Penélope Cruz Plans to Make Her Directorial Debut With Upcoming Documentary: It’s ‘Really My Passion Project’

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French film guilds representing authors, directors and producers have released a joint letter pledging their “full solidarity” with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA double strike. “This battle that’s shaping tomorrow’s industry crosses borders. It’s also ours,” reads the letter, which was signed by the ARP (authors, directors, producers) and SRF (society of French directors), the governing body of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. The letter says the double strike “signals a turning point where the questions of sharing of wealth and integration of new models and AI are central.”

Naman Ramachandran Ariel Kavoussi, whose acting credits include Netflix’s “Maniac,” Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and film “Catfight,” has wrapped her feature directorial debut “The Next Big One: A Comedy with Three Potential Problems.” In this dystopian sci-fi black comedy, a high-ranking employee at an omnipotent tech firm must help her depressed, activist brother move into their aunt’s house while a hurricane threatens New York city. Principal photography wrapped in Brooklyn, New York. Kavoussi previously directed shorts and some TV. The lead cast includes Molly Bernard (“Younger”), David H. Holmes (“The Penguin”), Deborah Rush (“Strangers with Candy”) and Kevin Corrigan (“The Get Down”).

Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen‘s daughter, Gia, is just 3 months old, but she’s already made her first television appearance.

Tiffany Chen and Robert De Niro made her TV debut during her mother's  interview with Gayle King that aired on Friday. The baby made a brief appearance during the near-10-minute conversation, during which the world-champion martial artist opened up to King about the scary postpartum complication she endured after giving birth to the 79-year-old Oscar-winning actor's seventh child. When asked how her daughter has changed her life, Chen responds that the 3-month-old has «made it more fun» for her and her Oscar-winning partner. «Gia, what's your favorite Robert De Niro movie?» King jokingly asked the baby during her visit, to which Chen replied, «The one in the delivery room, where I'm the star!»WATCH: Robert De Niro’s baby Gia makes her TV debut alongside mom Tiffany Chen and @GayleKing on CBS Mornings.

Disney has finally given Star Wars fans their first look at live-action Grand Admiral Thrawn! In the recent Ahsoka series trailer, we finally get to see the face of the Chiss admiral. Thrawn is seemingly the main antagonist in the upcoming Ahsoka Tano spin-off series. Grand Admiral Thrawn was also one of the “big bads” in the hit animated show Star Wars Rebels. It was announced in April at this year’s Star Wars Celebration that Lars Mikkelsen would reprise his role as the Star Wars villain.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Films du Losange has unveiled the trailer for “Un Silence,” Joachim Lafosse’s thought-provoking film starring Daniel Auteuil and Emmanuelle Devos that will world premiere in competition at San Sebastian Film Festival. Tackling themes of abuse, the timely film revolves around Astrid (Devos), the wife of an acclaimed lawyer (Auteuil). Silenced for 25 years, her family balance suddenly collapses when her children initiate their own search for justice. One of Belgium’s leading filmmakers, Lafosse is best known internationally for 2012’s “Our Children,” a heart-wrenching drama based on a true story starring Emilie Dequenne and Tahar Rahim. “Our Children” represented Belgium in the Oscars race. “Un Silence” will mark Joachim’s follow up to “The Restless,” which competed at Cannes in 2021 and also explored imploding family dynamics.

Alix Earle and Braxton Berrios are red carpet official!

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While Hollywood braces for an actors strike, the key cast of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” — Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon — walked the red carpet at the Paris world premiere on Tuesday, but didn’t talk politics. Nolan, receiving rapturous applause as he walked into the theater, spoke onstage about his special bond with France and the 90-year old Grand Rex Theater, dating back to his 2000 film “Memento.” “When we made our first film ‘Memento,’ no one in the world would show this film,” Nolan said, until the Grand Rex Theater booked it. “Looking at the size of it I have no idea why, but people came and our lives changed and we love this theater,” added Nolan, who was surrounded by his cast and producers, including his wife Emma Thomas.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mélanie Laurent, who broke through in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and has since made a name for herself as a filmmaker, is back in the director’s chair with “Wingwomen,” coming to Netflix Nov. 1. The movie, in which Laurent stars alongside Adèle Exarchopoulos, Manon Bresch and Isabelle Adjani, is a rare breed of action-comedy driven by fearless female characters. Laurent and Exarchopoulos star as high-profile thieves and best friends who decide to retire from their life on the run. They recruit Sam, a young and feisty car racer (Bresch) to assist them with one last job, but quickly clash with their godmother’s will (Adjani).

While Katie Thurston didn’t find The One during her time as the Bachelorette, she’s getting another chance at finding love but this time on FBoy Island.

A festive get together of friends turns dark in the new horror-thriller Our Deadly Vows, now playing in theaters in limited release. Actor Chris Chalk (When They See Us, Perry Mason) makes his directorial debut with the film, in which he stars opposite his wife, K.D. Chalk.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Florian Zeller, the Oscar-winning director and playwright of “The Father” and “The Son,” received the Medal of Honor, France’s highest decoration, at an intimate ceremony in Paris on Wednesday. The event, hosted in the gardens of the French authors and composers guild (SACD), gathered a flurry of talent and luminaries from the worlds of film, TV, theater and literature — reflecting the breadth of Zeller’s body of work. Zeller was appointed Knight of the Legion of Honor by France President Emmanuel Macron. Guests included Isabelle Huppert, Pierre Arditi, Catherine Frot and Elodie Navarre who have starred in Zeller’s plays; Christopher Hampton, with whom he shares a best adapted screenplay Oscar for “The Father;” “Simone” actor Elsa Zylberstein; Mediawan boss Pierre-Antoine Capton, with whom he launched the L.A.-based company Blue Morning Pictures; Victoria Bedos (“La famille Belier”); Orange Studio’s Kristina Zimmermann and Sebastien Cauchon, who distributed both “The Father” and “The Son” in France; French singer Julien Clerc; French director Anne Fontaine and producer Philippe Carcassonne; as well as Zeller’s wife, Marine Delterme, an actor who was recently signed by WME.

K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE have made their official debut with their self-titled EP and its lead single ‘Shhh’.On July 5, S2 Entertainment officially debuted its four-member girl group KISS OF LIFE with a video for their single ‘Shhh’. The release follows a weeks-long rollout of the members’ solo music videos, as well as a visual for their B-side track ‘Bye My Neverland’.The new ‘Shhh’ video continues the storyline from ‘Bye My Neverland’, which ended with Belle and Haneul witnessing Julie accidentally hitting Natty with her car.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Vivendi has entered into exclusive negotiations with Figaro Group, the company behind one of France’s leading national newspapers, to sell its stake in Gala magazine. The sale of Gala is one of two antitrust requirements imposed by the European Commission to allow Vivendi to complete its acquisition of French media banner Lagardère Group, the parent company of Hachette Livres. The other antitrust commitment has led Vivendi to sell 100% of its publishing banner Editis to a subsidiary of Czech Media Invest (CMI) founded by Daniel Kretinsky. Editis is home to Robert Laffont, Plon and Julliard, among others. Gala magazine, a popular French title similar to People Magazine, boasts a daily edition during the Cannes Film Festival and belongs to Prisma Media, which is itself owned by Vivendi.

Jake Johnson’s feature directorial debut, titled “Self Reliance,” is coming to Hulu on Sept. 8.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Nouvelles Vagues, a new international festival dedicated to films about youth, is set to make a splashy debut Wednesday in Biarritz, a surf haven in southwestern France, with Penélope Cruz as its inaugural guest of honor. Launching with partners such as Chanel and leading French pay TV banner Canal+, Nouvelles Vagues was founded by fashion veteran Jérôme Pulis, who worked at Christian Dior for 16 years and producer Sandrine Brauer. The pair have enlisted former Locarno artistic director Lili Hinstin as programming chief. The festival is kicking off Wednesday evening with the screening of Tina Satter’s “Reality,” the Berlinale breakout film starring Sydney Sweeney, followed by a gala dinner hosted by Chanel. “Reality” was acquired by HBO Films for North America on the heels of its critically acclaimed world premiere at Berlin. Metropolitan FilmExport, the French distributor of “Reality,” is holding the local premiere of “Reality” at Nouvelles Vagues ahead of its theatrical release in August — a sign that the festival is perceived by French industry players as a potentially strong launchpad in a crowded marketplace.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Samuel Goldwyn Films has unveiled the trailer for “Simone: Woman of the Century,” a biopic of Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor who became health minister of France and championed the 1975 law that legalized abortion in France.  Directed by Olivier Dahan, best-known for his Oscar-winning Edith Piaf biopic “La Vie en Rose,” “Simone” boasts powerful performances by Elsa Zylberstein and Rebecca Marder. The key cast is completed by Elodie Bouchez, Sylvie Testud and Olivier Gourmet. The film was a box office hit in France, where it was released by Warner Bros and ranked as 2022’s third highest-grossing French-language hit with over 2.5 million tickets sold. Samuel Goldwyn Films is planning to release the film in U.S. theaters, opening in New York and Los Angeles on Aug. 18, followed by a wider rollout.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French actor-director Nicolas Bedos has been placed in police custody in Paris following a police complaint filed by a woman for an alleged sexual assault, Variety has confirmed. The alleged incident occurred during the night of June 1 in a Parisian club where Bedos allegedly put his hand on the crotch of the woman who was wearing jeans, according to news agency AFP, which reported that it had access to the police complaint. Bedos’ attorney Julia Minkowski declined to comment. A source close to Bedos told French journalists that if such act had occurred, it had to be “accidental.” Bedos has been in custody since Wednesday afternoon.

Pharrell Williams did and last night on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris he found out. After a week of teasing behind-the-scenes clips and a billboard campaign starring Rihanna and a takeout coffee, he staged his debut runway show as Louis Vuitton’s new men’s creative director. It was, needless to say, a mega-budget spectacle.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Leos Carax, whose latest film “Annette” won best director at Cannes in 2021, will shed light on his enigmatic and singular body of work in his next project “It’s Not Me.” The self-portrait film reunites Carax with French actor Denis Lavant whom he directed in five of his most famous films, including “Boy Meets Girl,” “Bad Blood,” “Lovers on the Bridge,” and Berlinale prizewinning “Holy Motors.” Les Films du Losange, the Paris-based company which won this year’s Berlinale Golden Bear with Nicolas Philibert’s On The Adamant, will distribute “It’s Not Me” in France, as well as represent the film in international markets. “It’s Not Me” also reteams Carax with Charles Gillibert at CG Cinema, who produced “Annette.” After world premiering at Cannes, the ambitious English language musical drama went on to win many laurels, including best director at the Cesar Awards. It also earned a Cesar nomination for Driver, and a Golden Globe nomination for Cotillard.