Iris Knobloch Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Incoming Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch used her maiden speech in the role to herald the return of the theatrical experience as studios move away from day-and-date practices adopted during the pandemic.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Studio Ghibli, the animation studio behind “My Neighbor Totoro” and the Oscar-winning animated feature “The Boy and the Heron,” is being awarded an Honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival. It marks the first time that the award will be given to a group.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent NBCUniversal Studio Group chair and chief content officer Donna Langley will be celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival, where she will receive the Women in Motion Award from Kering‘s chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault, Cannes president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Fremaux. The awards ceremony will take place at a glamorous gala dinner hosted by Kering on May 19, which will bring together major talent and executives attending the festival.

Universal Studios chief Donna Langley is heading to this year’s Cannes Film Festival where she will be handed Kering’s annual Women In Motion Award.

Cannes Film Festival Delegate General Thierry Frémaux has addressed concerns over security at the event’s upcoming 77th edition in May, saying it will be tight but that measures will be under the radar for the most part.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent In what looks to be another robust year in the making, the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will bring together several iconic filmmakers, including Francis Ford Coppola with “Megalopolis” starring Adam Driver, George Miller with “Furiosa” starring Anya Taylor-Joy, as well as George Lucas who will be feted with an honorary Palme d’Or. Kevin Costner will also be on hand with the first installment of his Western epic “Horizon, an American Saga.” Hollywood may have a lighter presence due to a combination of factors – including last year’s actors and writers strikes, which created production delays, as well as a tough economy — but this year’s festival will see no shortage of glamor and stars on the red carpet.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent More than 180,000 people across France, including approximately 105,000 in Paris, took part in a civic march against antisemitism on Sunday, according to figures released by the interior ministry and police prefecture. Major political figures such as former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, as well as prime minister Elisabeth Borne and culture minister Rima Abdul Malak attended the march.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the dates of its 77th edition which will take place May 14-25, 2024. This year’s festival wrapped May 27 with Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” winning the Palme d’Or, Jonathan Glazer’s “A Zone of Interest” take home the Grand Prize, and Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves” nabbing the Jury Prize. The jury of the 76th edition was presided over by Ruben Ostlund, the two-time Palme d’Or winning director of “The Square” and “Triangle of Sadness.” The first post-pandemic edition, 2023 was marked by an overall well-received Official Selection lineup and a strong presence of American talent and studios. Some of the anticipated films spotlighted at the festival included Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Wes Anderson‘s “Asteroid City,” as well as Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Pedro Almodóvar’s short film “Strange Way of Life” and Pixar’s “Elemental.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Leonardo DiCaprio was seen taking a selfie with a lady in red as he sat sandwiched in between Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux and festival president Iris Knobloch, deep in conversation at Kering’s Women in Motion Dinner. As he left, he walked to the back balcony of the party where Salma Hayek was sitting on a step smoking a cigarette. He bent over and hugged Hayek as he headed home just before 1:00 a.m. If DiCaprio had stayed a bit later, he might have been dancing on a table with Michelle Yeoh and Brie Larson. Yeoh — the night’s honoree as the recipient of Kering’s Women In Motion Award for 2023 — left shortly before 2 o’clock in the morning, glistening with sweat after dancing the night away with Larson, who is a member of the Cannes jury. The two Oscar winners got up on chairs to dance and were joined by a saxophone player, who jumped on the table, and even Frémaux, who got in on the dance party. (The video, first captured by Variety, has now gone viral with Yeoh and Larson sharing on their social media and raving about meeting each other for the first time.)

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Can you believe it took 75 years to nominate a woman as the president of the Cannes Film Festival?” Iris Knobloch asks, reflecting on her 2022 appointment as the fest’s top executive. Known for her strong will, the chic, charismatic German is used to being a rare woman in power — she essayed various roles at the top of WarnerMedia in Europe for 25 years, where she cultivated relationships with such Hollywood players as Warner Bros. Discovery consultant and former Disney chief Alan Horn, filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Todd Phillips, Amazon Studios and MGM film head Courtenay Valenti and Amazon Studios marketing chief Sue Kroll.

Refresh for latest…: While a handful of big-ticket Cannes Film Festival titles have already been revealed, the bulk of the Official Selection for the 76th edition will be unveiled today. General Delegate Thierry Frémaux is announcing the lineup for the May 16-27 event from Paris’ UGC Normandie cinema this morning and we are updating the list live below; you can also watch the livestream here.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The anticipation is running high at the Cannes Film Festival’s packed annual press conference on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where festival chief Thierry Fremaux is expected to unveil the bulk of the Official Selection for the 76th edition. The festival has been teasing cinephiles with splashy announcements about Martin Scorsese returning to the Croisette with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” 38 years after winning best director with “After Hour,” as well as Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” and Pedro Almodóvar’s short film, “Strange Way of Life.” But Fremaux, who is leading the presser with the festival’s new president Iris Knobloch, is expected to have saved a few high-profile surprises, including Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” starring an ensemble cast that includes Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton; Todd Haynes’ “May December” with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore; Karim Aïnouz’s Henry VIII drama “Firebrand” with Alicia Vikander and Jude Law; and HBO’s “The Idol,” the Weeknd-led series.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent On the heels of her Oscar victory with “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” the inspiring Michelle Yeoh will be celebrated by Kering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival where she will receive the 2023 Women In Motion Award. The ceremony will be held in Cannes during the glamorous Women In Motion dinner which is dedicated to honoring women in cinema. Yeoh was chosen as this year’s honoree by François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering, and Iris Knobloch, the new president of the Cannes Film Festival, as well Thierry Frémaux, Cannes Festival’s director. The dinner is part of the pioneering Women in Motion program, launched in 2015 during the Festival to highlight the creativity and contribution made by women in the world of culture and the arts.

Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is set to head to the Cannes Film Festival this year, where she will become the latest recipient of Kering’s Women In Motion Award.

The Cannes Film Festival has confirmed that it will announce the Official Selection for its 76th edition on April 13 in Paris.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe France-based streaming service Deezer, which has a relatively low profile in the U.S. but is one of the world’s largest streamers, is merging with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) with an eye toward going public at a $1.13 billion valuation, the companies told the Wall Street Journal.Deezer, which launched in 2007, is merging with Paris-listed I2PO SA.

Iris Knobloch, the former boss of WarnerMedia France and Germany, has been selected by the Cannes Film Festival board as the event’s next president.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAfter several hours of heated debates, Iris Knobloch, the former boss of WarnerMedia France and Germany, has been chosen by the board of the Cannes Film Festival to become its first female president, as Variety has learned . She will succeed Pierre Lescure who was re-elected for a third term in June 2020 and is planning to step down after the upcoming edition.The German-born, Paris-based executive was elected by the board of directors of the Association Française du Festival International du Film, which brings together public authorities and film industry professionals, amid much controversy in France.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSet to celebrate its 75th anniversary this year, the Cannes Film Festival will likely be presided over by a female executive for the first time ever. Variety has confirmed that Iris Knobloch, the former boss of WarnerMedia France, Germany, Benelux, Austria and Switzerland, is well-positioned to succeed Pierre Lescure who was re-elected for a third term in June 2020 and is planning to step down after the upcoming edition.Knobloch has yet to be elected by the board of directors of the Association Française du Festival International du Film, which brings together public authorities and film industry professionals, but the German-born, Paris-based executive is being pushed forward by high-profile figures within the French government.

Iris Knobloch, WarnerMedia’s former president of France, Benelux, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is launching a €250 million ($300M) European SPAC with Artemis, a holding company backed by François-Henri Pinault, the billionaire French businessman married to Salma Hayek.

Manori Ravindran International EditorWarnerMedia veteran Iris Knobloch is stepping down after 25 years in various senior leadership roles.Knobloch, who is based in France, most recently served as president of WarnerMedia France, Benelux, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Iris Knobloch, WarnerMedia’s president of France, Benelux, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is to leave the company after 25 years.

Jamie Lang In today’s Global Bulletin, WarnerMedia shakes up its EMEA leadership teams; MBC Group launches a new talent development initiative; See-Saw Films promotes Samantha Joly to head of marketing; Twenty Twenty hires James O´Reilly as creative director; a raft of unscripted series sell globally; and the British Academy Scotland Awards announce this year’s winners.New WarnerMedia France and Benelux, Germany-Austria-Switzerland country manager Iris Knobloch has realigned her leadership

As it looks towards the launch of HBO Max in Europe next year, WarnerMedia has set its leadership teams for France & Benelux and Germany/Austria/Switzerland. The group falls under the oversight of longtime Warner Bros exec Iris Knobloch, who was recently named Country Manager for those markets.

Warner Bros. executive Eric Broet has been upped to EVP of France and Benelux for the studio. In this new role, Broet continue reporting to Iris Knobloch, the president of Warner Bros. France and Benelux, and will lead the development of the studio’s strategy in France and Benelux.

By Andreas Wiseman