All posts tagged "Festival"

Park City (United States) (AFP) - Packed full of nail-biting chases, hi-tech gadgets and an armed standoff, "Thelma" could be the next "Mission: Impossible" movie -- except its star, June Squibb, is 94. In the film, Squibb's hero takes matters into her own hands after she is swindled into sending $10,000 to a scammer, racing across Los Angeles on a souped-up mobility scooter with a dusty old gun, determined to confront the villain. Remarkably, the action-comedy, which premiered at the Sundance festival on Thursday, is the first leading film role for the veteran stage actor, who earned an Oscar......

Columbia (United States) (AFP) - Back in 2006, Spotify was a nascent start-up, your average stateside concert tickets went for $40 and many fans learned about the best new music from blogs like All Things Go. Nearly twenty years later, most people find new artists via algorithms and the average US concert ticket costs $250 -- double what it was just five years ago. All Things Go, however, has grown into a thriving indie music festival in a world where live events are increasingly owned by a handful of companies.  Now in its ninth year, the festival -- whose name derives from a Sufjan Stevens l......

Venice (AFP) - Transgender issues have taken centre stage at the Venice Film Festival this year, with Italian director Emanuele Crialese even using the platform to reveal he was born a woman as he presented his new film starring Penelope Cruz.  The revelation by Crialese came at a press conference for his new film, "L'Immensita", which is inspired by his difficult adolescence.  "I am never going to be like any other man... I was born biologically a woman," Crialese said.  He added that, despite his transition, there was still a "huge part of my character that is female".  In the film, Cruz's c......