Prestige, previews, and a rite of spring for global cinema
Bruce Dern reflects on a lifetime in film, from early work with Hitchcock to Cannes success in Nebraska, and hints at a new story involving Marilyn Monroe as he discusses ageing in cinema and the AI era.
Venice has faced criticism for including few female directors in its main competition. May el-Toukhys Woman Unknown was the lone woman-led feature in the initial lineup; festival organisers have since added the documentary NAZA. Jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal and programmers at London Film Festival have said structural barriers, especially financing, are limiting womens progression to larger films.
At TIFF 2026, studios are bypassing fall festivals while markets expand. Major releases skip screenings, while the market and Red Sea Fund-backed projects push Toronto as a hub for sales and international partnerships. TIFF’s evolving role mirrors a broader shift in how studios reach audiences and win awards amid a crowded fall slate.
The trilogy-spanning queer epic La Bola Negra has earned Cannes acclaim and is set for a Netflix-backed cinema release, positioning its creators Ambrossi and Calvo for a potential best-picture nod as it builds a generational LGBTQ+ legacy across the early 20th century to the present.
Two new films retell postwar Germany through the Manns’ road trip across a divided nation; one frames it as a reckoning with exile and memory, the other as a stark meditation on art under political pressure. The works reflect a culture wrestling with heritage and borders.
Iranian authorities have handed Panahi a new prison sentence in absentia and have ordered the confiscation of his assets. The awards-winning filmmaker, who has long challenged state censorship, had returned to Iran in March and remains targeted by multiple open legal cases. His bank accounts have been blocked. Family and fellow artists warn the crackdown could silence dissent.
The Guardian recalls Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, noting his Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman and his English-language hits Gloria Bell and The Wonder, while highlighting his sensitive portrayals of ordinary lives and the challenges faced by trans individuals in a global context.