Film Festival

The 51st edition of the Canadian festival will also feature world premieres starring Taron Egerton, Amanda Seyfried and Chase InfinitiWorld premieres of films led by Helen Mirren, Seth Rogen and Chris Rock lead the lineup for this year’s Toronto film festival.The September festival, taking place after the Venice film festival, has previously seen the premieres of Oscar-winning movies such as Green Book, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Still Alice, Dallas Buyers Club and Silver Linings Playbook. Continue reading...

• The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is scheduled to take place from July 3-11, 2026, featuring a lineup of world premieres. • A highlighted selection includes "Dao," a three-hour family epic by Senegalese director Alain Gomis that previously screened at Berlinale 2026. • The film "Dao" explores cultural dynamics and family gatherings across France and Guinea-Bissau, focusing on two women within the same culture.

• The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced its 2026 programme, which will run from August 13-19. • The lineup features 38 new feature film presentations, including 21 world premieres, with 10 of those competing for the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. • The event will introduce the inaugural EIFF Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award, which will be presented to Kenneth Branagh.

• The Munich Film Festival's CineCoPro pitch showcased a diverse array of Nordic-flavored projects, including superhero stories, political dramas, and family films, all seeking funding and production partners. • Key projects highlighted include the German-Danish coming-of-age drama *Bjørn & Matthias* and *Morphs (WT)*, a North Sea island drama marking the feature debut of Grimme Award-winner Hilke Rönnfeldt. • Other notable entries included *Bolliver*, a Norwegian family film centered on a performing teddy bear, illustrating the wide range of genres being developed.

• The 2026 Shanghai Film Festival concluded with a first-time director winning the prestigious Golden Goblet award. • Artificial intelligence served as a dominant theme throughout the event, though attendees maintained a pragmatic and grounded perspective on its impact. • The festival highlighted a strong commitment to youth in cinema and featured a successful screening of a 1961 classic that drew a massive crowd.

• The Karlovy Vary Film Festival has finalized its 2026 lineup, adding the Cannes winner 'Fjord' and 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' to its schedule. • The updated program features a "Horizons" section highlighting festival circuit favorites and an "Afterhours" program, which was previously titled "Midnight Screenings." • These additions emphasize the festival's commitment to showcasing a diverse range of genre hits and critically acclaimed international cinema.

• The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) concluded its ten-day celebration of cinema with the Golden Goblet Awards Ceremony held at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. • Top honors were distributed across five competition categories: Main Competition, Asian New Talent, Documentary, Animation, and Short Film. • Notable winners included ZHANG Songwen, who received the Best Actor award for his performance in the film *SECRET IN THE BOX*, directed by Frankie Tam Kwong Yuen.

Over 40 years, Italy’s Il Cinema Ritrovato – or ‘rediscovered cinema’ – has evolved into an influential international gatheringBologna will be transformed into an open-air museum of cinema on Saturday as a nine-day festival dedicated to restored, rediscovered and overlooked films – some dating back more than a century – gets under way in the northern Italian city.Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Il Cinema Ritrovato, or “rediscovered cinema”, has evolved from its niche origins into an influential international gathering captivating a new generation of cinephiles. Continue reading...

• Actress Mary Stuart Masterson made a rare red carpet appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month. • The appearance was made to support her new movie, 'Rain Reign,' marking her first time at the New York event since 2021. • This event is significant as Masterson has seldom appeared at high-profile red carpet functions in recent years.

• The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) has launched its latest edition with a strategic focus on promoting emerging Chinese-language and regional filmmakers. • The event opened with the debut feature 'Afterpiece,' directed by first-time filmmaker Keane T.K. Wong, highlighting a diverse competition slate of new talent. • Managing director Chen Guo emphasized that talent development has become a defining strength of the festival, aiming to elevate the next generation of Asian cinema.

• The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has unveiled its 2026 competition titles for the Crystal Globe and Proxima categories. • The selection features 24 world premieres from filmmakers spanning five continents, including works from Mexico, Japan, Croatia, Italy, and the United Kingdom. • This lineup reinforces the festival's commitment to showcasing new cinematic voices and promoting unconventional storytelling approaches.

• The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival will take place from June 12-21, featuring a main competition lineup for the Golden Goblet Awards. • Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai has been appointed to lead the main competition jury for this edition of the event. • In a historic first for the festival, all 12 titles selected for the main competition section will be debuting as world premieres.

• The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival has announced the official selection for its prestigious Golden Goblet competition. • The lineup features a diverse array of international titles, including "Hunter’s Moon" (India-Germany), "9 Temples to Heaven" (Thailand), and "No Good in Sight: A Story" (Kazakhstan). • The competition highlights several world premieres, such as "The Blind Girl and an Elephant" from Bangladesh-Germany and "About the Mother" from Turkey, alongside four Chinese entries.

• The Shanghai International Film Festival announced the full nomination lineup for the 28th Golden Goblet Awards on May 30, 2026. • Multiple Chinese-language productions earned nominations across major categories, showcasing the competitive quality of regional filmmaking. • The nominations underscore the increasing influence and strength of Asian cinema within the global international film circuit.

• Critics Jacob Stolworthy and Patrick Smith have released a curated list of the eight best movies screened at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. • The selection features a diverse range of genres, including a metaphysical drama, a monster movie, and a sweeping epic positioned as a strong awards contender. • A highlighted entry is a new film from the director of "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve.

• Al Jazeera Media Network won 12 awards at the 2026 New York Festivals TV Film Awards, announced during a virtual ceremony. • Al Jazeera Arabic received two Gold and one Bronze award for its documentary coverage of developments in Syria. • Al Jazeera English earned two Gold, two Silver, and five Bronze awards for human-interest stories across Palestine, India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

• Romanian director Cristian Mungiu won his second Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the film ‘Fjord,’ marking the seventh year that Neon has taken the top prize. • Other notable winners included the films ‘Minotaur,’ ‘Fatherland,’ and ‘The Black Ball.’ • The Best Actress award was shared by Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for their roles in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” a French-Japanese production.

• Cristian Mungiu won the prestigious Palme d'Or for his film *Fjord* at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. • The jury, led by Park Chan-wook, awarded the Grand Prix to *Minotaur* and named Pawel Pawlikowski (*Fatherland*) and the duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (*The Black Ball*) as best directors. • These awards highlight the top cinematic achievements of the year, cementing the global prestige of the winning filmmakers and their projects.

• The South Korean monster movie "Hope," produced by Plus M Entertainment, has emerged as the most divisive and wild entry at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. • The film is generating significant buzz and debate among critics and audiences due to its unconventional and shocking nature. • This reaction highlights the festival's role as a platform for provocative cinema that challenges traditional storytelling and genre boundaries.

• Cristian Mungiu won the prestigious Palme d'Or for his film *Fjord* at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. • The Grand Prix was awarded to *Minotaur*, while Pawel Pawlikowski (*Fatherland*) and the duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (*The Black Ball*) shared the Best Director prize. • The awards were determined by a jury led by acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook, marking a significant moment for international cinema.

• Romanian director Cristian Mungiu won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his English-language debut, *Fjord*. • The drama stars Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan as religious Romanian parents who face child abuse accusations after relocating to Norway. • At 58, Mungiu becomes only the 10th director to win the top prize twice, joining an elite group that includes Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Haneke.

• Romanian director Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his Norway-set drama "Fjord," which explores political polarization. • This victory marks the second time Mungiu has received the festival's top honor, having previously directed "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days." • The Camera d’Or for best first film was awarded to Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s "Ben’Imana," the first Rwandan film to be officially selected for the event.

• Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, recognizing his legendary contributions to cinema. • Jane Fonda and Gong Li declared the festival officially open on stage, highlighting the event's celebration of international cinema and iconic figures. • The festival continues its tradition of honoring filmmaking excellence while bringing together major talent from Asia and around the world.

Absence of big US films heralds renewed focus on international cinema that underpins festival’s reputationFor decades, Cannes has occupied a unique place in the cultural imagination – not just as the world’s most prestigious film festival, but as Hollywood’s most glamorous overseas outpost.From Grace Kelly on the Croisette, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman at the Pulp Fiction premiere, Julia Roberts walking barefoot up the red carpet, to Tom Cruise shutting down the Riviera with fighter jets overhead, Hollywood has made its mark on Cannes. Continue reading...

Regular events at the Tasmanian festival, including the Winter Solstice Nude Swim and the Night Mass party, joined by Australian and international musicians and artists in a program dominated by Latin American art Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailA hallucinatory experimental film starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Rampling that can only be watched by one person at a time is heading to Australia as part of Tasmania’s 2026 Dark Mofo festival.It’s estimated that only 500 people in the world have seen French artist Loris Gréaud’s film Sculpt since its premiere at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2016 – though the exact figure is hard to know, since he later supplied the files to hackers to distribute over the dark web.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...