‘Happening,’ ‘Titane,’ ‘Bac Nord’ Shortlisted by France’s Oscar Committee

Addressing “the recent debate around our company,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave not an inch on Monday, saying, “what we are seeing is a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture.”

There is “no will at the top of Facebook to ensure it is run in an adequately safe way” and Mark Zuckerberg is only concerned with shareholder interest, according to Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who is giving evidence to a UK committee this afternoon.

It’s early autumn in Yerevan and Paul Schrader is reminiscing. Four short years since the incredible success of “First Reformed,” the director returned to Venice this year with “The Card Counter,” another of his signature “man in a room” character studies and, yes, another triumph.

Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch did what a glum arthouse market was waiting for, revved it up with a smashing three-day average. “If Wes builds it, they will come,” said an elated Searchlight Pictures after a two year wait to get the film into theaters.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“The French Dispatch,” director Wes Anderson’s tribute to 20th-century magazines, opened at the domestic box office with a robust $1.3 million from only 52 theaters.For platform releases like “The French Dispatch,” the key metric is per-theater average rather than overall box office tally because indie movies kick off in a handful of theaters while commercial pictures start in thousands of venues.

coronavirus largely put an end to parades, an assortment of witches, goblins and other masked creatures are set to take to the streets Saturday night in the city's first parade with floats since the pandemic put an end to such frivolity.The Krewe of Boo is a Halloween-themed parade that stretches from the city's Marigny neighborhood, through the French Quarter and into the Warehouse District.

Frances Fisher is speaking out after the tragic shooting death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA new film about the development, regulation and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines from “How to Survive a Plague” director David France has scored a raft of international sales.Documentary specialists Dogwoof have sold the film — which will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2022 — into Sky in the U.K., Germany and Italy; NRK for Norway; DR for Denmark; SVT for Sweden; Channel 8 and YesDocu for Israel; and HBO and HBO Max in Latin America.Filming on the documentary,

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorRebecca Hall’s deft directorial debut “Passing,” which competed for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and was acquired by Netflix, and Julia Ducournau’s sophomore feature “Titane,” winner of Cannes’ Palme d’Or and France’s entry in the International Feature Film Oscar race, have been selected to compete in a section devoted to up-and-coming directors at the 29th edition of EnergaCamerimage, a film festival that focuses on the art of cinematography.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMusic Box has acquired Xavier Giannoli’s “Lost Illusions,” a sprawling costume drama with Benjamin Voisin (“Summer of 85”) and Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”), that competed at the Venice Film Festival and played at San Sebastian.A critically acclaimed film adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s literary masterpiece, “Les Illusions perdues,” the movie has now been sold in key markets by Gaumont.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentWarnerMedia International has appointed well-respected Canal Plus executive Vera Peltekian as VP and commissioning editor of original production for France. Based in Paris, Vera will commission original programming for HBO Max.Peltekian will join the company in November and will be part of HBO Max’s pan-regional team responsible for commissioning and producing drama, comedy, documentary and unscripted content in the EMEA region.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaSony’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” loomed large at the international box office this weekend, sinking its prodigious chompers into $62.3 million. That pushes the superhero adventure’s global haul to a muscular $283.7 million.

To suggest that France had an abundance of quality candidates for its International Film Oscar submission this year is beyond an understatement.

Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner Titane has been selected to represent France in the Best International Feature Film Oscar race. The country’s selection committee had previously shortlisted three titles as the potential submission, including Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner L’Evénement (Happening) and Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold).

Carrie and Big are back in Paris!

Audrey Diwan has emerged as one of the most exciting and relevant new voices of contemporary world cinema with her sophomore outing, “Happening.”Working with a tight budget, a fairly unknown lead actress (Anamaria Vartolomei) and a polarizing topic, Diwan was able to deliver a nuanced and relatable portrayal of Anne, a bright young female student determined to rise above her social upbringing who faces an unwanted pregnancy in 1960’s France — at a time when abortion was considered a

Refresh for latest…: MGM/Eon/Universal’s No Time To Die has sped the Aston Martin past the $300M global mark, coming off of an $89.54M sophomore frame at the international box office. That lifts James Bond 25’s overseas cume to $257.27M and, including domestic’s start this session, brings the worldwide total to $313.3M.

Clayton Davis Audrey Diwan’s “Happening,” one of the three shortlisted films to represent France for the upcoming 94th Academy Awards, will make its North American premiere at the Chicago Film Festival as part of the Global Currants and Women in Cinema program on Saturday, Oct.

France’s Oscar selection committee has shortlisted three titles as the country’s potential submission for the International Feature Oscar race. They include Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner L’Evénement (Happening), Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or laureate Titane and Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) which ran out of competition on the Riviera in July.