Chen Kaige Sets ‘Swan Song’ Tchaikovsky Epic as Next Directorial Project

Top tennis player Daniil Medvedev on Sunday claimed his first clay-court title by winning the Italian Open. As the Russian hoisted the trophy at the award presentation, the speakers at the stadium blasted Pet Shop Boys’ 1992 dance hit Go West, a rendition of Village People’s song of the same name.

WNBA star Brittney Griner stood for the national anthem Friday before her team’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

In 2013, filmmaker Anthony Chen’s first feature, “Ilo Ilo,” won the coveted Caméra d’Or at Cannes. Centered around the inseparable bond between a 10-year-old Singaporean boy and his Filipina nanny, Chen’s full-length debut deployed a specific lens — a family weathering the 1997 Asian financial crisis — to tell a universal story exploring the nooks and crannies of our shared humanity.

Naman Ramachandran Korea’s Anthology Studios and India’s Panorama Studios have partnered for the remake of the Drishyam franchise in Korea. Panorama Studios is backed by producer Kumar Mangat Pathak, while Anthology Studios is founded by former Warner Bros. local Korean production head, Choi Jae-won (aka Jay Choi), “Parasite” actor Song Kang-ho and acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon. The trio previously worked together on 2016 film “The Age of Shadows.” Anthology’s “Cobweb,” directed by Kim, produced by Choi and starring Song, is premiering out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25. The two studios will join hands for the Korean remake of the Drishyam franchise. The announcement was made at the India Pavilion in Cannes on Sunday by the two studios with Pathak and Choi present.

Naman Ramachandran Korea’s Anthology Studios and India’s Panorama Studios have partnered for the remake of the Drishyam franchise in Korea. Panorama Studios is backed by producer Kumar Mangat Pathak, while Anthology Studios is founded by former Warner Bros. local Korean production head, Choi Jae-won AKA Jay Choi, “Parasite” actor Song Kang-ho and acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon. The trio worked together on “The Age of Shadows” (2016). Anthology’s “Cobweb,” directed by Kim, produced by Choi and starring Song, is premiering in an out of competition slot at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25. The two studios will join hands for the Korean remake of the Drishyam franchise. The announcement was made at the India Pavilion in Cannes on Sunday by the two studios with Pathak and Choi present.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International In 2021, a generation of disillusioned youth in China decided to step off the hamster wheel and “lie flat” on the ground. Crushed by overbearing workloads with no long-term reward in the form of job security or home ownership, young people indulged in the “tang ping” resistance movement, which advocated for manageable working hours and a quality of life — all of which were the antithesis of China’s punishing 9-9-6 work culture — working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. It’s this tang ping generation that Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen is speaking to in his latest film, “The Breaking Ice.” The movie, which premieres in Un Certain Regard at Cannes on May 21, follows three young people who hit the road together after their lives intersect unexpectedly.

In 2013, filmmaker Anthony Chen’s first feature, “Ilo Ilo,” won the coveted Caméra d’Or at Cannes. Centered around the inseparable bond between a 10-year-old Singaporean boy and his Filipina nanny, Chen’s full-length debut deployed a specific lens — a family weathering the 1997 Asian financial crisis — to tell a universal story exploring the nooks and crannies of our shared humanity.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Kinology has come on board the highly anticipated next film of Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov, “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele,” based on Olivier Guez’s bestselling novel. Kinology is at Cannes to present the project to buyers. Set to start shooting in a few weeks, the film is being produced by Charles Gillibert at CG Cinema (“Annette”) and Ilya Stewart at Hype Studios (“Tchaikovsky’s Wife”). It stars August Diehl as Mengele, the notorious Nazi doctor who found refuge in South America at the end of WWII and was never captured. Mengele died in Brazil in 1979 without having been judged for his crimes. The daring movie will focus on Mengele’s fugitive years, spanning from Paraguay to the Brazilian jungle, and will be told from the man’s point of view.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Returning as an in-person event after cancelation last year, the Shanghai International Film Festival has set out an agenda with a clear focus on China. The festival (June 9-16) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s economic outreach and development program. With a series of press conferences and film culture roundtables, the SIFF’s Belt and Road Film Week will “bring together old friends of the alliance from previous years and new friends made this year [..] and announce an action plan for the future.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Jordi Cruyff will leave his position as Barcelona sporting director this summer after nearly two years in the job.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian director Gabriele Mainetti, known internationally for genre-bending titles “They Call Me Jeeg” and “Freaks vs. the Reich,” is shooting a kung fu movie set in Rome’s multi-ethnic Piazza Vittorio quarter. Cameras have just started rolling in Rome on Mainetti’s yet-to-be titled third feature that will see him riff on martial arts movie tropes, following his fresh takes on a 1970 Japanese cartoon series in “Jeeg,” and then on the Nazi hunter film genre in “Freaks.”   Vision Distribution will be launching sales on the film at the Cannes Marché du Film.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Ten years after winning the Camera d’Or in Cannes for “Ilo Ilo,” director Anthony Chen is back with “The Breaking Ice.” The film, which premieres in Un Certain Regard on May 21, is set in Yanji, a border city in north China, and follows a budding relationship between three 20-somethings as they spend a few days together. Nour Films has acquired the pic for France, while Rediance are handling worldwide sales. Chen became the first Singaporean to win an award at Cannes with his short film “Ah Ma” in 2007. In 2013, he won the Camera d’Or for his debut feature “Ilo Ilo.” His sophomore film “Wet Season” was nominated for the Platform Prize at Toronto. Chen made his English-language debut with “Drift,” starring Cynthia Erivo, which premiered at Sundance in January.

Mike McCahill Guest Contributor The theme of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, ‘United by Music,’ announced both the annual musical extravaganza’s all-embracing intentions and its status as a joint endeavor. With 2022 winners Ukraine unable to host in Kyiv due to the war, the U.K. – last year’s runners-up, thanks to Sam Ryder’s soaring “Space Man” – stepped in to reinstall this ever more spectacular circus (along with multiple Ukrainian creative personnel) in Liverpool, birthplace of the Beatles. A declaration that this was to be the glitziest of collabs was served via a prologue that paired Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, reworking last year’s winning entry “Stefania”, with the Princess of Wales, apparently providing piano accompaniment from within Windsor Castle. Soft power-a-go-go.

K.J. Yossman Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Swedish contestant Loreen came first with her song “Tattoo,” beating out 25 other countries to garner 583 points. Her win means the contest will likely be held in Sweden next year. Traditionally the winning country hosts the following year’s contest. Sweden was followed by Finland’s Käärijä with 526 points and Israel’s Noa Kirel with 362 points, who took second and third place respectively. This year’s Eurovision took place in Liverpool, U.K. on behalf of last year’s winner Ukraine after it was deemed too dangerous to hold Eurovision in the country following the Russian invasion. Ukrainian entry Kalush Orchestra won last year’s contest followed by the U.K.’s Sam Ryder in close second.

The buzz has been brewing this week - if not longer - for Eurovision 2023 and today's finally the day. The Grand Final of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday night (May 13) in Liverpool after the city won a tight bidding contest to host the event on behalf of Ukraine.

When does Eurovision 2023 take place?The first semifinals were held on Tuesday, May 9, and the second will be on Thursday, May 11. The final is on Saturday, May 13.Where is it being held? The contest is being hosted in Liverpool, England, as 2022’s winning country, Ukraine, is still at war with Russia.Where is it streaming?All three days of Eurovision 2023 stream on Peacock at 3 p.m.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Movie Film), two-times Cesar Award nominee Jean Reno (Leon), Ty Simpkins (Jurassic World) and Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) are attached to star in action movie Birdseye, which The Exchange will be launching for international sales ahead of the Cannes market.

News broke today (May 9) that Robert De Niro is now a father to seven after welcoming another baby.

Michelle Yeoh is sharing some Wicked insight.

Pussy Riot, Alice Glass and Boys Noize have collaborated on a brand new song – watch the official video for ‘Chastity’ below.The track comes along with a video by Lil Internet and is a sugary hit of danceable synth-pop.Discussing the track in a statement, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova said: “This song will put the patriarchy in a tiny cage and throw the key out.”Watch the video for ‘Chastity’ below.The new material follows Glass’ debut solo album, ‘PREY//IV’, which NME described as “a cathartic, horror-infused creative reclamation” for the former Crystal Castles singer.Last year, she shared a new song called ‘Lips Apart’ while midway through her ‘Trauma Bond’ tour of North America.That year, Glass also asked Machine Gun Kelly to apologise for what she described as “predatory behaviour towards underage girls”, stemming from comments that Kelly had made in old interviews.Tolokonnikova, meanwhile, has reportedly been identified on a list of Russian authorities’ “most wanted” criminal suspects.According to the Associated Press, Tolokonnikova – a founding member of the feminist punk group, which has long been controversial in their native Russia for their incitive protests against Vladimir Putin’s regime – was first spotted in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of criminal targets in March. The revelation reportedly came via Russian news outlet Mediazona, which was co-founded by Tolokonnikova.It’s said that Tolokonnikova’s listing in the database shows her wanted for “criminal charges”, however these are not disclosed in any significant detail.