Honors for De Niro, Tears from Legendary Boxer
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Kuwait is beautiful and green through children’s eyes WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016 36 People visit the large-scale public art installation titled Seven Magic Mountains by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone near Jean, Nevada. The artwork, comprised of seven towers of colorful, stacked boulders standing more than thirty feet high, was recently completed in the desert south of Las Vegas.-AFP Lebanese helmer Honors for De Niro, tears from Nadine Labaki preps legendary boxer Duran in Cannes ‘Cafarnaum’ t has been a while since legendary boxer Roberto Duran Arcel, who trained 18 world champions and was tasked with ebanese actress-turned-helmer Nadine Labaki, whose had a crowd on their feet chanting his name, but they did turning the hothead, America-hating Duran into world cham- latest film “Where Do We Go Now” won prizes in Cannes Iin Cannes on Monday after a screening of a film on his life pion. The film comes 36 years after his Oscar-winning per- Land Toronto, is set to direct her third pic, “Cafarnaum” starring Robert De Niro. Both De Niro and Duran had tears in formance as self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin (Capernaum), a $4 million feature set in a Middle Eastern their eyes as they embraced to a standing ovation after the Scorsese’s 1980 classic “Raging Bull”. town. Labaki is reteaming with her regular French producer, moving tale of the Panamanian’s journey to boxing stardom in “Hands of Stone” focuses on the rivalry between the Anne-Dominique Toussaint at Les Films des Tournelles-the “Hands of Stone” in Cannes, where De Niro was honoured for Panamanian brawler (played by Edgar Ramirez) and Sugar Ray Paris-based outfit behind this year’s Directors Fortnight player his five decade-long acting career. Leonard (played by the singer Usher Raymond). After winning “Tour de France” directed by Rachid Djaidani. Labaki and her “I don’t know what to say, it’s just great. All I can say is the WBC welterweight title from Leonard in 1980, Duran husband, Khaled Mouzanar, who is a popular music composer, thank you,” a visibly moved De Niro said after a clip was played shocked the world by quitting mid-fight in a rematch five will co-produce via their newly-launched outfit in Lebanon. showing many of his roles from “Casino” to “Taxi Driver”. “It’s a months later, reportedly with the words “No Mas” (No More) “Cafarnaum” (Capernaum) will start shooting at the end of great honor to be honored here in Cannes. As I’ve said before — which he still denies saying. Duran-who began his profes- the summer in Liban. The script - now completed-is based on and will say again: Thank god for the French,” said the 72-year- sional career at 16 — fought on till he was 50. an original story penned by Labaki Jihad Hojeily whose credits old New Yorker. Producer Harvey Weinstein, said that De Niro The actor Ramirez also paid tribute to De Niro, whom he include “Caramel” and “Where Do We Go Now” (pictured had been “a mentor, a kick-in-the-asser, the guy who tells you first met in Cannes five years ago when De Niro was president above). A political and contemporary fable in the vein of the truth even when you don’t want to hear it and the con- of the jury and Ramirez was presenting an award. “Cannes Labaki’s first two movies, “Cafarnaum” centers around a child summate actor.” must be the city of dreams as today five years later I have him who rebels against the life he’s been imposed and launches a “I will cry, I will,” said an emotional Weinstein. De Niro standing in my corner, not only in film, but most importantly lawsuit. “‘Cafarnaum’ will have the same humor et humanity as cracked Panama tax jokes as he told of the journey to make in life,” said Ramirez, also moved to tears by Duran’s reaction Nadine Labaki’s last films - it will mix fiction and documentary- the movie, which was eventually filmed in the country most after the movie was screened. De Niro starred in two films style realism and will star all fresh new faces, mostly non-pro- recently in the news for the “Panama Papers” scandal. that won Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or-Scorsese’s “Taxi fessionals,” said Toussaint. Driver” in 1976 and “Mission” by the British director Roland Although “Cafarnaum” will shoot in Lebanon, the story Legendary Sugar Ray rivalry Joffe 10 years later. “Hands of Stone”, directed by Jonathan takes place in an undefined Middle Eastern region which is Duran, known as “Hands of Stone”, is a national hero in Jakubowicz, will be released internationally in August and going through a political and social crisis. Toussaint is currently Panama, and the movie tracks his life as a child on the gritty September. — AFP in talks to lock the distribution and international sales for the streets of the country, where he was marked by riots over movie. “Where Do We Go Now” world premiered at Cannes’ Un America’s control of the Panama Canal. De Niro plays Ray Certain Regard, won a special mention of the Ecumenical jury, and went on to play at San Sebastian and Toronto where it won the audience prize. Labaki’s feature debut, “Caramel,” Nadine Labaki opened at Directors’ Fortnight and won three nods in San Sebastian, among a flurry of prizes. — Reuters Spielberg says ‘BFG’ is closest he’s come to ‘a love story’ teven Spielberg, a giant in the world of cinema, landed day. Hope is everything to me.” Spielberg acknowledged his at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday with his gentle interest has recently drifted to historical dramas like “Lincoln” SRoald Dahl adaptation “The BFG.” The film, about a and last year’s “Bridge of Spies,” but he said making “The BFG” young orphan (Ruby Barnhill) taken away by a friendly, big- was liberating. eared giant (recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance), marks a “It was revisiting something that I’ve always loved to do, return for Spielberg to the magical kind of fable he has large- which is just to tell stories that are from the imagination,” he ly moved away from in recent years. It’s also his second film said. “It brought back feelings I had as a younger filmmaker.” with “E.T.” writer Melissa Mathison, who died last November. “The BFG,” which drew warmly respectful reviews in its Spielberg has dedicated “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant) to her. Cannes premiere, is largely faithful to Dahl’s 1982 classic and “It’s a love story that children have for their grandparents. was made in concert with the Dahl estate. (The author died It’s a love story that grandparents have for their children,” in 1990.) Producer Kathleen Kennedy first obtained the rights Spielberg told reporters Saturday. “I think this probably the in 1993 and later turned to Mathison for the script. closest I’ve ever come to telling a love story.” Sitting between Spielberg called collaborating with Mathison again “a his young star and his new favorite actor (Rylance is starring wonderful reunion and a very bittersweet time, as it turned in the director’s next two films as well), Spielberg said out, for us.” Dahl was famously anti-Israel and some consid- enchanting fantasies like “The BFG” are just as vital as more ered him anti-Semitic. Asked about whether that was an realistic tales. issue for him, Spielberg said he wasn’t aware of that, and was “The worse the world gets, the more magic we have to only concerned with adapting a book he frequently read to (From third left) Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada, Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran, US actor Robert de Niro and his believe in,” said Spielberg. “Hope comes from magic and I his seven children.—AP wife Grace Hightower, US actor Usher Raymond IV and his wife Grace Miguel, Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez, think that’s what movies can give people. They can give peo- Cuban actress Ana de Armas and Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz pose as they arrive for the screening ple hope that there will be a reason to fight on to the next of the film “Hands of Stone” at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. — AFP.