‘No Bears’ Review: Jafar Panahi’s Inventive, Illuminating Autofiction Builds to a Tragic New Twist in the Tale

Manori Ravindran International Editor Imprison Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears” has sold into North America, with Sideshow and Janus Films acquiring U.S. rights, and Films We Like buying the movie for Canada. “No Bears,” which premiered earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival, portrays two parallel love stories. “In both, the lovers are troubled by hidden, inevitable obstacles, the force of superstition and the mechanics of power,” reads an official synopsis. The film is written, produced, and directed by Panahi, and stars Panahi, Naser Hashemi, Vahid Mobaseri, Bakhtiar Panjei, Mina Kavani, Narjes Dalaram and Reza Heydari.

Iranian director Jafar Panahi remains behind bars in Tehran but his cinema continues to travel.

arrested by Iranian authorities after he had inquired about the status of two other detained Iranian directors. The government has now forced him to serve out a six-year jail sentence originally issued to Panahi in December 2010. At that time, he was banned for 20 years from directing movies, writing screenplays or giving any form of interview with an Iranian or foreign press, though he has since showcased other films such as “This Is Not a Film,” “Closed Curtain,” “Taxi” and “3 Faces” in defiance of his order and state-attempted censorship.

Amal and George Clooney enjoyed a night out in New York City Thursday. The British lawyer, 44, was looking glamorous in a black sequin mini-dress. Her husband of eight years, George, was seen in a more casual look, pairing a navy polo shirt with a pair of light denim jeans.

"Don’t Worry Darling" stars Chris Pine and Florence Pugh were both absent from the film’s event in New York City.  The Hollywood actors explained their absence, stating that they are both working on other projects, in a video message ahead of the film’s screening Monday. "Even though I'm working halfway around the world," Pugh said.  "…and I'm all the way in Los Angeles in production myself," Pine added in their joint message.

Fresh from a tumultuous Venice and a Madison Garden concert in between, Harry Styles was back on the festival circuit this weekend for the Toronto world premiere of Michael Grandage’s My Policeman.

Ben Croll Venice’s red carpet became a stage for quiet protest on Friday, as festival director Alberto Barbera and jury president Julianne Moore, among many more, held a somber walk-out to stand in solidarity with imprisoned filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Traffic on the red carpet flowed normally as attendees made their way into Venice’s Palazzo del Cinema for the world premiere of Panahi’s latest film, “No Bears.” And then, at 4:30 pm sharp, the doors to the theater swung open and a sea of people filed out. Moore stood with a delegation that also included fellow juror Audrey Diwan, Horizons jury president Isabel Coixet, and filmmakers Laura Bispuri and Sally Potter.

Venice jury head Julianne Moore joined activists from the International Coalition Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) in a flash mob on the Venice red carpet Friday evening to call for the release of Jafar Panahi, the Iranian director who was detained in Tehran in July.

Every film Jafar Panahi makes is an act of resistance. Currently in jail, the Iranian director has spent the past 12 years in and out of house arrest, banned from traveling or making films outside Iran and faced with numerous obstacles making films at home. That hasn’t stopped him.

It's the question on everybody's lips: did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine at the Venice premiere of Don't Worry Darling. Pine's team have denied the rumor, which is part of a movie press tour that will go down in celebrity gossip history, stating that it is a, quote, "ridiculous story" and a "blatant attempt to create drama." Stepping away from Venice, and his job promoting a movie that "feels like...

Harry Styles joked about spitting on Chris Pine last night (September 7) as he returned to the stage for a concert in New York.It follows a viral clip at the premiere of Don’t Worry Darling in Venice earlier this week which many viewers believed showed Styles spitting on co-star Pine as he took his seat next to him.A source close to Styles told The Guardian that “this is not true”. Pine’s rep also released a statement to People, denying that the incident took place.“This is a ridiculous story – a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation,” Pine’s representative said.

Oliver Stone is in Venice this year to debut his latest documentary, Nuclear. Written alongside political scholar Joshua S. Goldstein, the film sets out to re-examine the role nuclear power can play in our lives and makes the case that the energy source is humanity’s only realistic alternative to fossil fuels in the fight against climate change. Deadline sat down with Stone and Goldstein prior to the film’s premiere on the Lido to discuss why the pair decided to link up and how the lengthy production process almost “took the life” out of Stone.

rumors that Harry Styles spat on him during the world premiere of their film “Don’t Worry Darling” are a “complete fabrication.”“This is a ridiculous story — a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation,” the rep said in a statement to People.“Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist.”Styles’ reps have yet to issue their own statement.The allegations first arose Monday when the 28-year-old singer went to take his seat at the Venice International Film Festival and proceeded to allegedly spit in the “Wonder Woman” star’s lap.Several fans of Pine and Styles immediately began debating on whether spittle was actually involved.“People actually think harry walked over there and decided to spit on Chris for no reason, in front of multiple people,” tweeted one user.

Chris Pine's rep is denying a fan theory. In a statement to ET, the 42-year-old actor's rep shuts down claims that Harry Styles spit on Pine at the premiere of their flick, at the Venice Film Festival. «This is a ridiculous story… a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation,» Pine's rep tells ET.

Following the premiere of Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, one piece of footage prompted fierce online debate. The clip in question, however, wasn’t from the film itself but from its screening’s aftermath, and it depicts what many are convinced is Harry Styles spitting on his co-star, American actor Chris Pine.

cast at the Venice Film Festival is going viral, this time involving the film's leading men, Harry Styles and Chris Pine. A viral clip is circulating online of 28-year-old Styles taking his seat next to 42-year-old Pine at the film's premiere in Italy. In the clip, the «As It Was» singer appears to do something with his mouth at the exact moment that Pine stops clapping, smiles and shakes his head.Soon after the clip began making the rounds, many fans were convinced that Styles had, in fact, spit on Pine in front of hundreds of attendees at the premiere. #HarryStyles appears to spit on Chris Pine i won't sleep until i know the truth pic.twitter.com/wLXjIHTYgUBut others think that Pine was simply realizing he'd put his own sunglasses, which he picks up a moment after the alleged spit, in his lap. «Chris Pine just wondered where his sunglasses were after the applause.

spit on his co-star at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival. The incident occurred right before the world premiere of their film “Don’t Worry Darling,” further fueling the drama already surrounding the star Florence Pugh and Styles’ director-lover Olivia Wilde.According to the video — which was captured from several different angles — Styles subtly hocked a loogie in Pine’s lap as he was taking his seat next to the “Star Trek” actor.