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.
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Chaka Khan, Q Parker to Lead Living Legends Foundation’s 35th Anniversary Gala in Atlanta
Milestone celebration will recognize the executives, radio personalities, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders who helped shape Black music and entertainment
ATLANTA, Ga. (FNN) — Ten-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan will serve as honorary ambassador and Grammy-winning singer and founding 112 member Q Parker as honorary gala chair for the Living Legends Foundation’s 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner & Gala, the organization announced.
The milestone celebration is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 2, in Atlanta and will bring together artists, music executives, radio personalities, creatives, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders to recognize the people whose work has helped shape Black music, media and entertainment.
For Khan, the role marks a return to an organization that recognized her more than three decades ago. She was among the artists honored by the Living Legends Foundation in 1992.
“When you cross a bridge, you don’t think about all the hands that built it. Some of the most important contributions are the ones we never see,” Khan said in the announcement. “Thank you, Living Legends Foundation, for seeing that every story matters and for honoring those hands and hearts that helped build the way for all of us.”
Chaka Khan Returns for Milestone Anniversary
Living Legends Foundation Chairman David C. Linton said Khan’s connection to the organization makes her participation especially significant during its 35th anniversary.
“Having Chaka Khan serve as our Honorary Ambassador during this milestone year is incredibly meaningful,” Linton said. “Chaka’s history with the Foundation reaches back to our earliest years, and her extraordinary career represents the excellence, longevity and cultural impact we have worked to celebrate for 35 years.”
Khan’s appearance also comes as she prepares for another chapter in her recording career. According to the foundation’s announcement, her new album, “Chakzilla,” is scheduled for release Sept. 18. The project, described as her first full-length album in seven years, includes collaborations with Sia, Snoop Dogg and Lenny Kravitz.
The combination of Khan’s new music and her honorary role highlights one of the gala’s central themes: connecting the legacy of Black music with the people continuing to move the industry forward.
Q Parker to Serve as Honorary Gala Chair
Joining Khan is Q Parker, a founding member of Grammy-winning R&B group 112. Parker will serve as honorary gala chair and help promote the foundation’s work recognizing and supporting music industry professionals.
“Black music has given me a career, a community, and an opportunity to use my gifts to impact people around the world, so serving as Honorary Chair for the Living Legends Foundation’s 35th anniversary is truly an honor,” Parker said.
Parker said the industry’s success extends far beyond the artists audiences see on stage.
“This organization understands that our industry is bigger than the names we see on the marquee,” Parker said. “There are countless people behind the scenes who have dedicated their lives to moving our culture forward.”
Parker recently released the single “Stare,” from his forthcoming album, “Evolution of Romance, Volume Two,” expected this fall, according to the announcement.
Honoring the People Behind Black Music and Culture
Founded in 1991, the Living Legends Foundation has built its mission around recognizing professionals whose work has helped bring Black music and culture to audiences around the world.
Beyond its annual honors, the nonprofit provides support to music industry professionals with confirmed needs and invests in future generations through mentorship, scholarships and other assistance.
The anniversary gala will continue that mission by placing executives, broadcasters, advocates, entrepreneurs and other behind-the-scenes leaders alongside some of the most recognizable figures in entertainment.
2026 Living Legends Foundation Honorees
This year’s honorees include:
- Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award: Louis Carr, president of BET
- A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award: Black Promoters Collective
- Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award: Kenny Smoov, vice president of urban programming, Cumulus
- Frankie Crocker Radio Personality Award: Greg Street, air personality, V-103 Atlanta
- Impact Player Award: Juliette Jones, COO, Alamo Records
- Music Executive Award: Tim Reid, senior vice president, repertoire and marketing, BMG Recorded Music
- Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award: Phylicia Fant, global director, Black Music + Culture, Amazon Music
- Kendall Minter Entertainment Advocate Award: James McMillan, Esq., CEO, ART@WAR Entertainment
- Hip-Hop Visionary Award: Ted Lucas, founder and CEO, Slip-N-Slide Records
- Entrepreneur Award: Ralph McDaniels, executive producer, “Video Music Box”
Why the 35th Anniversary Matters
The anniversary reflects more than three decades of recognizing people whose contributions to Black music and entertainment have not always received the same public attention as the artists they helped build, promote and sustain.
That history is reflected in Khan’s return. After being recognized by the foundation in its early years, she will now help honor another generation of industry leaders.
The 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner & Gala will continue the Living Legends Foundation’s tradition of celebrating achievement, leadership, innovation and service while preserving the stories of the people who helped build the business and culture surrounding Black music.
