Mantas Kvedaravicius Dies: Lithuanian Film Director Of ‘Mariupolis’ Shot Dead In Ukraine At 45

Marta Balaga The Ukrainian Institute has issued an official letter to the Cannes Film Festival and French director Michel Hazanavicius asking them to rename his opening night movie “Z,” which the org claims is a pro-war symbol of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.In Russia, “Z” is considered a pro-war symbol that has also been used in pro-Russian demonstrations across Europe. The symbol has recently been adopted by some Russian figures taking part in world events, such as gymnast Ivan Kuliak who, while in Qatar for a World Cup event, sported a “Z” on his chest while standing on a podium next to Ukrainian athlete Illia Kovtun.

Doug Liman, the Bourne franchise producer and director of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, among others, is in Ukraine to help document the war with Russia, he told GMA this morning.

The Chmerkovskiy brothers are stepping out for the night!

Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham have broken their silence following their lavish Florida wedding . The couple exchanged vows at Nicola's billionaire father Nelson's $103m (£79m) compound in Palm Beach last Saturday in a $3. 5m (£2.

Brooklyn Beckham and wife Nicola Peltz made their support for Ukraine clear on Wednesday as they shared their wish for fans to donate to the crisis currently going on in the country.The newlyweds posted their charitable requests on their individual Instagram pages days on from marrying in a £3million ceremony at Nicola’s £76 million family estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Brooklyn and Nicola told their joint 16.3 million followers that they did not want wedding gifts following the ceremony held on 9 April, instead asking for donations to be made to Ukraine as the region continues to be invaded and ravaged by Russian troops. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.

Actor Sean Penn may be home from Ukraine, but he's still got the country on his mind amid Russia's invasion. Over the past several months the filmmaker spent time in Ukraine to film a documentary featuring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and military forces. Although he's since returned home to California, Penn revealed in a new interview that he has intentions to go back and has thought about "taking up arms" against Russia.

A Stand Up for Ukraine event taking place Saturday saw $4.6 billion in grants and $5.5 billion in loans pledged for humanitarian efforts being undertaken by Ukraine and other European countries, UN agencies and grassroots organizations to support all those impacted by the Russian invasion.

A health update arrived today from Fox News State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall, who survived an attack in Ukraine that saw two colleagues killed.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorSwiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel has opened in Nyon with a homage to Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius, who was killed while filming in Ukraine last week. The 45 year old, best known for his conflict-zone documentary “Mariupolis,” which was screened at the 2016 edition of the fest and has been added to this year’s lineup, was a festival regular.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLithuanian film director and academic Mantas Kvedaravicius, who captured the escalating conflict in Ukraine in several powerful works, has been reported dead in Mariupol, the Ukrainian city that was the subject of his doc “Mariupolis” that premiered in Berlin.“While (he was) trying to leave Mariupol, Russian occupiers killed Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius,” the Ukrainian Defence Ministry tweeted on Saturday. Kvedaravicius was 45.  A Lithuanian news agency called 15min reported that Kvedaravicius was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved.News that Kvedaravicius has been killed by the Russian military — which could not be verified with family members — has prompted an outpour of statements and social media posts mourning the director’s death.

Maks Levin, whose photography documented the Ukraine war for many top international publications, has been found dead from a shooting in that country. He was 40.

Lise Pedersen “Novorossiya” by Enrico Parenti and Luca Gennari, which had its world premiere this week at CPH:DOX, is a rare film that shows the ongoing conflict in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas region from the Russian perspective.Gennari, an experienced cinematographer, was shocked at the way the war in the Luhansk and Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists have proclaimed the state of Novorossiya (literally “New Russia”), no longer received any media attention once the Maidan revolution was over.In 2017, he decided to head to the Donbas region with his camera to see what life was like there.The film follows the parallel stories of a handful of characters, ranging from a communist U.S. fighter from Texas to a young Ukrainian soldier, a captain in the separatist army who dreams of rebuilding the Soviet Union, an opera singer from the Donetsk opera house, two young men from a heavy metal band and two elderly women who live in a bunker.

making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair loss during the Oscars. Reports now suggest that Rock didn't know about Jada's alopecia.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy was scared. During an appearance on , Maksim's younger brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, recalled what it was like having his sibling in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, a month ago as Russia began attacking.«My brother was in Kyiv when the invasion started, and we were all really nervous, obviously,» Val told Olivia, who was his dance partner on. «He was petrified, we talked about it, and he was grateful to get out.»While he eventually reunited with his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, and their son in California after an arduous journey to the Polish border -- one he documented parts of on social media — the 42-year-old ballroom pro has since returned to Poland to join relief efforts on the ground.As Val said, «He is now right back at the Polish border trying to do whatever he can.»And while Maks is back overseas now, the privilege of their safety in the United States is not lost on Val.

started off the three-hour telecast with jokes about gender discrimination, diversity, political divisions and homophobia.“This year, the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” Schumer quipped as the comedians welcomed viewers.Sykes then took a shot at Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell with a joke about “toxic masculinity” before she and Hall ganged up against Schumer to block her from Black Twitter. The trio ended the opening monologue with the three women chanting “Gay, gay, gay!”“We’re going to have a great night, and for you folks in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night! Gay, gay gay!” Sykes jeered.The actress was referring to Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, which prohibits lessons about gender or sexuality in school between kindergarten and third grade, which critics refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Ukraine, street artists in Southern California are taking up their brushes and spray paint to oppose the war.Los Angeles artist Corie Mattie was motivated when bombs started dropping in Ukraine. She collaborated with tattoo artist Juliano Trindade to depict the head of Russian President Vladimir Putin being carried away by doves.“It’s kind of like a resistance,” Mattie said this week.