Entertainment
Alongside Cannes mainstays, fresh faces try to stand out
Mati Diop only realized long after her Dakar-set “Atlantics” had been selected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival that she had made history. Diop, the 36-year-old French-born filmmaker of Senegalese heritage, is the first black woman in competition for Cannes’ top honor, the Palme d’Or.
The 72nd Cannes Film Festival, which opens Tuesday will feature a lot of familiar faces who have long made Cannes their home, including Pedro Almodóvar, Ken Loach and Jim Jarmusch, whose zombie comedy “The Dead Don’t Die” will open the festival and mark the director’s ninth time in competition in Cannes.
But Cannes is also where a new cinematic voice can be catapulted onto cinema’s world stage. Diop, who has made a number of acclaimed shorts and who starred in Claire Denis’ “35 Shots of Rum,” will make her feature film debut in Cannes. She’s one of four female directors in the festival’s 21-film main slate, which ties Cannes’ previous high, in 2011.
“I’ve been through all kinds of different emotions from the announcement until now,” said Diop by phone in Paris where she was busy putting the finishing touches on “Atlantics.” ″But it’s very stimulating for me to be part of this specific edition that is remarkable for its novelty. It’s a selection in which there are more women, in which there are first feature films, where Africa is represented.
“This gives me the feeling of being part of some new excitement,” she added. “In a way, it’s a turning point for the festival.”
Whether this year’s edition of Cannes will indeed open a new chapter in the prestigious 72-year history of the French Riviera festival remains to be seen. Certainly, the tremors of last year’s Cannes — where 82 women protested gender inequality on the red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals — are still being felt.
One of the primary figures of that demonstration was Agnes Varda, the French New Wave pioneer who died in March at 90. As a tribute, this year’s official Cannes poster is a picture of Varda shooting her first feature, 1955′s “La Pointe Courte,” peering through a raised camera while standing on the back of a man.
Whether Cannes has done enough to adjust to the #MeToo era is sure to be a prominent subject throughout the festival. This year’s selection committee, for the first time, was half women. Still, some have criticized the festival’s selections — about 25 percent directed by women, in total — as a slight and unconvincing improvement. (By comparison, women directed 40 percent of the Berlin Film Festival’s selections, and 46 percent of those at Sundance.)
“In the time that Agnès Varda started, it was hard for women to be directors,” Thierry Fremaux, artistic director of Cannes, told IndieWire. “More and more, it’s not easy, but it’s easier. We have more female directors in films schools, in universities, and in the industry. It’s logical that at a film festival like Cannes, we have had more women over time, because we have paid more attention.”
Tradition and progress are always in tension at Cannes. For the second straight year, this year’s in-competition selections will feature no Netflix releases. Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” was last year set to premiere at Cannes before French distributors — aiming to preserve the country’s theatrical window — pushed the festival to require that all films up for the Palme d’Or have a release planned in French theaters. Netflix withdrew its films , including “Roma.” (This year, the streamer does have one movie, “Wounds,” in the parallel section Directors’ Fortnight.)
Netflix could still be a presence at Cannes’ film market, the world’s largest. Amazon Studios, which has released its films first in theaters, will have the first streaming series to debut at Cannes. The first two episodes of Nicolas Winding Refn’s 10-part crime drama “Too Old to Die Young” will premiere at the festival.
But some things never change. Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, will, as he’s done for decades, be frantically riding a bicycle racing from one screening to the next in search for the specialty distributor’s next acquisition — and, hopefully, a seat. “There’s always discovery,” said Bernard.
Sony Pictures Classics has two films in competition: Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory” and Ira Sachs’ “Frankie.” Bernard believes that while the streamers may be deeper pocketed, those pledging a theatrical release can offer a different kind of prominence.
“Everybody has a very unique thing to offer. We have to offer a theatrical experience, a long run in the theaters in the U.S., a long run in all of the various windows of the movie, so that it reaches many more people over the long run,” said Bernard. “Whereas a lot of the streaming services, it’s a one-and-done proposition.”
This year’s Cannes, where Alejandro Iñárritu will preside over the jury that will decide the Palme d’Or, has some of the Hollywood glitz that has perhaps gone wanting in recent years.
Twenty five years after “Pulp Fiction” won the Palme d’Or, Quentin Tarantino will be back on the Croisette with his 1969 Los Angeles saga “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. The Elton John biopic “Rocketman” will splash down. “The Dead Don’t Die” will bring Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Adam Driver back to Cannes.
Jarmusch has been coming to Cannes since 1984′s “Stranger Than Paradise.” For him, the festival has been a lifeblood to his artistic freedom.
“In the old days, it was essential for me in my ability to sell the films,” said Jarmusch. “I would often have them premiere there before all the world sales were made so that was incredibly helpful which allowed me to continue as I have having creative control over my films. Cannes is kind of wrapped up in that.”
Other Cannes regulars include the Dardennes brothers (“The Young Ahmed”), Xavier Dolan (“Matthias and Maxime”) and Terrence Malick (“A Hidden Life”), the notoriously press-shy filmmaker whose last Cannes entry, “The Tree of Life,” won the Palme d’Or in 2011.
But part of this year’s excitement is in the new faces. Among those in competition for the first time are Mali-born Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” and China’s Diao Yinan (“The Wild Goose Lake”). In Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, American filmmakers Danielle Lessovitz (“Port Authority”), Annie Silverstein (“Bull”) and Michael Covino (“The Climb”) will all be screening features for the first time in Cannes.
So will Robert Eggers, whose 17th century puritan nightmare “The Witch” was an indie hit in 2015, announcing the arrival of a filmmaker of meticulous period research and genre ambition. His “The Lighthouse,” playing in Directors’ Fortnight, stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as turn-of-the-century lighthouse keepers. Eggers shot it in 35mm and in black and white using old lenses and old-looking filters.
“It takes place on a remote and mysterious island off the coast of Maine but there’s a way in which it should feel ‘once upon a time,’” said Eggers. “Even though it’s rusty, dusty, crusty, musty and grounded in reality, it still has some things about it that should feel like a storybook.”
Dappled in sunshine and splendor along the Mediterranean, Cannes can feel like a different kind of storybook, shining a beacon for cinema. The seas are often rough, and always changing.
Entertainment
How Orlando International Fashion Week Builds Confidence: A Belonging-Driven Casting Experience
Entertainment
160+ Bands, 5 Stages: Welcome To Rockville Returns to Daytona International Speedway May 7–10 with Expanded Fan Experience
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN) — Music set times have been released for the 15th anniversary of Welcome To Rockville, Florida’s largest rock, metal and punk festival, set for May 7–10, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway.
Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, the four-day event will feature more than 160 bands performing across five stages, marking the festival’s largest lineup to date.
HEADLINERS AND DAILY LINEUP
This year’s festival will be headlined by Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Guns N’ Roses and Bring Me The Horizon.
- Thursday, May 7: Guns N’ Roses, Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Staind
- Friday, May 8: Foo Fighters, Turnstile, The Offspring, Parkway Drive
- Saturday, May 9: Bring Me The Horizon, Breaking Benjamin, Motionless in White, Lamb of God
- Sunday, May 10: My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, Rise Against, Yellowcard
FESTIVAL EXPANSION AND NEW FEATURES
Organizers announced several enhancements for 2026 aimed at improving the fan experience. A new “Pit Stop” fan zone near the Apex Stage will feature artist interviews, special performances and interactive experiences.
In addition, the Garage Stage will be fully tented for the first time, offering expanded shade coverage and upgraded production for attendees.
SPECIAL EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES
Festivalgoers can kick off the week with a pre-party on May 6 featuring performances by Fuel, Local H and others.
A new crossover event, “Blood4Blood,” will also take place at the Ocean Center, combining live music with bare-knuckle fighting, including a headline bout featuring Alex Terrible of Slaughter to Prevail.
TICKETS, ACCESS AND ATTENDANCE
Festival gates will open daily at 11:30 a.m. Organizers are offering a range of ticket options, including single-day, weekend, VIP and camping packages. A new Camp to Coast shuttle will provide transportation between the speedway and nearby beaches.
With expanded attractions, including rides, themed bars and interactive zones, Welcome To Rockville 2026 is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans to Daytona Beach, reinforcing its role as a major driver of Florida’s tourism and live entertainment economy.
Entertainment
Orlando International Fashion Week Partners with Orlando Fringe Festival for 35th Anniversary Avant-Garde Showcase
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Orlando International Fashion Week (OIFW) has announced a new creative partnership with the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival as the festival celebrates its 35th anniversary this May.
As part of the collaboration, OIFW will present a special avant-garde fashion showcase on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., during the two-week festival. The curated runway will feature bold, experimental designs that reflect Fringe’s spirit of artistic freedom, individuality and innovation.
PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATES CREATIVE COLLABORATION
Organizers say the partnership reflects a natural alignment between two nonprofit organizations committed to supporting artists and expanding access to creative spaces.
“Fringe and OIFW share a commitment to creating platforms where artists can take risks and express themselves freely,” said Rob Henlon, executive director and co-founder of OIFW. “This collaboration allows fashion to exist within a broader artistic conversation.”
John Payne-Rios, an OIFW advisory board member, added that the partnership strengthens Orlando’s creative ecosystem by bringing together fashion, theater and community engagement.
Festival organizers echoed that sentiment, noting the addition of fashion enhances the Outdoor Stage experience and introduces new artistic energy to the event.
DESIGNER CALL AND MODEL CASTING UNDERWAY
In conjunction with the partnership, OIFW has opened its designer registration call for creatives interested in participating in the Fringe showcase.
Designers are encouraged to submit collections that emphasize:
- Avant-garde concepts
- Artistic storytelling
- Bold, experimental design
Models can also audition for both the Fringe showcase and upcoming OIFW runway shows. Casting calls are scheduled for April 12 and April 19 at CityArts Gallery in downtown Orlando from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The casting is open to ages 4 and up, with no prior experience required.
FRINGE FESTIVAL MARKS 35 YEARS OF ARTISTIC FREEDOM
For 35 years, the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival has provided an inclusive platform for artists to present original work in an unjuried and uncensored environment. The festival is the longest-running Fringe festival in the United States and returns 100% of ticket sales directly to artists.
Each May, the festival transforms Orlando into a hub of live performances, visual art, music and interactive experiences that celebrate diverse voices and creative expression.
What’s Next for OIFW?
The Fringe collaboration serves as a lead-in to OIFW’s signature summer event, Orlando International Fashion Week Presents: 626 Euphoria, scheduled for June 6, 2026, at the Winter Park Events Center.
Organizers say the upcoming season will continue to focus on:
- Expanding fashion as a cultural platform
- Strengthening cross-industry partnerships
- Elevating emerging and diverse designers
