no jealousy. There might be confusion, but there is always care for one another. And the fact that this is Jessie’s story, and she reaches out and says, ‘I need your help,’ we are right there.”

"Toy Story 5" arrives in theaters on Friday.

Entertainment

British Presenter Jeremy Clarkson Reveals He Has Cancer on TV Show

Horse Racing - Cheltenham Festival - Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain - March 13, 2026 Television presenter Jeremy Clarkson ahead of the races. (Action Images via Reuters)
Horse Racing - Cheltenham Festival - Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain - March 13, 2026 Television presenter Jeremy Clarkson ahead of the races. (Action Images via Reuters)
TT
TT

British Presenter Jeremy Clarkson Reveals He Has Cancer on TV Show

Horse Racing - Cheltenham Festival - Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain - March 13, 2026 Television presenter Jeremy Clarkson ahead of the races. (Action Images via Reuters)
Horse Racing - Cheltenham Festival - Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain - March 13, 2026 Television presenter Jeremy Clarkson ahead of the races. (Action Images via Reuters)

British television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, ‌best known for hosting the "Top Gear" motoring show, has revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Clarkson, 66, one of Britain's most popular and high-profile TV figures, made the disclosure during filming for his Amazon documentary show "Clarkson's Farm" for episodes which were broadcast on Wednesday.

"I’ve got cancer," Clarkson tells two of the show's other main characters in a scene filmed last year. "I had a medical, remember, back in May? I disappeared off the other week and I had a biopsy ‌and it ‌is cancer, and it’s aggressive."

Clarkson said the ‌disease ⁠had been caught "really ⁠early" and he had since had an operation to remove 10% of his prostate.

"If I hadn’t have got myself checked out and they hadn’t caught the problem early, this could well have been my last harvest," he said. "It’s only because they did catch it early, there’s every hope that I’ll be harvesting ⁠this farm for many, many years to come."

Ahead ‌of the episodes' broadcast, Clarkson ‌posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday, saying they were a "difficult watch".

"Ordinarily, ‌we try to keep the show bucolic, charming, and cheerful," ‌he said. "But the final two episodes, which drop in the middle of the night tonight, are ... they're none of those things, really. They're a difficult watch.

"They're really, really difficult."

Clarkson, who has cultivated a ‌reputation for being controversial, gained worldwide fame as presenter of the BBC's "Top Gear" show but lost ⁠his job ⁠after he punched a member of the production team in 2015.

He moved to Amazon where he made a new car show with his old show's co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May, and subsequently began making the successful "Clarkson's Farm", which chronicles his often haphazard attempts to run the farm he owns in central England.

"I don't know what's going to happen. But look, what I wanted to say was: if this is all successful, I’ll see you for season six," he says from a hospital bed at the end of the final show of the latest series. "And if it isn’t, I won’t. Take care, everyone."

Entertainment

The Grammys Add 5 New Categories and Announce Changes to Best New Artist

Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)
Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)
TT
TT

The Grammys Add 5 New Categories and Announce Changes to Best New Artist

Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)
Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)

The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including the addition of five new categories.

The academy on Tuesday announced the addition of a best Asian pop music performance category — celebrating releases across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and beyond — awarded to the performer.

A new best traditional pop vocal performance category will be awarded to performers whose music “cannot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music,” according to a press release.

Also, a new best Latin song category will recognize songwriters for their work on Latin songs recorded predominantly in Spanish.

The other changes affect the R&B and folk categories. A new best R&B collaboration or duo/group performance award joins the reimagined best R&B solo performance category.

Folk has experienced a similar change that country experienced last year: Best folk album has become best contemporary folk album. A best traditional folk album category has been added.

In addition to the five new categories, changes have been made regarding the criteria of a few releases. Most noteworthy: alterations to the best new artist category.

The Grammys will now allow artists to submit in the category four times, up from three. That is in an attempt to better reflect the current music market, where it can take time for an artist to break through.

There is no specified maximum number of previous releases and a screening committee is tasked with determining “whether the artist had attained this high degree of impact in the music industry prior to the eligibility year,” according to the rule book. An artist who has received a Grammy nomination in the past is not eligible.

The Grammys will also allow certain qualified members to vote in more categories.

“2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we’re seeing across music,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy said in a statement.

“The changes advanced by our Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today’s music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it. We’re excited to see these updates come to life in the year ahead as we celebrate the music people who are driving music forward.”