Monica Bellucci brings classic Cannes glamour back to the Croisette tonight as she premieres ‘The Birthday Party’, the latest Competition film from acclaimed French director Léa Mysius. Set in eerie isolated marshlands, the psychological thriller follows a family whose birthday celebration spirals into chaos as unsettling events begin to unfold. Bellucci plays a mysterious Italian painter living next door, alongside Hafsia Herzi and Bastien Bouillon. Mysius, known for ‘Ava and The Five Devils’, also co-wrote Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Pérez’, making this one of the most anticipated late premieres of the festival. Elsewhere at Cannes, British director Clio Barnard impressed critics with…
Author: Ewang Johnson
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But while an actor from Ireland or the Antipodes would be acceptable, the consensus seems to be than an American Bond is a step too far, no matter how good his accent. Californian beefcake Austin Butler ruled himself out on that basis, calling the idea “sacrilegious”. It might seem arbitrary, but Bond’s emergence as an icon of post-war British identity was, in part, a response to the growing cultural dominance of the United States. “I agree with Austin Butler,” Bruce Feirstein, screenwriter on three Bond films, tells the BBC. “The reason Bond is so loved internationally is specifically because he’s…
Africa’s continuing battle against the dreaded malaria is hamstrung by insufficient funding. It is time the private sector, which also suffers the consequences of the disease, joined in the fight. During the World Health Assembly (18-23 May), Minsters of Health from 193 member states of the World Health Organisation will meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss global health issues. Among them of course will be a very sizeable African delegation which will present issues particular to the continent. The hope is that attention will be placed on one of the most persistent barriers to a healthy future for African citizens…
Stephen Colbert chatted with Paul McCartney and joined him on stage for a raucous performance of “Hello, Goodbye” on the final broadcast of CBS’ “The Late Show” on Thursday night, a bittersweet farewell for a canceled show that still had a few barbs left for the network that ended its 33-year run. At the top of his last show, which grew more surreal and absurd as it went on, Colbert highlighted the “joy” that he and his team felt creating more than 1,800 episodes of “The Late Show.” “The energy that you’ve given us, we sincerely need that to have…
Like all successful memes the original concept is easily understandable. Its theme of motherhood is universal, and the composition and colour of Whistler’s painting is simple enough for it to be copied easily. Because it lacks any narrative content, the image also has an open-ended quality, making resilient to endlessly remixes, particularly ones done in a subversive spirit. The mother’s air of rectitude and stoicism can be effectively juxtaposed with any form of silliness, and her old-fashioned air contrasted with up-to-date technology. Even switching her with a cat or dog continues to be surprisingly amusing. Its popularity as an image…
Calls grow for stronger U.S.-Africa AI partnerships and policy capacity building Tech Review Africa Source link
The world’s most popular social media platforms’ rankings are constantly changing. For example, from February to October 2025, WhatsApp overtook YouTube and tied with Instagram to become the second most popular platform in the world. Posting on popular social media platforms is a strong tactic to increase brand awareness and drive visitors to your website, if it’s where your audience spends their time. Knowing your audience well enough to know which platforms they use most helps focus your social media marketing strategy and build meaningful connections. Statistically, people in different demographics prefer different social platforms and sometimes, for different purposes.…
The harsh treatment of African immigrants in South Africa that has been making headlines over the past few weeks takes me back to April 2015 when similar xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans were flooding TV screens around the world. I was travelling to Ghana, the first sub-Saharan nation to gain independence, whose liberation and leadership under pan-African luminary Kwame Nkrumah had inspired South Africa’s own freedom movement. South Africa’s liberation movement, the ANC had offices here and the legendary former leader of the ANC, Oliver Tambo, in exile had walked Ghana’s streets freely. I have been through the border umpteenth…
I saw both men laugh off a sad reality: the assumption that age isn’t accompanied by maturity but by a kind of socially acceptable meanness. On a recent episode of Pardon the Interruption—a show I’ve been watching faithfully since I was in middle school—co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon opened with a lighthearted riff on “National Nothing to Fear Day.”The show’s cold open proceeded as it often does, with the two friends laughing as Tony rattled off a list of fears—snakes, spiders, emotional intimacy. “None of that,” Tony quipped. I laughed. Immediately afterwards, both men—each of whom is over retirement age, Tony…
The oldest bridge in Paris has begun to vanish this week, as the artist JR – who is known as the “French Banksy” – began inflating a giant “cave” over the Pont Neuf. The monumental, rocky illusion is swallowing the 17th-century landmark, which has carried Parisians across the Seine for more than 400 years. By Thursday, it looked as if a prehistoric cliff had risen in the heart of the city. The inflation process, which was carried out overnight – after being delayed by bad weather — is the most dramatic stage yet of a project more than a year in the making. …
