Venice

Venice Film Festival opens with star power, and Gaza protesters

BY ADAM PLOWRIGHT

  • Israel's nearly two-year bombardment of Gaza also featured prominently during the Cannes film festival in May where hundreds of movie figures signed a petition saying they were "ashamed" of their industry's "passivity" about the war.
  • The Venice Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with Hollywood royalty arriving for Italy's glitzy movie showcase where a strong line up of star-packed films will vie with protests about the Gaza war for public attention. 
  • Israel's nearly two-year bombardment of Gaza also featured prominently during the Cannes film festival in May where hundreds of movie figures signed a petition saying they were "ashamed" of their industry's "passivity" about the war.
The Venice Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with Hollywood royalty arriving for Italy's glitzy movie showcase where a strong line up of star-packed films will vie with protests about the Gaza war for public attention. 
Julia Roberts and George Clooney are some of the biggest names at the 82nd edition of the world's longest-running festival, with top directors from Kathryn Bigelow to Jim Jarmusch all due on the sandy Lido across the Venice lagoon.
The main event in Wednesday evening's opening ceremony was Francis Ford Coppola awarding a Lifetime Achievement award to German director Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man", "Fitzcarraldo") for his canon of more than 70 films.
Herzog, who said he always searched for the "sublime" in his films, will showcase his latest documentary, "Ghost Elephants", about a lost herd in Angola, on Thursday.
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's "La Grazia" -- about an Italian president grappling with doubts over whether to sign a euthanasia bill into law -- was the first main in-competition movie presented on Wednesday.
"Dwelling on doubt and then allowing that doubt to mature into a decision is something that is increasingly rare," Sorrentino told journalists.
"Mother", a film depicting Mother Teresa as a sometimes ruthless figure struggling to reconcile her views on motherhood and abortion, opened the secondary Orizzonti section. 
Eyes were set to quickly turn to Hollywood's favourite leading man, Clooney, who stepped off a water taxi in Venice with his wife Amal on Tuesday.
On Thursday, he will be seen in the premiere of Netflix-produced comedy "Jay Kelly", directed by Noah Baumbach, in which he plays a top Hollywood actor with an identity crisis.
On the same night is the premiere of sci-fi comedy "Bugonia" from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, which stars Emma Stone as a pharmaceutical executive kidnapped by people who mistake her for an alien.
Roberts, meanwhile, will appear at Venice for the first time on Friday in the out-of-competition cancel-culture drama "After the Hunt", from Italy's Luca Guadagnino.
Winners of the festival's prestigious Golden Bear top prize often go on to Oscar glory, such as "Nomadland" or "Joker" in previous years.

Pro-Palestinian protest

Though the festival and this year's jury president Alexander Payne ("Sideways") were keen to focus on the roster of movies making their world premieres in the next 11 days, world events dominated their day-one press conference.
Protesters held up a "Free Palestine" banner in front of the festival's main building, while a group of Italian film professionals have called on organisers to openly condemn Israel's invasion and siege of Gaza.
A demonstration to condemn Israel and the war in Gaza has been called for Saturday in Venice by hundreds of local political and rights groups. 
The festival had already declared "huge sadness and suffering vis-a-vis what is happening in Gaza and Palestine", its director Alberto Barbera told reporters. But he ruled out rescinding invitations to pro-Israeli actors.
Israel's nearly two-year bombardment of Gaza also featured prominently during the Cannes film festival in May where hundreds of movie figures signed a petition saying they were "ashamed" of their industry's "passivity" about the war.
The festival has selected a film about the war for its main competition -- "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Franco-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which reconstructs the death of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab who was killed last year by Israeli forces.

'Frankestein'

The flurry of premieres to be screened in Venice also include Guillermo del Toro big-budget remake of "Frankenstein", starring Oscar Isaac, or Bigelow's political thriller "A House of Dynamite", starring Idris Elba.
In one of the boldest casting choices, British actor Jude Law will try his hand at Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas's "The Wizard of the Kremlin", while Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson portrays mixed martial arts champion Mark Kerr in much-hyped "The Smashing Machine" from Benny Safdie.
Jarmusch marks his first time in Venice's main lineup with "Father Mother Sister Brother", bringing together Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, while Taiwan-born model and actress Shu Qi makes her directorial debut with "Nuhai (Girl)".
ams-adp/rmb

Venice

Globetrotting German director Herzog honoured at Venice festival

  • Herzog "has never ceased from testing the limits of the film language," said festival artistic director Alberto Barbera in announcing the award in April.
  • Globetrotting filmmaker Werner Herzog, an eclectic risk-taker whose monumental works often explore humankind's conflict with nature, was honoured with a special award on Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival.
  • Herzog "has never ceased from testing the limits of the film language," said festival artistic director Alberto Barbera in announcing the award in April.
Globetrotting filmmaker Werner Herzog, an eclectic risk-taker whose monumental works often explore humankind's conflict with nature, was honoured with a special award on Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival.
The 82-year-old arthouse giant, who helped launch New German Cinema in the 1960s, received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ahead of the debut of his latest documentary, "Ghost Elephants," about a lost herd in Angola, on Thursday.
He was handed a special winged Golden Lion statue by "The Godfather" director and friend Francis Ford Coppola who praised the German's "limitless creativity".
"I have always tried to strive for something that goes deeper beyond what you normally see in movie theatres, a deep form of poetry that is possible in cinema," Herzog told a star-studded audience in an acceptance speech. 
Guided by a search "for truth in unusual ways", he added: "I always try to do something which was sublime, or something transcendental."
Herzog has made more than 70 movies, rising to fame in the 1970s and 80s with sweeping films about obsessive megalomaniacs and struggles with the natural world.
The German director and daredevil explorer has made a series of documentaries in recent years, many in exotic locales, while continuing to make film appearances, including cameos in "The Simpsons".
Herzog "has never ceased from testing the limits of the film language," said festival artistic director Alberto Barbera in announcing the award in April.

Outdoors director

Born in Munich in 1942, Herzog began experimenting with film at age 15, going on to make his name as a writer, producer and director.
A long and contentious collaboration with German screen icon Klaus Kinski resulted in epic films like 1972's "Aguirre, the Wrath of God", about the search for El Dorado in the Amazon jungle, or 1982's "Fitzcarraldo", about a mad dreamer hellbent on building an opera house in the jungle -- in which Herzog had the extras haul a huge steamship up a hill.
Other noteworthy films include 1979's gothic horror film "Nosferatu the Vampyre", the 2005 documentary "Grizzly Man" and "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" in 2009, with Nicolas Cage.
An inveterate traveller, Herzog is known for shunning studios for the outdoors, shooting in the Amazon, the Sahara desert or Antarctica.
Often placing himself at the centre of his documentaries -- a genre for which Herzog is particularly noted -- the director strayed dangerously close to active volcanoes in 2016's "Into the Inferno", while entering death row in Texas for "Into the Abyss" in 2011.
A prolific opera director -- including at Bayreuth and La Scala -- Herzog has also published poetry and prose, including his 2021 novel "The Twilight World", a 1978 diary and a memoir in 2023.
ams-adp/giv

VanGogh

Van Gogh Museum 'could close' without more help from Dutch govt

  • A major overhaul called "Masterplan 2028" has been budgeted at 104 million, with the museum saying it would use its own resources to co-finance the works and cover an estimated 50 million euros in lost revenue during partial closures.
  • The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam warned Wednesday that it faced closure without more state funding, saying a 104-million-euro ($120 million) renovation was vital to protect its masterpieces.
  • A major overhaul called "Masterplan 2028" has been budgeted at 104 million, with the museum saying it would use its own resources to co-finance the works and cover an estimated 50 million euros in lost revenue during partial closures.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam warned Wednesday that it faced closure without more state funding, saying a 104-million-euro ($120 million) renovation was vital to protect its masterpieces.
The museum -- which holds the world's biggest collection of the artist's work -- said the project could not go ahead unless the Dutch state honoured a 1962 agreement with Vincent van Gogh's nephew by providing the necessary funds.
"The museum faces closure," it added "because it will not be able to guarantee the safety of the collection, visitors, and staff." 
The Dutch ministry of culture rejected the warning, saying the museum already received a subsidy under the Dutch Heritage Act that was sufficient to cover maintenance. 
It said its position was based on "comprehensive research" by independent experts.
But the museum has launched legal proceedings over the subsidy, with a court hearing scheduled for February 2026.
The museum houses more than 200 of the tortured Dutch artist's paintings, 500 of his drawings and almost all of his letters.
They were given by the artist's nephew Vincent Willem van Gogh in 1962 under a state-backed deal to build and maintain a museum.

Big funding hike needed

"Managing, preserving, and exhibiting the collection was considered more important for the Netherlands at the time than financial consequences," the museum said.
The building, which opened in 1973, was no longer fit for purpose, it argued, after more than 50 years of heavy use.
A major overhaul called "Masterplan 2028" has been budgeted at 104 million, with the museum saying it would use its own resources to co-finance the works and cover an estimated 50 million euros in lost revenue during partial closures.
It said that an annual state subsidy of 11 million euros was needed, compared to the current one of 8.5 million.
Vincent van Gogh, who died in 1890 aged 37, produced more than 800 paintings and is regarded as one of the most influential figures in western art. 
His works, including "Sunflowers" and "The Starry Night", are among the most loved paintings in the world.
The Van Gogh Museum is one of the Netherlands' most popular cultural institutions. 
It drew a record 2.6 million visitors in 2017 and had welcomed almost 57 million since its opening. 
It generates 85 percent of its income from visitors and private partnerships, a higher share than most national museums.
srg/fg

investigation

French star chef to 'step back' after domestic abuse complaint

  • "I have decided to step back from my establishments while the justice system does its work," Imbert said on his Instagram account.
  • French celebrity chef Jean Imbert said Wednesday he would "step back" from his restaurants after prosecutors opened an investigation into a domestic violence complaint from his former partner.
  • "I have decided to step back from my establishments while the justice system does its work," Imbert said on his Instagram account.
French celebrity chef Jean Imbert said Wednesday he would "step back" from his restaurants after prosecutors opened an investigation into a domestic violence complaint from his former partner.
Lila Salet, a former actor, lodged the complaint on Saturday over incidents that she says took place between 2012 and 2013 when she was in a relationship with the 44-year-old "Top Chef" winner, according to Elle magazine.
Imbert, who rose to fame after winning the reality cooking show and then becoming a social media star, has denied the allegations.
"I have decided to step back from my establishments while the justice system does its work," Imbert said on his Instagram account.
The chef said he was "relieved" to have the matter referred to the courts, adding he had "no doubt" about the investigation's outcome.
"I won't comment on what has been said in recent months, because in the current media noise it's impossible to defend oneself with dignity," he added.
Salet filed the complaint after she and three other ex-partners of the chef at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris accused him of physical and psychological abuse in an April interview with Elle.
Former Miss France Alexandra Rosenfeld, who initially spoke out under a pseudonym, said last week that more than 10 years ago Imbert broke her nose, with an X-ray confirming the injury.
A spokesperson for the chef said Imbert "deeply regretted" the incident, adding that Rosenfeld's nose was broken during "a moment of violence" when Imbert was grabbed by his partner and "broke free".
Salet told AFP it was Rosenfeld's testimony that prompted her to file the complaint, adding the chef was "violent" with her.
Salet, who filed and withdrew a complaint against the chef in 2013, said she wants "justice to be done".
jt-ekf/as/gv

Gamescom

'Resident Evil' makers marvel at 'miracle' longevity

BY KILIAN FICHOU

  • More than 170 million copies of "Resident Evil" games have been sold over the franchise's lifetime, with Capcom alternating between original instalments and remakes since 2017.
  • When zombie-blasting survival game "Resident Evil" launched on the very first PlayStation console in 1996, Japanese publishers Capcom never thought the series would reach tens of millions of people or endure for three decades.
  • More than 170 million copies of "Resident Evil" games have been sold over the franchise's lifetime, with Capcom alternating between original instalments and remakes since 2017.
When zombie-blasting survival game "Resident Evil" launched on the very first PlayStation console in 1996, Japanese publishers Capcom never thought the series would reach tens of millions of people or endure for three decades.
The franchise has become Capcom's biggest, spawning a string of sequels as well as film and TV spinoffs and competing over the years with the more psychological "Silent Hill" to give horror fans goosebumps.
"I think it's a miracle that we've made it this far" since the first episode, producer Masato Kumazawa told AFP through an interpreter at the vast Gamescom trade fair in Cologne, Germany, last week.
"Requiem" -- the ninth "Resident Evil" game -- will land on February 27, although the opening minutes were available for fright-hungry gamers in Cologne.
Protagonist Grace is seen being chased by a terrifying blind creature through the halls of a manor house.
Where previous instalments have swept players off to Louisiana and eastern Europe, the new game follows an investigation by a young American woman into her mother's death.
It's a return to a classic formula and the fictional Raccoon City setting of the first few games in the near-30-year-old series from publisher Capcom.
"It was time after those two (previous) games to go back to a very well-known setting," the game's director Koshi Nakanishi said.
More than 170 million copies of "Resident Evil" games have been sold over the franchise's lifetime, with Capcom alternating between original instalments and remakes since 2017.
That makes the series by far the Japanese publisher's most valuable, ahead of well-loved properties like "Street Fighter" and "Monster Hunter".

'Universal horror'

"Surprise and freshness is what keeps the game selling even after 30 years," Kumazawa said.
Each instalment plays with locations, characters and gameplay styles -- from high-octane third-person action to first-person survival adventures like "Requiem" in which players constantly feel hunted.
Kumazawa added that while it's made in Japan, the series is "culturally designed to be universal horror for all fans" worldwide.
While the popularity of "Resident Evil" has inspired film and TV adaptations, it is not the only Japanese-made saga in the survival horror market.
Three years younger than "Resident Evil", the rival game "Silent Hill" has had a less linear journey.
With it Stephen King-influenced atmosphere, the first two instalments scored moderate success before declining in the 2000s, prompting a 10-year hiatus.
But all along "Silent Hill" producer Motoi Okamoto of publisher Konami was sniffing around the indie horror scene for the right developer.
He ultimately landed on Polish studio Bloober Team -- makers of games like "The Medium" and "Blair Witch" -- to remake "Silent Hill 2".
With more than two million copies sold in the months after its October 2024 launch, that release reignited passion for the series and set up the upcoming "Silent Hill f".

One 'Silent Hill' per year?

Set to appear on September 25, "f" tells the grisly story of a 1960s-era Japanese high school student, in an original scenario cooked up by Taiwanese studio NeoBards.
The team moved on from the American setting of previous iterations as "that became very tiring on players, it became a very samey experience," Okamoto said, also speaking through an interpreter.
"To make Silent Hill stand out, we needed to partner up with these teams" who bring "a varied background of experience and... individuality," he added.
Bloober Team are already working on a remake of the original "Silent Hill", while US studio Annapurna Interactive are co-developing another title -- feeding Okamoto's ambition to release one game per year in future.
"Resident Evil" producer Kumazawa believes that the "two major Japanese survival horror franchises have stimulated each other" over the almost 30 years they've co-existed.
But Okamoto sees two games offering "very different experiences".
His "Silent Hill" is "a psychological horror game, where you must face up to your own traumas," he outlines.
"Resident Evil" director Nakanishi, by contrast, highlights that in each game in the series "you always beat your enemy in the end."
"It's a very satisfying liberation from the tension that builds up throughout the game".
kf/tgb/lth

Venice

Italy's Sorrentino embraces doubt in euthanasia film at Venice

BY ALEXANDRIA SAGE

  • "I can only hope that a film, in this case my film, can bring attention back to a topic that I take for granted but which is fundamental, that of euthanasia.
  • Italian director Paolo Sorrentino hopes his latest film premiering Wednesday in Venice will bring attention to the controversial topic of euthanasia -- while encouraging those in power to reject the need for certainty and embrace doubt.
  • "I can only hope that a film, in this case my film, can bring attention back to a topic that I take for granted but which is fundamental, that of euthanasia.
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino hopes his latest film premiering Wednesday in Venice will bring attention to the controversial topic of euthanasia -- while encouraging those in power to reject the need for certainty and embrace doubt.
"La Grazia", about an Italian president grappling with indecision over whether to sign a euthanasia bill into law, is the latest from the Naples-born director, best known to non-Italian audiences for "The Great Beauty", winner of the best foreign film Oscar in 2014.
"Dwelling on doubt and then allowing that doubt to mature into a decision is something that is increasingly rare," Sorrentino told journalists, hours before his film was to kick off the 10-day Venice Film Festival. 
"I wanted to portray a politician who embodies a lofty idea of politics as I believe it should be and as it too often is not," he said, adding that too many today are in a "constant search for certainty".
Sorrentino's 11th film is the second euthanasia-themed film to play at Venice since last year, when Spanish director Pedro Almodovar won the coveted Golden Lion for his "The Room Next Door".
But "La Grazia" is miles apart in tone and scope, with the topic of euthanasia used to explore one man's self-reckoning as he approaches the end of his life and career.
Still, asked in a press conference whether he hoped the film could influence the debate over euthanasia, Sorrentino replied: "I think cinema can try."
"I can only hope that a film, in this case my film, can bring attention back to a topic that I take for granted but which is fundamental, that of euthanasia. So I hope so."

Moral consequences

Part love story, part legal drama, part provocation to Italy's political elite, Sorrentino's film is about finding the courage to act despite uncertainty. 
A current-day, fictionalised president, Mariano de Santis (played by Sorrentino regular Toni Servillo) is months away from the end of his presidential term but under pressure from his lawyer daughter (Anna Ferzetti) to sign an end-of-life bill that will make euthanasia legal. 
Although the measured and reflective Catholic widower has quelled many a political crisis in the past, he is stymied by his inability to make a decision either on the euthanasia bill or on two clemency requests on behalf of convicted murderers that are rife with moral consequences.
"For years, I've thought moral dilemmas were a formidable narrative engine, more so than any other narrative tool usually used in cinema," Sorrentino said. "From there came the idea of centring the film on a president of the republic."
De Santis' indecision is fuelled by demons from the past about his deceased wife, the love story weaving throughout the film that provides its emotional grounding. 
Sorrentino's latest film is highly topical, both politically and socially, in Catholic Italy where there is no national right-to-die law but there is a hot debate on a regional level over whether to legalise medically assisted suicide.
Moviegoers in Italy will also notice obvious echoes of the current inhabitants of the country's presidential Quirinale Palace -- Italian President Sergio Mattarella, a widower, and his daughter Laura, a lawyer, who is a constant companion of her father. 
Despite its serious subject matter, the film is peppered with deliciously surreal touches and quirky cameos that are a signature of Sorrentino.
The film also at times evokes famous moments from "The Great Beauty", such as Servillo staring deep into the camera at the film's start, or the film's pulsing rap and techno soundtrack.
ams/ide/adp/phz

conflict

Almodovar urges Spain cut ties with Israel over Gaza

  • "I ask our government to sever diplomatic, commercial, and all types of relations with the State of Israel as a sign of repulsion against the genocide it is committing against the people of Gaza before the eyes of the entire world," he said.
  • Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar urged Madrid to cut all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel Wednesday over the war in Gaza, calling the conflict a "genocide".
  • "I ask our government to sever diplomatic, commercial, and all types of relations with the State of Israel as a sign of repulsion against the genocide it is committing against the people of Gaza before the eyes of the entire world," he said.
Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar urged Madrid to cut all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel Wednesday over the war in Gaza, calling the conflict a "genocide".
The "All About My Mother" director called on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to convince other European leaders to do the same in a video posted on Instagram by his production company.
"I ask our government to sever diplomatic, commercial, and all types of relations with the State of Israel as a sign of repulsion against the genocide it is committing against the people of Gaza before the eyes of the entire world," he said.
Almodovar has previously signed a letter with other Spanish artists including Javier Bardem denouncing the "silence" over Gaza during the Cannes film festival in May.
Sanchez's leftist government has been among the most vocal critics in the European Union of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
He called it a "genocide" in June having recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, but Spain has not broken ties with Israel.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas into Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. 
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 62,819 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
mig/ds/fg

music

Taylor-Travis love story: 5 things to know

BY ANDREW MARSZAL

  • Although Swift did endorse Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, her Republican opponent Donald Trump won the US election -- and even wished the couple "a lot of luck" when asked about their engagement.
  • It's official: America's most famous couple are tying the knot.
  • Although Swift did endorse Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, her Republican opponent Donald Trump won the US election -- and even wished the couple "a lot of luck" when asked about their engagement.
It's official: America's most famous couple are tying the knot.
Stadium-filling pop megastar Taylor Swift and three-time NFL Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Instagram Tuesday.
Here are five things to know about their love story:

Taylor's Version

Swift's journey to becoming the world's biggest pop star has contained twists and turns -- and not just the romantic missteps that fueled her hit songs until she met Kelce. 
A teenage country music sensation, she won her first Grammy at just 20 years old, before pivoting to pop.
Wild success and scrutiny followed. Swift endured a high-profile feud with Kanye West, and re-recorded her early song catalog to reclaim ownership from a private equity firm.
High-profile romances with Hollywood actors and pop stars came and went, with references to Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hiddleston, Joe Jonas, Calvin Harris and Harry Styles all rumored to be embedded in her song lyrics.
Last year, she won a fourth Grammy for Album of the Year -- the most by any artist -- and wrapped up the highest-earning concert tour of all time.

NFL great

Kelce's own road to American football greatness has had a few bumps of its own.
While playing college football, he was suspended for marijuana use.
His older brother Jason lobbied coaching staff to give Travis another chance, and again vouched for his younger sibling when Travis was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.
As the Chiefs went from broken franchise to NFL dynasty, Travis Kelce has played a vital role, and is now considered one of the greatest tight ends in the sport's history.
He has won three Super Bowls -- and lost two, including an agonizing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles this year that ended dreams of a historic Chiefs "three-peat."

How it began

During Swift's $2 billion-grossing "Eras" tour, handing out homemade "friendship bracelets" with beaded messages became a treasured ritual among fans.
Kelce took it a step further, attempting to meet Swift backstage at a concert in Kansas City in 2023 and pass her a bracelet bearing his phone number.
He was thwarted upon learning that Swift doesn't do meet-and-greets -- even for star NFL players -- before or after her shows "because she has to save her voice," he pined on his podcast shortly afterward.
But Swift was charmed when she learned about the romantic ploy, and "we started hanging out right after that," she told TIME magazine.

Controversy

Swift quickly became a fixture at Kelce's Chiefs games.
As television cameras cut to her reactions with increasing regularity, viewership and tickets sales for the already wildly popular sport went through the roof.
With that came criticism from football die-hards that their sport was becoming a showbiz circus, and even right-wing conspiracy theories claimed that the entire relationship had been contrived as "Democrat propaganda."
As it turned out, the distractions did not seem to faze Kelce or the Chiefs, who went on to win that season's Super Bowl.
Although Swift did endorse Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, her Republican opponent Donald Trump won the US election -- and even wished the couple "a lot of luck" when asked about their engagement.

Engagement

A joint post on their Instagram pages Tuesday showed pictures of Kelce proposing on one knee in a flower-laden garden, and Swift wearing an enormous diamond ring.
No date or details about the wedding have been revealed.
It comes at a busy time for both, with Kelce -- having shrugged off talk of retirement -- gearing up for the start of the NFL season next month, while Swift has a new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," out in October.
amz/jgc

music

New era: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement

BY ANDREW MARSZAL

  • The couple first went public with their relationship in 2023, and their love story has been broadcast on some of the world's biggest stages.
  • Pop superstar Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday, setting the stage for a high-profile wedding for one of the world's biggest celebrity couples.
  • The couple first went public with their relationship in 2023, and their love story has been broadcast on some of the world's biggest stages.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday, setting the stage for a high-profile wedding for one of the world's biggest celebrity couples.
A joint post on their Instagram pages showed pictures of Kelce down on one knee making his marriage proposal in a flower-laden garden, and then Swift displaying a large diamond ring.
"Your English teacher and gym teacher are getting married," the pair, both aged 35, joked in a caption.
The couple first went public with their relationship in 2023, and their love story has been broadcast on some of the world's biggest stages. The pair have appeared together at her hugely popular concerts and at his NFL games playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.
US President Donald Trump was among the first to publicly congratulate the star couple, despite earlier bad blood with Swift over her endorsement of his opponent Kamala Harris in last year's US election.
"I wish them a lot of luck," he told reporters at a cabinet meeting, when asked about the engagement.
Celebrities flocked to congratulate the pair, including from the worlds of music and sport.
"Awww huge congratulations," wrote singer Avril Lavigne, on Instagram.
"Two of the most genuine people meet and fall in love. Just so happy for these two," wrote Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kelce's quarterback teammate Patrick Mahomes.
Last year, Swift closed her acclaimed $2 billion Eras tour that shattered records and made her the world's leading music star as she performed 149 three-hour shows around the globe.
Tickets sold for exorbitant prices and drew in millions of fans, with many who didn't get in willing to sing along outside venues.
Swifties -- as her fans are known -- are anxiously waiting for her twelfth studio album "The Life of a Showgirl," to be released on October 3.

'Terrific'

News of the album came this month in an episode of Kelce's "New Heights" podcast, which he hosts with his brother Jason, a former NFL player.
The two hour-plus episode covered topics from how Swift felt after gaining control of her master recordings to her love of bread baking. It showcased playful dynamics between the two, and set a record 1.3 million concurrent views on YouTube, Guinness World Records said.
The 14-time Grammy winner's last major release, "The Tortured Poets Department" came out in April last year.
Though Swift is famed for singing about heartbreaks with her exes, her relationship with Kelce, one of the NFL's most bankable players, has deepened despite the pressures of fame.
Kelce has been a major sports star for years, but his relationship with Swift has propelled him to a new level of international interest that a wedding is set to intensify.
He kicks off his thirteenth season with the Chiefs next week, with speculation that it may be his last as he pursues other entertainment endeavors.
Kelce has won three championship titles with the Chiefs, and is seeking an elusive fourth after coming up short in last season's Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Both Swift and President Trump were in attendance at the major sporting event, sparking much commentary after the Republican billionaire declared "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT" following her endorsement of Harris.
"I think he's a great guy. I think that she's a terrific person, so I wish them a lot of luck," Trump said Tuesday.
bgs-amz/md

music

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement

  • Last year Swift closed her acclaimed $2 billion Eras tour that shattered records and made her the world's biggest music star as she performed 149 three-hour shows around the globe.
  • Pop superstar Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday, setting the stage for a high-profile wedding for one of the world's biggest celebrity couples.
  • Last year Swift closed her acclaimed $2 billion Eras tour that shattered records and made her the world's biggest music star as she performed 149 three-hour shows around the globe.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday, setting the stage for a high-profile wedding for one of the world's biggest celebrity couples.
A joint post on their Instagram pages showed pictures of Kelce on one knee making his marriage proposal in a flower-laden garden, and then Swift displaying a large diamond ring.
"Your English teacher and gym teacher are getting married," the pair wrote in a jokey caption.
The couple -- both aged 35 -- first went public with their relationship in 2023 and have often been seen together at her hugely popular concerts and at his NFL games playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last year Swift closed her acclaimed $2 billion Eras tour that shattered records and made her the world's biggest music star as she performed 149 three-hour shows around the globe.
Tickets sold for exorbitant prices and drew in millions of fans, along with many more who didn't get in and were willing to sing along outside venues.
Swifties -- as her fans are known -- are currently waiting for her next album "The Life of a Showgirl," to be released on October 3.
News of that release came this month in an episode of Kelce's "New Heights" podcast, which he hosts with his brother Jason, a former NFL player.
The 14-time Grammy winner's last major release, "The Tortured Poets Department" came out in April last year.
Though Swift is famed for singing about heartbreaks with her famous exes, her relationship with Kelce, one of the NFL's most bankable players, has deepened despite the pressures of fame.
Swift earned the ire of President Donald Trump after she endorsed his election opponent Kamala Harris in last year's election, with the real estate billionaire declaring on social media "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT."
bgs/des

Spain

Jennifer Lawrence to get San Sebastian Festival award

  • The Spanish festival, which runs from September 19 to 27, will also give a lifetime achievement award to Esther Garcia, a producer closely linked to many of the films of Pedro Almodovar and other top Spanish directors. du/tw/jhb
  • Oscar-winning actor and producer Jennifer Lawrence will receive a lifetime achievement award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain next month, organisers said Tuesday.
  • The Spanish festival, which runs from September 19 to 27, will also give a lifetime achievement award to Esther Garcia, a producer closely linked to many of the films of Pedro Almodovar and other top Spanish directors. du/tw/jhb
Oscar-winning actor and producer Jennifer Lawrence will receive a lifetime achievement award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain next month, organisers said Tuesday.
The 35-year-old will get a special "Donostia" award at the festival, where her latest movie "Die, My Love" will be shown.
The festival described Lawrence as "one of the most influential actors of our time" in announcing the award.
The new movie, which Lawrence also produced, will be shown on September 26, the same day as she receives the award.
The Spanish festival, which runs from September 19 to 27, will also give a lifetime achievement award to Esther Garcia, a producer closely linked to many of the films of Pedro Almodovar and other top Spanish directors.
du/tw/jhb

music

Kneecap cancel US tour, citing UK court hearing in terrorism case

  • Kneecap said in a statement late Monday that they would "have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October" due to "the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour".
  • The Irish rap group Kneecap has cancelled a planned tour in the United States, citing a UK court hearing in a case one of its members is facing for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.
  • Kneecap said in a statement late Monday that they would "have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October" due to "the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour".
The Irish rap group Kneecap has cancelled a planned tour in the United States, citing a UK court hearing in a case one of its members is facing for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.
Band member Liam O'Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May after being accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert last year.
He attended a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last week, with the court adjourning the case until September 26 for a decision.
Kneecap said in a statement late Monday that they would "have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October" due to "the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour".
"But once we win our court case, which we will, we promise to embark on an even bigger tour", the band said, adding that refunds would be available.
The statement also accused the British government of perpetrating a "witch-hunt" against them.
According to their website, the band had been scheduled to perform in New York on October 1, travelling across the country before a final show in Oakland, California on October 28.
Since Hezbollah was banned in the UK in 2019, it has been an offence to show support for the Iran-backed Lebanese force.
Kneecap has grabbed headlines for statements denouncing the war in Gaza and against Israel.
They played a closely scrutinised concert at the Glastonbury Festival in June, where Chara declared: "Israel are war criminals."
The group later missed playing at the Sziget Festival in Budapest after being barred from entering the country by the Hungarian authorities, a close ally of Israel.
Kneecap, who also support Irish republicanism and criticise British imperialism, have sparked widespread debate in the UK and Ireland, more than two-and-a-half decades after the peace agreement that aimed to end the conflict over the status of Northern Ireland.
The group takes its name from the deliberate shooting of the limbs, known as "kneecapping", carried out by Irish republicans as punishment attacks during the decades of unrest.

Sea of supporters

There has been huge support for Kneecap and O'Hanna, whose name is Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Irish, from the band's fans since his first court appearance in June.
He arrived at court in London last week to cheers from a sea of supporters brandishing banners and chanting "Free Palestine".
At the hearing the defence sought to have the charges thrown out on a legal technicality.
It took place against the backdrop of a growing controversy over moves by the British government to prosecute those deemed to show support for banned organisations.
More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since a group called Palestine Action was outlawed in early July under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence in the UK, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
bur-mjw/tym

music

Rapper Lil Nas X charged after naked nighttime stroll in LA

  • Hill appeared in court Monday to plead not guilty to three felony counts of battery against a police officer and a single count of resisting arrest.
  • Rapper Lil Nas X was charged Monday with four felonies after allegedly charging at police who went to pick him up during a naked stroll through Los Angeles last week.
  • Hill appeared in court Monday to plead not guilty to three felony counts of battery against a police officer and a single count of resisting arrest.
Rapper Lil Nas X was charged Monday with four felonies after allegedly charging at police who went to pick him up during a naked stroll through Los Angeles last week.
The "Old Town Road" artist was arrested after stripping off on a major thoroughfare in the city.
Video that emerged last week initially showed the hitmaker wearing cowboy boots and some modesty-covering white underwear as he strutted through the Studio City area.
But new footage obtained by entertainment outlet TMZ showed the performer -- whose real name is Montero Hill -- completely in the buff.
That tallies with what police told AFP last week, when a spokesman said: "There was a nude man walking in the street."
"Upon arrival the suspect charged at officers. He was taken into custody and taken to a local hospital for a possible overdose and placed under arrest for battery on a police officer."
Hill appeared in court Monday to plead not guilty to three felony counts of battery against a police officer and a single count of resisting arrest.
His bail was set at $75,000 and he was ordered to return to court on September 15.
Last week's footage sparked an internet storm as web users flocked to watch the flamboyant performer flirting with the camera.
"Don't be late to the party tonight," he told a passerby. It was not clear which party he was talking about, or when "tonight" might be in footage filmed just before dawn.
At one point he asked the person filming -- who was apparently sitting in a car -- to hand over the phone so he could throw it away.
"I wanna throw it far away so you never see it again. I don't like phones."
"Didn't I tell you to put the phone down? Uh-oh, somebody's gonna have to pay for that," he said as he theatrically wagged his finger.
hg/jgc

police

Top UK screenwriter Laverty arrested at pro-Palestine protest

  • "Following a protest outside St Leonards Police Station (Edinburgh) on Monday, 25 August 2025, a 68-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for showing support for a proscribed organisation," said Police Scotland.
  • Screenwriter Paul Laverty, best known for his collaborations with director Ken Loach including on the award-winning "I, Daniel Blake," was arrested Monday at a pro-Palestine protest for supporting a banned organisation, Scottish police said.
  • "Following a protest outside St Leonards Police Station (Edinburgh) on Monday, 25 August 2025, a 68-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for showing support for a proscribed organisation," said Police Scotland.
Screenwriter Paul Laverty, best known for his collaborations with director Ken Loach including on the award-winning "I, Daniel Blake," was arrested Monday at a pro-Palestine protest for supporting a banned organisation, Scottish police said.
"Following a protest outside St Leonards Police Station (Edinburgh) on Monday, 25 August 2025, a 68-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for showing support for a proscribed organisation," said Police Scotland. It later specifyied that the man was Laverty. 
According to Scottish newspaper The National, Laverty was wearing a T-shirt with the slogan: "Genocide in Palestine, time to take action." 
Laverty is being accused of supporting Palestine Action, which UK authorities proscribed as a terror group in July following acts of vandalism at a Royal Air Force base.
More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, for supporting the group since it was outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Laverty is best known for his work with Loach, notably writing the screenplays for "I, Daniel Blake" (2016) and "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" (2006), which both won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. 
jwp/tw

Gamescom

US studio unearths fossilized dinosaur game 'Turok'

  •   - 'Turok' reboot -   The result is "Turok: Origins", part of which was presented at Gamescom in Germany, one of the biggest gaming trade shows in the world, which ended on Sunday after welcoming more than 357,000 visitors.
  • Everything old is new again, especially for gamers at the Gamescom trade fair, who got a preview of upcoming video game "Turok: Origins" -- a third-person shooter pitting the player against dinosaurs and aliens.
  •   - 'Turok' reboot -   The result is "Turok: Origins", part of which was presented at Gamescom in Germany, one of the biggest gaming trade shows in the world, which ended on Sunday after welcoming more than 357,000 visitors.
Everything old is new again, especially for gamers at the Gamescom trade fair, who got a preview of upcoming video game "Turok: Origins" -- a third-person shooter pitting the player against dinosaurs and aliens.
The original arrow-twanging Turok was a character in 1950s comic books, who made his way to Nintendo 64 consoles in a series of successful games in the late 1990s and then to other consoles in the 2000s.
After that, its eponymous native American adventurer was largely forgotten -- until US studio Saber Interactive dug him up for "Turok: Origins" and developed him into a game that looks like a blend of the "Jurassic Park" and "Predator" movie franchises.
When Universal Studios -- producer of the "Jurassic Park" movies -- tapped Saber in 2020 to develop its Turok intellectual property (IP), the gaming company was "shocked", its studio head, Jesus Iglesias, told AFP.
"It's been sleeping for a long time," he noted.
But Saber -- founded in Russia but now based in Florida in the United States -- had a track record of reviving some memorable but neglected titles.
"Saber Interactive is known for taking, from time to time, some dead IPs and rebooting them, like we did with (Warhammer 40,000's) 'Space Marine', we did with 'Evil Dead'," Iglesias said.
 

'Turok' reboot

 
The result is "Turok: Origins", part of which was presented at Gamescom in Germany, one of the biggest gaming trade shows in the world, which ended on Sunday after welcoming more than 357,000 visitors.
The game, which Iglesias said had 250 people working on it at the peak of its development, offers single-player and multi-player modes to tackle AI-controlled enemies.
Whereas the original run of Turok was reminiscent of early-stage Lara Croft in a prehistoric setting, the "Origins" reboot promises a fluid, fast-moving and more cinematic experience, as demanded from today's players.
"We are being respectful with the originals, especially with Turok 1 and Turok 2, and also adding some elements that help to make the universe a little bit more consistent," Iglesias said.
"The games that they released after the first one, they were, in a way, going away from the original one. And that ended up in the game that was released in 2008 that was almost a disaster."
That 2008 game, simply called "Turok", had aimed to reboot the series but it got a mixed reception. A 2019 Turok title followed, but it was unconnected to the main series.
There is no release date yet for "Turok: Origins", which will be available on Xbox, Playstation and PC.
kf/clr/rmb/rlp

Venice

Venice welcomes Julia Roberts, George Clooney to film festival

BY ADAM PLOWRIGHT

  • After delighting Venice fans from the red carpet last year, Clooney returns to star in the Netflix-produced "Jay Kelly" from Noah Baumbach, playing a beloved actor facing an identity crisis.
  • The Venice Film Festival kicks off Wednesday, rolling out the red carpet for Julia Roberts and George Clooney in a flurry of worldwide premieres at the glitzy celebration on the sandy Lido.
  • After delighting Venice fans from the red carpet last year, Clooney returns to star in the Netflix-produced "Jay Kelly" from Noah Baumbach, playing a beloved actor facing an identity crisis.
The Venice Film Festival kicks off Wednesday, rolling out the red carpet for Julia Roberts and George Clooney in a flurry of worldwide premieres at the glitzy celebration on the sandy Lido.
A cavalcade of A-listers -- from Jude Law to Emma Stone -- will arrive by water taxi for the festival opening, drawing hundreds of fans hoping to glimpse the stars.
Among acclaimed directors at the festival's 82nd edition are Werner Herzog, Jim Jarmusch, Kathryn Bigelow, Gus Van Sant and Park Chan-wook, who returns to the festival after 20 years.
Venice, a highlight of the international film circuit, will serve up big budget films -- such as Benny Safdie's "The Smashing Machine" starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as an ageing wrestler -- and smaller independent works.
Despite the glamorous backdrop, debate has already begun over the Gaza war, with a protest planned Saturday on the Lido.
A collective of Italian film professionals, Venice4Palestine, called Sunday for the festival to take a "clear stance" and support artist actions against Israel's tactics in the war set off by the 2023 Hamas attacks.
"In Venice, all the spotlight will be on the world of cinema, and we all have a duty to make known the stories and voices of those who are being massacred, even with the complicit indifference of the West," read an open letter signed by directors and actors including Matteo Garrone and Alice Rohrwacher.
The group called for the festival to disinvite actors Gerard Butler and Gal Gadot -- appearing in Julian Schnabel's "In the Hand of Dante" -- who it said "ideologically and materially" support Israeli's actions.
In response, the festival said it had always been a place "of open debate", and cited the inclusion this year of Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania's latest film, "The Voice of Hind Rajab", set in Gaza.
It tells the true story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in January 2024 by Israeli forces alongside six family members while trying to flee Gaza City. 
It uses the real audio recording of Hind pleading for help to emergency services.
Another film that could hit close to the bone as the war in Ukraine drags on is Olivier Assayas's "The Wizard of the Kremlin", in which Law portrays Russian President Vladimir Putin during his ascent to power.
- Launchpad to Oscars - 
Hollywood megastar Roberts will make her Venice debut Friday in Luca Guadagnino's "After the Hunt", about a sexual assault case at a prestigious American university. The film is playing out of competition.
After delighting Venice fans from the red carpet last year, Clooney returns to star in the Netflix-produced "Jay Kelly" from Noah Baumbach, playing a beloved actor facing an identity crisis. Adam Sandler plays his manager.
Several winners at Venice, such as "Nomadland" and "Joker", have subsequently gone on to Oscar glory, making the Italian festival a key launch pad for cinema success.
Streaming titles from Netflix and Amazon have also increasingly chosen the event for their worldwide debuts.
Two-time Oscar winner and "Sideways" director Alexander Payne heads this year's jury, tasked with awarding the Golden Lion best film to one of the 21 main competition contenders on September 6.

Aliens, Frankenstein

Offerings from Assayas, Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos and Kathryn Bigelow are vying for the top prize at the festival, which opens Wednesday evening with a love story from Venice regular Paolo Sorrentino.
Sorrentino, best known for "La Grande Belleza" ("The Great Beauty"), has teamed up again with longtime collaborator Toni Servillo for "La Grazia", set in their native Italy.
Greece's Lanthimos and Stone -- who worked together on the Oscar-winning "Poor Things" -- reunite for sci-fi "Bugonia" about a high-powered executive kidnapped by people who think she is an alien.
"Frankenstein" is a big-budget interpretation of the cinema classic from Mexico's del Toro, starring Oscar Isaac.
The latest from Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty", "The Hurt Locker") is "A House of Dynamite", a political thriller starring Idris Elba. 
Fellow American Jarmusch makes his debut in the main Venice lineup with "Father, Mother, Sister, Brother", which he has called "a funny and sad film" starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Jarmusch regular Tom Waits.
Included in the main competition is also the latest documentary from Italy's Gianfranco Rosi, "Sotto le Nuvole" ("Below the Clouds"), a black-and-white ode to Naples. 
Out-of-competition documentaries include Sofia Coppola's profile of fashion designer Marc Jacobs; former Golden Lion winner Laura Poitras' film about US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh; and a profile of late British singer Marianne Faithfull from Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth.
ams/ar/tw

culture

Zanele Muholi, S.African photographer reclaiming identity

BY BRONWEN ROBERTS

  • She first focused her lens on South Africa's black LGBTQ community, often victims of homophobia and hate crimes that have seen lesbian women targeted for "corrective rape".
  • Photography saved her from suicide and now internationally recognised South African visual artist Zanele Muholi, most known for her stark portraits of black LGBTQ communities, is using her success to empower others.
  • She first focused her lens on South Africa's black LGBTQ community, often victims of homophobia and hate crimes that have seen lesbian women targeted for "corrective rape".
Photography saved her from suicide and now internationally recognised South African visual artist Zanele Muholi, most known for her stark portraits of black LGBTQ communities, is using her success to empower others.
Muholi's growing renown keeps her busy: she has been working on a project about water in Panama and collaborating with a London non-profit for a show next month, while also opening a new exhibition in Portugal.
It was a priority for her to get back to South Africa for last week's Black Women in Photography Conference, at the school in downtown Johannesburg where she started out 22 years ago.
Muholi arrived just in time from a stay in hospital in Panama, where she had fallen into a dump of medical waste during a photo shoot and been jabbed by a needle.
"It was a wake-up call to say that moving too fast could become something else," said Muholi, in her early 50s, her trademark dreadlocks sticking through the top of her hat.
"I'm grateful that I'm alive," she told AFP at the conference.
It was here at the Market Photo Workshop that Muholi took up photography, having moved to Johannesburg from KwaZulu-Natal province aged 19 and enduring a series of ordeals.
"I was on the verge of suicide," she said. "And then somebody told me it was either therapy or I find something creative to deal with. Then somebody told me about Markets."
Mentored by the school's founder, documentary photographer David Goldblatt, Muholi found expression as a "visual activist", producing a body of work of hundreds of black-and-white portraits, many of herself.
She first focused her lens on South Africa's black LGBTQ community, often victims of homophobia and hate crimes that have seen lesbian women targeted for "corrective rape".
Muholi later created bronze statues, some displayed in France's famed Jardin des Tuileries for the 2023 Art Basel Paris.
"Nowadays, I'm looking at broader topics like water, like power, but women and children and queer and trans people will always be dear to me," she said.

'Rampant hate'

South Africa is the only country on the continent to have legalised same-sex marriage, and its post-apartheid Constitution of 1996 enshrines sexual orientation as a human right.
But 30 years after the end of white-minority rule, the country ranks among the worst in the world on inequality, and gender-based violence is a feature of its high crime rate.
"The struggle is real, because people are still suffering on a daily basis," Muholi said. "We have rampant hate, gender-based violence."
But "what I like most about South Africa is that we get to report about this pandemic".
Whereas other countries downplay or ignore racism and discrimination in their societies, "we call things by name... we have names for things. We have dates for things".
"Even though there are still glitches there and then, the fact is that we have laws in place that protect us and protect our people," Muholi said.

'Recognise our worth'

Muholi -- who identifies as non-binary but sometimes uses the pronouns she and her as well as they and them -- is excited about training and empowering others to document their lives through photography, reclaiming the outsider's view.
"The whole point is to make sure that... we are able to articulate our issues and speak loudly and we're proud, without fear of how the outsiders will perceive us or regard us," she said.
It is a mission for the continent.
Beyond "all the negative things that are captured on TV, there's this beauty that people don't talk about or mention when they speak of Africa. They look at Africa as this primitive place that needs to be saved, whereas a lot was stolen from us," Muholi said.
"It is about time that we as Africans get to realise and recognise our worth, because Africa is the richest continent."
The Market Photo Workshop, from where Muholi's own step into international renown began, is one platform for inspiring other talent, as is the visual arts training centre she launched in 2021, the Muholi Art Institute.
"I was saved by someone else. I need to save a lot of lives," she said. "I get to share what I'm doing with many people who might be in the same, you know, stagnant world."
br/jcb/djt/jhb

Italy

What to look for at the Venice Film Festival

  • - "Bugonia" by Yorgos Lanthimos  The latest collaboration between the Greek director and Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for her performance in their 2023 film "Poor Things", which won Venice's Golden Lion.
  • Frankenstein's monster, Vladimir Putin, vindictive bosses, nuclear war and at the end a Golden Lion.
  • - "Bugonia" by Yorgos Lanthimos  The latest collaboration between the Greek director and Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for her performance in their 2023 film "Poor Things", which won Venice's Golden Lion.
Frankenstein's monster, Vladimir Putin, vindictive bosses, nuclear war and at the end a Golden Lion. The 82nd Venice Film Festival begins on Wednesday.
Dozens of stars are expected on the Lido, major directorial talents are bidding for comebacks and a strong field of films are competing.
AFP selects some of the anticipated highlights and talking points for the August 27 to September 6 glam-fest:

The main competition

A total of 21 films are in the running for the Golden Lion, the festival's top prize, won last year by "The Room Next Door" by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.
The most keenly awaited titles include:
- "The Wizard of the Kremlin" by Olivier Assayas
An adaptation of a best-selling book of the same name about Putin's rise to power, featuring British actor Jude Law as the Russian president.
- "A House of Dynamite" by Kathryn Bigelow
The first film since 2017 by the Oscar-winning director of "Zero Dark Thirty" which sees White House officials grappling with a missile and nuclear weapons crisis. 
- "The Smashing Machine" by Benny Safdie 
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is cast in what appears a tailor-made role as an ageing wrestler, with Emily Blunt as his wife.
- "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Kaouther Ben Hania
This drama reconstructing the real-life killing of a six-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli troops in Gaza is set to be one of the festival's most political films.
- "The Testament of Ann Lee" by Mona Fastvold 
A musical film about a religious sect in the United States by the co-writer of "The Brutalist", again working with her director husband Brady Corbet. 
- "Frankenstein" by Guillermo del Toro 
A new big-budget version of the cinema classic by the Mexican director, starring hard-working Oscar Isaac, who is featured in two major Venice films.
- "Jay Kelly" by Noah Baumbach 
A comedy co-written by Baumbach and his wife Greta Gerwig, featuring an A-list cast led by George Clooney, who plays an actor with an identity crisis.
- "Bugonia" by Yorgos Lanthimos 
The latest collaboration between the Greek director and Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for her performance in their 2023 film "Poor Things", which won Venice's Golden Lion.
- "No Other Choice" by Park Chan-wook
The South Korean auteur Park returns to Venice after two decades with a thriller about a vindictive manager who loses his job.
- "The Stranger" by Francois Ozon
An ambitious new adaptation of French author Albert Camus's masterful novella of the same name, shot in black-and-white. 
- "Nuhai" ("Girl") by Shu Qi 
Taiwanese superstar Shu makes her directorial debut with a story about multiple generations of women.  
- Best of the rest - 
- "After the Hunt" by Luca Guadagnino 
Julia Roberts makes her Venice debut for the premiere of this cancel culture-themed drama about a sexual assault case at a prestigious American university.
- "In the Hand of Dante" by Julian Schnabel
Held up by a dispute between the director and his financial backers over its 150-minute length, this crime thriller stars Isaac, with cameos from veterans Al Pacino and John Malkovich.
- "Dead Man's Wire" by Gus Van Sant 
The American director's first movie since 2018 centres on a real-life hostage drama at a loan agency, with performances by Bill Skarsgard and Pacino.
Others to watch include big-budget French thriller "Chien 51", which will close the festival, and "Scarlet" by Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda.

Documentaries

German director Werner Herzog's latest film, "Ghost Elephants", about a mythical herd of elephants in Angola, stands out. 
So too does a portrait of veteran American journalist Seymour Hersh by Laura Poitras, who returns to Venice after winning its top prize in 2022 for her documentary about activist photographer Nan Goldin's campaign against the opioid industry.
Other headliners include Sofia Coppola's intimate documentary about her friend the fashion designer Marc Jacobs, as well as "Broken English" by Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth about British singer Marianne Faithfull, who died in January.
Viewers will need patience -- and a strong bladder -- for "Director's Diary", a five-hour epic by dissident Russian director Alexander Sokurov based on his personal diary notes from the Soviet era.

Also showing

Netflix has three films in competition -- "Frankenstein", "A House of Dynamite" and "Jay Kelly" -- showcasing some of its best hopes of clinching its first Best Picture award at the Oscars next year.
The increasingly long run-times of films -- averaging 2h15 to 2h30 at Venice, according to Artistic Director Alberto Barbera -- caused him to grumble about the difficulty of fitting them all in the schedule. 
adp/ams/dc/rsc

Oasis

'Life-long dream': Oasis kicks off North American tour in Toronto

  • Tickets for the North American tour reportedly sold out within an hour of going on sale.
  • British rock legends Oasis kicked off the North American leg of their blockbuster reunion tour in Toronto on Sunday as ecstatic Canadian fans flocked to their first chance to see the band since 2008.
  • Tickets for the North American tour reportedly sold out within an hour of going on sale.
British rock legends Oasis kicked off the North American leg of their blockbuster reunion tour in Toronto on Sunday as ecstatic Canadian fans flocked to their first chance to see the band since 2008.
After shooting to fame in the mid-1990s Britpop era and dramatically breaking up 16 years ago, the once-warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher have embarked on a massively anticipated world tour with their bandmates.
"Seeing them live has been a life-long dream because I thought they would never reunite," Thunder Penir, holding aloft a huge Canadian flag, told AFP before heading into Rogers Stadium for the concert.
Amanda Ferraro, who was wearing a t-shirt from the band's 2006 Canadian tour, told AFP that Oasis "have been my favorite band since I was 13."
"All the songs really got me through a lot of things: my parents' divorce, a lot of good things, milestones," the 38-year-old said.
Shanon Simon, wearing a t-shirt bearing Liam Gallagher's face, said part of the nostalgic appeal of the tour was that the band reigned supreme at a time before social media or music streaming.
"When that CD drops and you have it in your hands, it was... you can't even describe it," she said.
"It's going to shows and not having phones up," she added. 
"This is going to be epic."
Irene Dolan, wearing a sparkly Union Jack top, said that "Live Forever" from the band's debut album was a "song that touches my soul."
"Wonderwall," meanwhile, was one of the first songs her daughter learnt to play on acoustic guitar. "It's a fond memory," she said.
Tickets for the North American tour reportedly sold out within an hour of going on sale.
The Manchester rockers have already played gigs in the UK and Ireland during the huge tour, which includes the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil.
Oasis will play another gig in Toronto on Monday before heading to Chicago for a concert on Thursday.
dl/st

Ireland

Kneecap defy critics with 'Free Palestine' chant at Paris gig

BY FANNY LATTACH

  • During their performance, the band displayed a backdrop in French that said: "The French government is complicit", accusing it of facilitating the sale of weapons to Israel.
  • Irish rap group Kneecap repeated their criticism of Israel's war in Gaza during a performance outside Paris on Sunday, despite objections from French Jewish groups and government officials.
  • During their performance, the band displayed a backdrop in French that said: "The French government is complicit", accusing it of facilitating the sale of weapons to Israel.
Irish rap group Kneecap repeated their criticism of Israel's war in Gaza during a performance outside Paris on Sunday, despite objections from French Jewish groups and government officials.
The concert, which began shortly before 6.30 pm (1630 GMT) in front of several thousand people in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud, went ahead despite complaints from the Belfast trio's critics.
"Free, free Palestine!," the group shouted at the start of their show, rallying an enthusiastic crowd where keffiyehs and Irish jerseys were visible, before insisting they were not against Israel.
Ahead of the show, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the authorities would be vigilant for "any comments of an antisemitic nature, apology for terrorism or incitement to hatred" at the event.
During their performance, the band displayed a backdrop in French that said: "The French government is complicit", accusing it of facilitating the sale of weapons to Israel. They posted a photo of the message on social media.
The performance was briefly interrupted as several individuals whistled in protest, until security removed protesters from the crowd.
After organisers kept the politically outspoken band on the programme, local authorities withdrew their subsidies for the music festival where the gig took place -- the annual Rock en Seine festival.
The group from Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, have made a habit of using their concerts to canvas for the Palestinian cause and criticise Israel.

Politically outspoken

Liam O'Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in England in May accused of displaying a flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah during a London concert in November.
They played a closely scrutinised concert at the Glastonbury Festival in June, where Chara declared: "Israel are war criminals."
The group later missed playing at the Sziget Festival in Budapest after being barred from entering the country by the Hungarian authorities, a close ally of Israel.
Kneecap, who also support Irish republicanism and criticise British imperialism, have sparked widespread debate in the UK and Ireland, more than two-and-a-half decades after the peace agreement that aimed to end the conflict over the status of Northern Ireland.
The group takes its name from the deliberate shooting of the limbs, known as "kneecapping", carried out by Irish republicans as punishment attacks during the decades of unrest.

Concern over antisemitism

The municipality of Saint-Cloud for the first time withdrew its 40,000-euro ($47,000) subsidy from Rock en Seine.
The wider Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, also cancelled its funding for the 2025 edition.
However, such moves do not jeopardise the viability of the festival, whose budget was between 16 million and 17 million euros this year.
The group has already played twice in France this summer -- at the Eurockeennes festival in Belfort and the Cabaret Vert in Charleville-Mezieres -- both times without incident.
Sunday's concert came against a background of concerns about alleged high levels of antisemitism in France in the wake of Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, and Israel's devastating retaliatory assault on the Hamas-ruled territory.
"They are desecrating the memory of the 50 French victims of Hamas on October 7, as well as all the French victims of Hezbollah," said Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), who had called for the concert to be cancelled.
On Sunday Charles Kushner, the US ambassador to Paris, sparked a diplomatic row after a letter he wrote to French President Emmanuel Macron criticised what he said was France's insufficient action against antisemitism.
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