Foreign Film Thriving in Pandemic, Says Michael Mann

US director Michael Mann spoke at the launch of Los Angeles-based French film festival COLCOA Michael TRAN AFP
US director Michael Mann spoke at the launch of Los Angeles-based French film festival COLCOA Michael TRAN AFP
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Foreign Film Thriving in Pandemic, Says Michael Mann

US director Michael Mann spoke at the launch of Los Angeles-based French film festival COLCOA Michael TRAN AFP
US director Michael Mann spoke at the launch of Los Angeles-based French film festival COLCOA Michael TRAN AFP

The growth of streaming and binge-watching during the pandemic have switched more audiences onto foreign cinema, veteran director Michael Mann said Monday at the launch of Hollywood's French film festival.

"Heat" and "The Last of the Mohicans" director Mann was speaking at the 25th anniversary opening night of COLCOA, which celebrates French movies in Los Angeles, but was canceled last year due to Covid-19.

This year's edition is somewhat scaled back, in part as a ban on European travelers imposed at the start of the pandemic remains in place until next week. But COLCOA still boasts a field of 55 movies and series designed to showcase the best in Gallic cinema, AFP reported.

It opened Monday with "Between Two Worlds," in which Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche -- alongside a largely non-professional cast -- goes undercover to expose the insecurity of the gig economy.

"I think the combination of streaming and Covid, where people spend so much time watching video on-demand and streaming, has opened up the whole world of cinema in a really terrific way," Mann told AFP on the red carpet.

The debut earlier this year of French-language TV mystery "Lupin" became Netflix's third most-watched season. Even that was recently dwarfed by the success of South Korea's "Squid Game," watched by 111 million accounts less than a month after its September release.

Thanks to a new generation of filmmakers and streaming platforms, "there is a way to consume, to discover and to be interested in different genres, and so effectively the American public is opening up to the world," said COLCOA festival director Francois Truffart.

In a year that also saw French television shows such as "Call My Agent" gain global fans, COLCOA is putting increased emphasis on series such as Emile Zola adaptation "Germinal," and Julie Delpy's middle-age comedy "On The Verge."

Films include "Lost Illusions," adaptated from Honore de Balzac's novel, and "Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle," about a Japanese soldier who refuses to believe World War II has ended and fights on for decades.

COLCOA, which stands for "City of Lights, City of Angels" -- the nicknames of Paris and Los Angeles, respectively -- runs until Sunday.



Julian McMahon, Actor Who Appeared in ‘Fantastic Four’ Films and TV Show ‘Charmed,’ Has Died

Julian McMahon arrives at the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP)
Julian McMahon arrives at the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP)
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Julian McMahon, Actor Who Appeared in ‘Fantastic Four’ Films and TV Show ‘Charmed,’ Has Died

Julian McMahon arrives at the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP)
Julian McMahon arrives at the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP)

Julian McMahon, an Australia-born actor who performed in two "Fantastic Four" films and appeared in TV shows such as "Charmed,Nip/Tuck" and "Profiler," has died, his wife said in a statement.

McMahon, 56, died peacefully this week after a battle with cancer, Kelly McMahon said in a statement provided to The Associated Press by his Beverly Hills, California-based publicist.

"Julian loved life," the statement said. "He loved his family. He loved his friends He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible."

McMahon played Dr. Doom in the films "Fantastic Four" in 2005 and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," which came out two years later.

Along with "Charmed,Nip/Tuck," and "Profiler," he also had roles in the TV shows "Home and Away,FBI: Most Wanted" and "Another World," according to IMDB.

Actress Alyssa Milano, who appeared with McMahon on "Charmed," mourned his death on social media, saying "Julian was more than my TV husband."

"Julian McMahon was magic," Milano said. "That smile. That laugh. That talent. That presence. He walked into a room and lit it up — not just with charisma, but with kindness. With mischief. With soulful understanding."