Author: Ewang Johnson
Manon Kerjean tells us why Pierre Niney’s performance in “Gourou” recalls the punchy rhetoric of American coaches in Yann Gozlan’s latest film. But first, we discuss the big winners at this year’s Lumières awards, selected by the foreign press in Paris, as François Ozon’s adaptation of “L’Étranger” picks up the top prize. Manon also tells us why Erige Sehiri’s film “Promised Sky” provides an insight into the socio-political reality in Tunisia and raises powerful points about families, both biological and chosen. Plus we check out the film adaptation of the beloved French comic “Les Légendaires”. Source link
Simply the best?There are, of course, many rival claimants to the title of the greatest final shot in cinema history. Planet of the Apes’ Statue of Liberty sighting, the slow realisation in The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s freeze-frame finish, the door closing in The Godfather, and Norma Desmond asking for her close-up in Sunset Boulevard each deserve a mention. But none of these has been replicated quite as often as City Lights’ final moment.Films as diverse as The 400 Blows, This Is England, Gone Girl, and Moonlight owe Chaplin a debt, as they each end with characters…
The Sub Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC) has announced the first confirmed speakers for its 10th Anniversary programme, bringing together senior policymakers, regulators and National Oil Company (NOC) executives from across the region. Many of the confirmed speakers have actively participated in SAIPEC since its inception, contributing to its evolution from a regional conference into Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy platform.The first series of confirmed speakers includes:Dr Emeafa Hardcastle, Acting CEO, Petroleum Commission Ghana (Ghana)Engr. Felix Ogbe Omatsola, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) (Nigeria)Hon. Dr Eng. Caleb Makwiranzou, Deputy Minister for Mines and…
One year after Donald Trump’s return to power, FRANCE 24’s Eve Jackson revisits the paradoxical and conflictual relationship between the US president and culture and the arts. From controversial appointments in Hollywood, to attacks on diversity policies, to the symbolic takeover of the Kennedy Center, the US president intends to regain control of the American cultural narrative. Faced with this pressure, artists and institutions are getting organised, taking a stand and mobilising for freedom of speech. Source link
That it had a positive response from this fanbase might well have been predicted, but what has been more surprising to some is the show’s other core demographic: women, and specifically straight women. From Cosmopolitan to NPR many media outlets have been asking why the show’s male-on-male sex scenes have been getting women so hot-under-the-collar. Really though, this shouldn’t be a surprise at all – given the long history of women engaging with this kind of material, on the page if not on screen.The history of the phenomenonSince the 1960s, certainly, it is well-documented that male-on-male romance and erotica stories have…
Energy is the lifeblood of modern economies, and for Africa, it is a decisive factor in shaping the continent’s infrastructure development, economic growth, and industrialisation. From roads and rail networks to urban centres and industrial hubs, reliable and sustainable energy is essential for powering the infrastructure that underpins development across the continent.Africa faces an unprecedented opportunity. With rapid urbanisation, population growth, and expanding industrial demand, the need for integrated, reliable, and scalable energy systems has never been more urgent. Infrastructure projects—from transportation corridors to industrial parks—cannot reach their full potential without a robust energy backbone. Energy enables construction, supports digital…
Time, Part I: The Present“He made the moon to mark the seasons,and the sun knows when to go down.”—Psalm 104:19“As he misplaced all sense of up and down, he felt, at last, connected to it all”—Train DreamsIt is so viciously hard, in our age, to look beyond what is right in front of us. Each new day brings headlines of violence across the world and, increasingly, close to home. Each glance at our screens encourages us to respond to these blatant evils by casting our frustrations into the void of social media rather than effective action or communal participation. “What…
Speaking on FRANCE 24, fashion journalist Dana Thomas pays tribute to the legendary Valentino, a ‘joyful and joyous’ fashion designer who worked on ‘elevating the beauty of women’. Valentino Garavani passed away on Monday aged 93 at his home in Rome. Source link
As we all now know, this alarming chain of events did not end in catastrophe. For all the heightened tension, the story ended up as a light-hearted item at the end of that evening’s late news programme, complete with Tom Lehrer’s blackly comic song We Will All Go Together When We Go (“… all suffused with an incandescent glow”).World currency markets wobbled, while politicians, military chiefs and journalists spent a frantic hour scrambling for informationThe BBC’s Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman noted: “Before we go, we should report that nuclear war did not break out today, despite the best efforts of…
By Japhet Gana: Group Head, Transaction Risk & Financial Crimes, Yellow CardIn the past decade, our financial systems have become more digitally interconnected than ever before. Convenience and speed now come with a price: financial crime. From sophisticated money-laundering networks to cyber-enabled fraud rings, criminal actors are exploiting gaps in regulation and oversight. As traditional finance evolves, so too have the methods and opportunities for abuse, and nowhere is this more evident than in the digital asset space.Cryptocurrency and other digital assets promised a more inclusive and efficient financial system. But without the right guardrails, innovation can inadvertently create new…