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Friday, April 19, 2019 Lifestyle | Features Loach and Malick top bill but no Tarantino - yet - for Cannes festival

eteran directors Ken Loach and Terrence Malick head the line-up of Va gritty and highly political Cannes film festival next month, its director Thierry Fremaux said yesterday. Despite red-carpet protests last year led by Hollywood star and jury head Cate Blanchett demanding equali- ty, only four of the 19 films competing for the Palme d’Or top prize are directed by women. Fremaux-whose selection committee con- sisted of four men and four women-insisted that female talent was coming through in the rest of the official selection, with 13 women directors making the cut overall. But the big news was that there was no In this file photo French director Claude Lelouch place-as yet-for Quentin Tarantino’s much- poses on the red carpet before the screening of anticipated new movie, “Once Upon a Time President of the Cannes Film Festival Pierre Lescure (left) and General Delegate of the Cannes Film the film “Galveston” during the 44th Deauville US in Hollywood”, starring Brad Pitt and Festival Thierry Fremaux pose in front of the Cannes official poster during the presentation of the 72nd Film Festival in the French northwestern sea Leonardo DiCaprio. Fremaux hinted that he Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, in Paris yesterday. — AFP photos resort of Deauville. would hold the door open for the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” until the very last minute. festival, which sees itself as the “Olympics of his sleeve, hinting that Elton John may per- Almodovar also returns with his most per- “It is not yet ready,” he told reporters. “It’s a cinema”, will open with cult US director Jim form on stage before the biopic of his life, sonal film yet, “Pain & Glory”, which has bit of a sprint... we hope we will have good Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die”. The zom- “Rocketman”, premieres out of competition. already opened to great acclaim in his native news to announce” before the festival starts bie comedy stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, And “Drive” director Spain. This time round it’s a caper about on May 14. Loach, 82, who won the Palme Tilda Swinton and singers Iggy Pop and Tom will similarly unveil two episodes for his new gangsters who form a union. d’Or prize in 2016 with “I, Daniel Blake”- Waits. But overall the festival is again missing Amazon series “Too Old to Die Young”. Palestine film-maker Elia Suleiman charts big starry Hollywood productions. a struggle to find an alternative homeland in which he then said was his final film-returns Not quite Hollywood with “Sorry We Missed You”, an indictment They have migrated in recent years to the “It Must Be Heaven”. Meanwhile, acclaimed What the Cannes line-up lacks in glam- of the gig economy. rival Venice film festival in August, which the documentary-maker Asif Kapadia tackles studios believe gives them a better spring- our, it attempted to make up with star the legend of Diego Maradona out of com- Maradona and Elton John board for the Oscars. Netflix also premiered auteurs, social issues and a global span. petition. The British Oscar-winning maker of Fremaux revealed that the reclusive its Oscar-winning “Roma” at Venice last year Korean master Bong Joon-ho of “Okja” and “Amy”-which revealed the singer Amy American Malick will premiere his World after a bitter row with Cannes-since partly “Snowpiercer” fame is back with a tragi- Winehouse’s demons shortly before her War II story, “A Hidden Life”, about a patched up-over its rule that selected films comedy film noir called “Parasite” about the death-will concentrate on the footballer’s German conscientious objector guillotined must be shown in French cinemas. Fremaux, growing divide between rich and poor in his days at FC Napoli. —AFP by the Nazis in 1943. The world’s biggest film however, appeared to have some stardust up homeland. Another Cannes regular Pedro Smith thinks Aladdin Genie John Cena wanted for Suicide Squad sequel memes are ‘very funny’ ohn Cena is reportedly being eyed for a role in the ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel. According to ill Smith thinks memes about the Genie in JVariety, the WWE star-and-actor is reported- ‘Aladdin’ are “very funny”. The 50-year-old ly in talks to join James Gunn’s follow-up to the actor has assumed the role of the lamp- 2016 DC ensemble movie. It’s not known what part W dweller in Guy Ritchie’s upcoming live-action film and he’s wanted for, but if he does sign up, the the first look at the character arrived in a teaser trailer ‘Bumblebee’ star will be joining returning cast in February, causing the internet to respond with a slew members including Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), of funny posts about Will’s blue alter-ego. However, the Jared Leto (The Joker), Jai Courtney (Captain Hollywood star admitted that he wasn’t offended by the Boomerang) and Viola Davis (Captain Waller). The memes and although he’s still trying to “get a handle latest rumour surrounding the comic book flick on” internet culture, he enjoyed the comedic posts. In comes after it was reported that Idris Elba will an interview with Empire, he said: “It was very funny. play a new character, rather than replacing Will There was a Sonic The Hedgehog / Genie frog. Smith as Deadshot. “Everything is under such critical scrutiny. I came up in The 46-year-old actor was previously believed an era where there was no internet. It’s a new thing that to have signed up to portray the gunslinging I’m trying to get a handle on.” Guy, 50, went on to adversary of after Smith exited the project explain that when another trailer was released with in February. However, Variety reported that bosses improved shots of the Genie, he was satisfied fans were involved with the sequel, including director Gunn, back on board with the character. He said: “It even had decided to move on from the Deadshot char- came with apologies from the cynics who were so acter and axe him from the movie, with Elba adamant initially; I’ve never seen apologies in that instead taking on a new role. world. — Bang Showbiz