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Red Sea Int’l Film Festival Welcomes Edouard Waintrop as Artistic Director

The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) announced Edouard Waintrop as its Artistic Director. (Getty Images)
The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) announced Edouard Waintrop as its Artistic Director. (Getty Images)
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Red Sea Int’l Film Festival Welcomes Edouard Waintrop as Artistic Director

The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) announced Edouard Waintrop as its Artistic Director. (Getty Images)
The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) announced Edouard Waintrop as its Artistic Director. (Getty Images)

The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) announced Edouard Waintrop as its Artistic Director ahead of the inaugural edition in November 2021.

Waintrop is an esteemed critic and former Artistic Director of the Directors’ Fortnight (2011 – 2018), an independent program running parallel to the Cannes Film Festival, read a statement.

Waintrop said: “It is a great privilege and honor to be leading the Red Sea International Film Festival. This new and great Festival will celebrate all aspects of cinema, from the creatives telling stories to the technical craftspeople putting imaginative ideas onto the big screen, celebrating filmmaking as force for positive change.”

“The Festival is set to reflect that metamorphosis and to be the place for the leaders and visionaries of Arab cinema, both established and emerging, to meet, celebrate successes, and look forward to a bright future.”

Also joining the RSIFF team as Special Program Manager is Faizah Ambah, the award-winning writer/director and former Washington Post correspondent.

Waintrop will join a team of programmers from across the world, including film critic Kaleem Aftab (Director of International Programming), Antoine Khalife (Director of Arab Programs & Film Classics), and Mohyee Qari (Program Manager).

The programming team also welcomed Marta Balaga, Alice Kharoubi, Leigh Singer, Carmen Thompson, Badih Massaad, and Kim Young-Woo as programming consultants.

Julie Bergeron returns to the RSIFF as Red Sea Souk Consultant, moving from her previous role as Head of Red Sea Souk. Bergeron has been head of industry programs at the Cannes Marché du Film, as well as the project manager of its Ventana Sur Latin American offshoot.

The November 2021 Festival is led by a team of Saudi and international curators, film specialists, and industry veterans, including Managing Director Shivani Pandya, Jumana Zahid heads the Red Sea Lodge, the Foundation’s incubator for Saudi and Arab filmmakers, now in its second edition.

The Red Sea Souk, the Festival’s industry platform for distributors, sales agents, and producers, is helmed by Zain Zedan (Industry/Souk Manager). The operations team is led by Ibrahim Modir (Head of Shared Services).

The Festival will be held from November 11 to 20 2021 in Jeddah Old Town, Saudi Arabia.

Under the theme of “Metamorphosis,” it celebrates film as a force for positive change and reflects on the local context, as well as the blossoming Middle East and North African film scenes.

The eleven program sections will showcase contemporary international and Arab cinema, Saudi features, shorts and experimental films, retrospectives, and future-oriented AR and VR experiences.

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Entertainment

Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' Has Died at 79

FILE PHOTO: Bernard Hill, actor of captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Titanic movie, speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong January 12, 2014. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Bernard Hill, actor of captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Titanic movie, speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong January 12, 2014. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
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Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' Has Died at 79

FILE PHOTO: Bernard Hill, actor of captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Titanic movie, speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong January 12, 2014. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Bernard Hill, actor of captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Titanic movie, speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong January 12, 2014. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and went down with the ship as the captain in “Titanic,” has died.
Hill, 79, passed away Sunday morning, agent Lou Coulson said.
Hill joined “The Lord Of The Rings” franchise in the second film of the trilogy, 2002’s “The Two Towers,” as Théoden, King of Rohan. The following year, he reprised the role in “Return of the King,” a movie that won 11 Oscars.
In one of the film's most memorable scenes, Hill's character fires up his overmatched forces by delivering a battle cry on horseback that sends his troops thundering downhill toward the enemy and his own imminent death.
“Arise, arise, riders of Théoden!” Hill hollers. “Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin and the world’s ending! Death! Death! Death!”
In “Titanic," Hill played Captain Edward Smith, one of the only characters based on a real person in the 1997 tragic romance starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The film also won 11 Academy Awards.
As the doomed ship takes on water, Hill's character silently retreats to the wheelhouse. As the cabin groans under the pressure of the waves, he takes a final breath and grabs the wheel as water bursts through the windows.
Hill first made a name for himself as Yosser Hughes in “Boys From the Blackstuff,” a 1982 British TV miniseries about five unemployed men, Reuters reported.
He was nominated for an award in 1983 from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for the role, and the show won the BAFTA for best drama series.
His death came the same day the second series of the BBC drama “The Responder” was to air, in which he played the father of the show's star, Martin Freeman.

Entertainment

Madonna Puts on Free Concert in Rio, Turning Copacabana Beach Into Enormous Dance Floor

Madonna performs in the final show of her The Celebration Tour, on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Madonna performs in the final show of her The Celebration Tour, on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
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Madonna Puts on Free Concert in Rio, Turning Copacabana Beach Into Enormous Dance Floor

Madonna performs in the final show of her The Celebration Tour, on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Madonna performs in the final show of her The Celebration Tour, on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off in October in London.
The “Queen of Pop” began the show with her 1998 hit “Nothing Really Matters.” Huge cheers rose from the buzzing, tightly packed crowd, pressed up against the barriers. Others held house parties in brightly lighted apartments and hotels overlooking the beachfront. Helicopters and drones flew overhead, and motorboats and sailboats anchored off the beach filled the bay.
“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna told the crowd. Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: “This place is magic."
Madonna performed her classic hits, including “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For the introduction to “Like A Prayer,” her head was completely covered in a black cape, a rosary gripped in her hands.
The star paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang “Live to Tell,” with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her, The Associated Press reported.
Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.
Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.
Rio’s City Hall predicted 1.5 million spectators, more than 10 times Madonna’s record attendance of 130,000 at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna's official website hyped the show as the biggest ever in her four-decade career.

Entertainment

Doug Liman, Matt Damon and the Afflecks Made a Heist Comedy for Apple. ‘The Instigators’

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Hong Chau, from left, Casey Affleck. and Matt Damon in a scene from "The Instigators." (Apple TV+ via AP)
This image released by Apple TV+ shows Hong Chau, from left, Casey Affleck. and Matt Damon in a scene from "The Instigators." (Apple TV+ via AP)
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Doug Liman, Matt Damon and the Afflecks Made a Heist Comedy for Apple. ‘The Instigators’

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Hong Chau, from left, Casey Affleck. and Matt Damon in a scene from "The Instigators." (Apple TV+ via AP)
This image released by Apple TV+ shows Hong Chau, from left, Casey Affleck. and Matt Damon in a scene from "The Instigators." (Apple TV+ via AP)

Filmmaker Doug Liman realized quickly he wasn’t on his home turf anymore.

Matt Damon, who he’d directed in “The Bourne Identity” over 20 years ago, had recruited Liman for his new movie “The Instigators,” an action-comedy about a heist gone wrong. Though two decades of friendship is nothing to scoff at, here Liman was coming to Boston to work with Damon and the Affleck brothers, Casey and Ben, whose roots were twice as deep.

“I was suddenly being parachuted into someone else’s family,” Liman said. “Every family’s crazy. And I loved it. I loved everything about it. In a way, I was back to the days of making independent movies where we couldn’t get the attention of anybody in the industry so you’re just doing it on your own with your friends. It’s my favorite kind of filmmaking.”

“The Instigators,” an Apple TV+ release coming in August is a kind “throwback” movie, in the vein of “Midnight Run,” producer Kevin Walsh said. Written by Casey and Chuck McLean, Damon plays a desperate father, Rory, and Casey is Cobby, a small-time criminal, who team up to rob a corrupt politician. It goes poorly and they find themselves on the run, with Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) in tow.

Liman was excited to direct Damon again for the first time since “Bourne,” and in a role that’s so different from Jason Bourne, who was essentially a hyper-competent superhero.

“You’ve never seen a character like this in a heist movie,” he said. “This is a guy who doesn’t speed. He’s done everything in his life sort of by the books and this is the first time he’s going to break the rules.”

And while it was Liman’s first time working with Casey, playing a guy who’s “never gotten his act together,” he said he’s quickly become his favorite actor.

“The Instigators” was a largely free and creative environment, where everyone was chiming in on the script, including Damon and Ben, and working to make things better. He hadn’t had that sort of experience huddling with his stars and brainstorming the script as they went since “Swingers.”

And it was a stark contrast to their days on “Bourne,” Liman said, where there were all these “adults in the room telling us how the movie is supposed to be made.”

“We obviously didn’t listen to them and that’s why ‘Bourne’ is as good as it is,” Liman said. “But here, we were like ‘holy ---, we’re the adults in the room. How did that happen?”

He praised the model of Artists Equity, Damon and Ben’s production company, for getting rid of many of the costly excesses in filmmaking. But, he laughed, “It really feels like the inmates are running the asylum.”

The filmmakers really used Boston as well, shutting down streets and tunnels for the chase sequences.

“We did a stunt that’s along the Esplanade that runs along the Charles River, which they’ve never shut down,” Walsh said. “We did some stuff that you’ll never see in other films. It was challenging but really cool.”

“The Instigators” was made in partnership with Apple TV+, which will give the film a limited theatrical run starting Aug. 2 before it hits the service on Aug. 9.

Liman recently criticized Amazon/MGM for not giving his “Road House” reboot a theatrical release. But he’s not anti-streaming. This is a person who credits his entire career to home video, where most people saw “Swingers.” He laughed that it would even be absurd to put “Swingers” up on a giant screen “given how shoddy the technical work on the film was.”

His main concern, he said, is that the company is “in sync with the agenda of the filmmaker.”

“It’s not so much about whether you’re streaming or theatrical. It’s about what’s the agenda of the company? Apple is a premium brand. They want to make aspirational movies because it’s in sync with their brand,” he said. “For a filmmaker like myself who wants to make smart commercial movies that are fun and glossy and, in the case of ‘The Instigators,’ don’t take themselves seriously, it was a really great collaboration with a company.”

Entertainment

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops by White House for a Visit with ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Actor Mark Hamill takes off sunglasses given to him by President Joe Biden, as he joins White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
Actor Mark Hamill takes off sunglasses given to him by President Joe Biden, as he joins White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
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‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops by White House for a Visit with ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Actor Mark Hamill takes off sunglasses given to him by President Joe Biden, as he joins White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
Actor Mark Hamill takes off sunglasses given to him by President Joe Biden, as he joins White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP)

“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill dropped by the White House on Friday for a visit with President Joe Biden and walked away with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a greater respect for the office.

“I love the merch,” he said, taking off the glasses during a quick appearance at the White House daily press briefing following his visit with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, kidded with reporters that he’d take a few questions — as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”

“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he said. He’s been to the White House before, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never checked out the Oval Office, and that was quite something, he said. Biden showed off photographs and other Oval Office items, Hamill said.

Hamill said Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill offered an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”

“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also voiced the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”

Both Hamill and the White House were vague about his reason for visiting. But Hamill, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a huge social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.

“May The First Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he wrote on May 1.

On Friday he posted, “May The Third Be Absurd That The Guy Who Tried To Steal A Fair Election Is Allowed To Run Again,” a reference to Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

May 4th is unofficially “Star Wars” Day, in part because of the famous Jedi phrase “May the force be with you.” The pun goes, “May the fourth be with you.”

Hamill also lent his voice to “Air Alert” — a downloadable app linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice urges people to take cover whenever Russia unleashes another aerial bombardment on Ukraine.

Entertainment

Europapa or Baby Lasagna? Contestants to Look Out for at Eurovision 2024

A person walks past a sign for the Eurovision Song Contest outside the Malmo Arena, the venue for the contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/ Tom Little/File Photo
A person walks past a sign for the Eurovision Song Contest outside the Malmo Arena, the venue for the contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/ Tom Little/File Photo
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Europapa or Baby Lasagna? Contestants to Look Out for at Eurovision 2024

A person walks past a sign for the Eurovision Song Contest outside the Malmo Arena, the venue for the contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/ Tom Little/File Photo
A person walks past a sign for the Eurovision Song Contest outside the Malmo Arena, the venue for the contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/ Tom Little/File Photo

The Eurovision Song Contest, a music kitsch-fest watched by some 200 million people, kicks off in Malmö, Sweden on Sunday with its "turquoise carpet" gala, in what fans say is a wide-open year with half a dozen countries having a shot at the title.
Bookmakers have Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine as the top three favorites to win, while streaming data from Spotify suggests a strong chance for the Netherlands, Italy or host nation Sweden.
"This year is so exciting because there are four or five countries who really have a good shot at winning," William Lee Adams, editor of Eurovision fan site Wiwibloggs, told Reuters.
"Eurovision is so boring when you have one clear favorite month in advance. But this year there is so much left to play for."
Croatia's contestant Baby Lasagna (real name Marko Purišić, 28) this week overtook Switzerland as bookmakers' favorite with song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" about a young Croatian who leaves his home aspiring to become a "city boy" with better opportunities.
Ukraine, which won the contest two years ago months after it was invaded by Russia, is represented this year by duo alyona alyona, 28, and Jerry Heil, 32, with "Teresa & Maria", a folk-inflected pop song with a strong dance beat and fast-paced rap. The winner normally hosts the following year, but last year's contest was held in Britain because of the war.
Another top contender is Joost Klein, 26, of the Netherlands with his song "Europapa" which mixes tunes of pop with happy hardcore. Klein, who lost his parents at a young age, says the song is about an orphan who travels around Europe trying to find himself, as his father taught him to believe in a Europe without borders.
Also in the running is Italy's Angelina Mango, 23, with her song "La Noia" which translates to "Boredom". Host country Sweden is seen as having a chance for back-to-back wins, represented by Norwegian twin brothers Marcus and Martinus Gunnarsen performing their song "Unforgettable".

Entertainment

John Cleese Says Farce Best in Theater as He Brings ‘Fawlty Towers’ to Stage

British actor John Cleese waves as he arrives for a photocall promoting the theatrical remake of his 1975 television program “Fawlty Towers” at the Apollo Theater in London, Britain, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
British actor John Cleese waves as he arrives for a photocall promoting the theatrical remake of his 1975 television program “Fawlty Towers” at the Apollo Theater in London, Britain, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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John Cleese Says Farce Best in Theater as He Brings ‘Fawlty Towers’ to Stage

British actor John Cleese waves as he arrives for a photocall promoting the theatrical remake of his 1975 television program “Fawlty Towers” at the Apollo Theater in London, Britain, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
British actor John Cleese waves as he arrives for a photocall promoting the theatrical remake of his 1975 television program “Fawlty Towers” at the Apollo Theater in London, Britain, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)

John Cleese says farce is best seen in the theater as he brings a new stage version of his classic 1970s comedy show "Fawlty Towers" to London's West End.

"Fawlty Towers The Play" has been adapted by Cleese, who co-wrote and starred in the original TV series, playing Basil Fawlty, the inhospitable owner of a chaotic fictional hotel in the southern English seaside resort town of Torquay.

The 84-year-old has adapted three of his favorite episodes for the play, which opens at London's Apollo Theater on Saturday.

"Farce, and this is farce, is best in a theater, because in a theater you can watch everything that's going on. Television... there's somebody there choosing that you're on that close up, or this close up, " Cleese told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

"...So I think it plays better in a theater than it does anywhere else... There used to be so much more comedy in Britain... it's nice to sit in an audience that's laughing because you laugh more than you do when you're watching it at home on your own."

"Fawlty Towers", written by Cleese and Connie Booth, ran for 12 episodes in 1975 and 1979.

Actor Adam Jackson-Smith will play Basil in the new play while Anna-Jane Casey will take on the role of his bossy wife, Sybil.

"People assume that because it's of a time and it was only broadcast.. in the late 70s and 80s that that's the only audience that will enjoy it, which is absolute rubbish," Casey said.

"I know 18-year-olds, nine-year-olds who've gone 'That's that funny program about the hotel' cos they've seen it (on TV)... so we're hoping and we know it will spread across so many ranges of ages."

As well as the play, Cleese is working on a "Fawlty Towers" television reboot with his daughter Camilla.

Entertainment

Prince William and Kate Release Photo of Daughter Charlotte to Mark Ninth Birthday

Undated handout photo issued on May 1, 2023 by Kensington Palace of Princess Charlotte, taken in Windsor this weekend by her mother, The Princess of Wales, ahead of her eighth birthday on May 2, 2023. The Princess Of Wales/AP
Undated handout photo issued on May 1, 2023 by Kensington Palace of Princess Charlotte, taken in Windsor this weekend by her mother, The Princess of Wales, ahead of her eighth birthday on May 2, 2023. The Princess Of Wales/AP
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Prince William and Kate Release Photo of Daughter Charlotte to Mark Ninth Birthday

Undated handout photo issued on May 1, 2023 by Kensington Palace of Princess Charlotte, taken in Windsor this weekend by her mother, The Princess of Wales, ahead of her eighth birthday on May 2, 2023. The Princess Of Wales/AP
Undated handout photo issued on May 1, 2023 by Kensington Palace of Princess Charlotte, taken in Windsor this weekend by her mother, The Princess of Wales, ahead of her eighth birthday on May 2, 2023. The Princess Of Wales/AP

Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
In the photograph taken in the last few days by her mother, the Princess of Wales, Charlotte, the couple's second child, was pictured smiling happily in the garden of their home in Windsor, said Reuters.
"Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte!" a message on the couple's X account said. "Thank you for all of the kind messages today."
It has become tradition for Kensington Palace to release pictures taken by Kate, a keen amateur photographer, to mark birthdays and other family occasions.
However, a picture issued this year on Mother's Day in March was withdrawn by a number of news organizations, including Reuters, because it had been edited, something for which Kate later apologized.
That occurred shortly before the princess revealed she was having preventive chemotherapy after tests carried out in the wake of major abdominal surgery she underwent in January revealed that cancer had been present.
Heir to the throne William resumed official duties last month, but Kate will only return to the public spotlight when her medical team say she is well enough to do so.
King Charles returned to public-facing engagements this week for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer in February.

Entertainment

Rolling Stones to Rock New Orleans Jazz Fest After 2 Previous Tries 

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the US leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, (AP)
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the US leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, (AP)
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Rolling Stones to Rock New Orleans Jazz Fest After 2 Previous Tries 

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the US leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, (AP)
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the US leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, (AP)

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is usually akin to a 14-ring musical circus — a variety of musical acts playing simultaneously on stages spread throughout the sprawling infield of a historic horse racing track.

That changes Thursday afternoon, when 13 stages go silent before The Rolling Stones make their first appearance at the 54-year-old festival.

“We didn’t want to have 13 empty stages and no people in front of them when the Stones start singing favorites like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash,’” festival producer Quint Davis told The Associated Press ahead of the festival. “Everyone who bought a ticket for that day primarily bought one to see The Stones.”

Jazz Fest is the second stop for the Stones on their Hackney Diamonds tour, launched in support of the well-received album they released last year, their first album of original material in 18 years.

They had been scheduled to appear at the 50th Jazz Fest in 2019 but had to cancel because of Mick Jagger's heart surgery. A subsequent planned appearance was scrubbed in 2021 when the festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fans of New Orleans rhythm and blues artists will be watching to see if the legendary group performs “Time Is On My Side,” which was an early hit for the band. New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas had success with the song in an earlier recording, and Thomas told WVUE-TV in an interview that “there's a possibility” she might perform it with the band.

Thursday's weather for the outdoor festival is a little sketchy. Forecasts show a mostly cloudy skyline, with temperatures in the mid-80s (around 30 Celsius), but there's up to a 40% chance of rain in the afternoon.

Dumpstaphunk, a funk-fusion band born in New Orleans with descendants from the city's well-known Neville family, plays just before the Stones hit the festival's largest stage. Dumpstaphunk is mourning the recent death of bassist Nick Daniels III, a co-founder of the group who died Sunday. A cause of death has not been released.

Entertainment

Hollywood Stunt Performers Rev Up 'Fall Guy' Premiere

Stunt techniques were on show alongside A-list stars like Ryan Gosling at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Fall Guy'. VALERIE MACON / AFP
Stunt techniques were on show alongside A-list stars like Ryan Gosling at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Fall Guy'. VALERIE MACON / AFP
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Hollywood Stunt Performers Rev Up 'Fall Guy' Premiere

Stunt techniques were on show alongside A-list stars like Ryan Gosling at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Fall Guy'. VALERIE MACON / AFP
Stunt techniques were on show alongside A-list stars like Ryan Gosling at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Fall Guy'. VALERIE MACON / AFP

Fresh from the high-profile success of "Barbie," Ryan Gosling used the Los Angeles premiere of his next movie "The Fall Guy" to cede the spotlight to Hollywood's unsung heroes -- stunt performers.
Loosely based on the 1980s TV series of the same name, "The Fall Guy" stars Gosling as a veteran stunt double who must recover from a severe on-set injury to save an old flame (Emily Blunt) from a mysterious real-world threat.
The movie's release comes as pressure is mounting in Hollywood for stunt performers to receive more recognition, including an Oscar category of their own.
"He got set on fire eight times for me," said Gosling, pointing to one of his stunt doubles during Tuesday's red carpet event.
"How do you thank somebody for that?"
In the film, Gosling's hero must draw on all of his impressive stunt tricks and know-how -- navigating high-speed chases, and fighting goons with hastily improvised weapons -- to save the day and win back the girl.
Those techniques were on show alongside the A-list stars at the Los Angeles premiere, as stunt actors roared motorcycles down the red carpet, leapt from a sky-high platform, and brawled through a plate-glass window.
"We just came out and tried to smash some glass and make a fun show for everybody," joked stunt performer Justin Eaton.
"The Fall Guy" -- out in US theaters Friday -- is directed by David Leitch, a former stuntman who took beatings for Matt Damon in "The Bourne Ultimatum" and Brad Pitt in "Fight Club," among others.
Leitch made the leap into directing with 2014's smash hit "John Wick," and has since helmed blockbusters like "Atomic Blonde," "Deadpool 2" and "Bullet Train."
But "The Fall Guy" is Leitch's first movie to specifically highlight and honor his former profession.
And with computer-generated visual effects increasingly used for action sequences in Hollywood movies, Leitch relished the chance to put some of the industry's best to work at the sort of old-school practical stunts that are seldom performed on camera these days.
"It was really important -- we wanted to lean into practical (stunts), because it was a celebration of that artisanship that the stunt communities had," he told AFP.
"So we leaned into the classic stunts, and did them for real."
Stunt Oscars?
Gosling's latest role required multiple specialized stuntmen.
Logan Holladay, a driving stunts expert, broke a world record during the film, by flipping a fast-moving car into an astonishing eight-and-a-half sideways "cannon rolls."
Calls have been growing for a "best stunts" category at the Oscars, with supporters arguing that their input equals that of the sound mixers, makeup artists and visual effects gurus already honored.
"You can get a Best Screenplay Oscar for typing in your shed for a year," said Drew Pearce, the film's writer.
"You have to literally risk death every day -- and not just like 'metaphorical death' death, but real death -- to be a stunt person."
Stunt work is already honored at some prestigious movie and TV ceremonies, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
"The Fall Guy" stars Gosling and Blunt paid tribute to stunt performers during this year's Academy Awards, presenting a video montage featuring hair-raising sequences from Charlie Chaplin through to Leitch's "John Wick" films.
"They've been such a crucial part of our community since the beginning of cinema," said Gosling, at April's Oscars.
Whether that campaign will prevail remains to be seen. But for now, the movie has at least raised awareness of the risks of the job.
"(As) people who work in the shadows, we accept that, we signed up for that," said Eaton.
"But just having some recognition from our audience is really the biggest thing."

Entertainment

Iranian-French Artist Marjane Satrapi Wins Spanish Asturias Award for Communication

FILE - Director, illustrator and author Marjane Satrapi poses for photographers as she arrives to present the movie “La Bande des Jotas” at the 7th edition of the Rome International Film Festival in Rome, on Nov. 16, 2012. Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed Iranian-French filmmaker and artist, has won the 2024 Princess of Asturias Foundation award for communication and humanities, the foundation announced Tuesday April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
FILE - Director, illustrator and author Marjane Satrapi poses for photographers as she arrives to present the movie “La Bande des Jotas” at the 7th edition of the Rome International Film Festival in Rome, on Nov. 16, 2012. Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed Iranian-French filmmaker and artist, has won the 2024 Princess of Asturias Foundation award for communication and humanities, the foundation announced Tuesday April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
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Iranian-French Artist Marjane Satrapi Wins Spanish Asturias Award for Communication

FILE - Director, illustrator and author Marjane Satrapi poses for photographers as she arrives to present the movie “La Bande des Jotas” at the 7th edition of the Rome International Film Festival in Rome, on Nov. 16, 2012. Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed Iranian-French filmmaker and artist, has won the 2024 Princess of Asturias Foundation award for communication and humanities, the foundation announced Tuesday April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
FILE - Director, illustrator and author Marjane Satrapi poses for photographers as she arrives to present the movie “La Bande des Jotas” at the 7th edition of the Rome International Film Festival in Rome, on Nov. 16, 2012. Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed Iranian-French filmmaker and artist, has won the 2024 Princess of Asturias Foundation award for communication and humanities, the foundation announced Tuesday April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed Iranian-French filmmaker and cartoonist, has won the 2024 Princess of Asturias Foundation award for communication and humanities, the Spanish organization announced Tuesday.

The foundation said Satrapi was “an essential voice in the defense of human rights and freedom.” The judges described her as “a symbol of civic engagement led by women.

“Due to her audacity and artistic production, she is considered one of the most influential people in the dialogue between cultures and generations,” they added, The AP reported.

Satrapi is best-known for her monochrome autobiographical comic book and film “Persepolis,” a coming-of-age tale set against the Revolution in her native Iran.

Her graphic novels also include “Broderies” (“Embroideries”) and “Poulet aux prunes” (“Chicken with plums”), which was also adapted into a film. As a filmmaker, she has directed several works, including “La Bande des Jotas” (“The Gang of Jotas”) and “Radioactive” (“Madame Curie”), a biography about the Polish physicist Marie Curie.

“Persepolis” won the Film Critics Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival in 2007 and the César Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2008, in addition to being nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Oscars.

According to the foundation's biographical note, Satrapi was born in Rasht, Iran, but her parents sent her to Vienna in 1983 to finish her studies because of the extremism in their country following the 1979 Revolution.

She later returned to Tehran and enrolled in the School of Fine Arts, but in 1994 she moved to France. She studied in Strasbourg and later moved to Paris.

In 2023, she coordinated the book “Femme, vie, liberté” ("Woman, Life, Freedom") together with a group of artists and academics to illustrate the revolts that occurred in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini in 2022 at the hands of the so-called “morality police." The work denounces the repression and lack of human rights that Iranian society, especially women, suffers at the hands of the Iranian regime, the foundation said.

Satrapi was elected member of the French Academy of Fine Arts in 2024.

The 50,000-euro ($54,000) award is one of eight prizes, including the arts, social sciences, and sports, handed out annually by the Asturias foundation named after Spanish Crown Princess Leonor. They are presented each fall by the princess in the northern city of Oviedo.

The communication and humanities award was won last year by the late Italian author and philosopher Nuccio Ordine.