Dany Boon to Make First Film on Confinement During Pandemic

Dany Boon to Make First Film on Confinement During Pandemic
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Dany Boon to Make First Film on Confinement During Pandemic

Dany Boon to Make First Film on Confinement During Pandemic

The first film about confinement amid the pandemic is being written, and many other similar productions are expected to follow. The brain behind the idea is the French producer and actor Dany Boon known for his popular high-grossing movies. In an interview with the RTL television, he announced he is currently writing a movie about a residential building whose inhabitants are confined in order to avoid the Covid-19 infection.

Boon, 53, who was born to an Algerian father, is one of the most popular actors in France. In 2008, he starred and directed a movie named "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" (Welcome to the Sticks), which was seen by 20.5 million people, hitting an unprecedented number of views in the history of French cinema.

During the interview, Boon said the confinement weeks inspired him to make a new movie, and that he and his wife Laurence Arné are currently working on the script. They are taking advantage of their free time to create a fruitful work, he explained. The French director said he was surprised he managed to accept isolation and adapt to it in an unexpected way especially that his life was all about travel, work, festivals, and big events. Earlier this year, right before the coronavirus outbreak, he partook in the "Festival du film de comédie de l'Alpe d'Huez 2020", during which he introduced his latest movie "Le Lion" (The Lion).

Boon was also prepping to shoot a new movie this summer named "The Palm", however, the pandemic made him postpone the project and gave him a new idea. Like any other citizen in this world, the actor has spent confinement weeks with his small family waiting for life to return to normal, despite the persisting concerns linked to the virus.

The new movie highlights the daily life issues of the inhabitants of a Parisian residential building who found themselves banned from leaving their apartments. Each one of them has his own story, from the owners of small shops on the ground floor to the low-income residents living in the small rooms on the roof. The shooting is set to kick off once the lockdown ends, so the movie becomes ready for screening before the end of 2020.



Many US Ice Cream Producers to Phase Out Artificial Food Dyes by 2028

Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Many US Ice Cream Producers to Phase Out Artificial Food Dyes by 2028

Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Dozens of US ice cream producers are planning to remove artificial colors from their products by 2028, a dairy industry group and government officials said on Monday.

The producers, which together represent more than 90% of ice cream sold in the US, are the latest food companies to take voluntary steps to remove dyes since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April said the US aimed to phase out many synthetic dyes from the country's food supply.

Several major food manufacturers, including General Mills, Kraft Heinz, J.M. Smucker, Hershey and Nestle USA, have previously announced their plans to phase out synthetic food coloring.

The 40 ice cream companies will remove Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 from their retail products, excluding non-dairy products, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

The IDFA announced the plan at an event at the US Department of Agriculture headquarters on Monday with Kennedy, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

"We know that our current health outcomes, especially for our children, are unsustainable and that American agriculture is at the heart of the solution to make America healthy again," Rollins said at the event, referencing a slogan aligned with Kennedy.

Rollins and Kennedy have worked closely together on food sector efforts like encouraging states to ban soda from the nation's largest food aid program.

Kennedy has blamed food dyes for rising rates of ADHD and cancer, an area many scientists say requires more research.

The IDFA said artificial dyes are safe, but that ice cream makers are taking the step in part to avoid disruption to sales from state efforts to phase out dyes from school foods and West Virginia's recent food dye ban.