Steven Spielberg Explains at TCM Film Festival How ‘Close Encounters’ and His Parents’ Divorce Inspired ‘E.T.’ (Video)

Katherine Tulich The Sydney Film Festival has completed the selection for its first full in-person edition in three years with a strong Australian lineup and a smattering of Cannes titles. The 2022 edition runs June 8 – 19, 2022.After COVID disruptions saw the 2021 edition delayed from June until November, it has been a quick six-month turnaround to return the 2022 festival to its regular winter slot.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentPresiding over the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, director Thierry Frémaux has assembled some serious Hollywood star power, world cinema auteurs amid indications that despite COVID, the film world is buzzing with anticipation for the films, the deals and most of all the glamour the fest brings.While Frémaux has been credited with expanding the horizons of the Cannes Film Festival since taking over the reins of its Official Selection in 2001, he’s also been praised for building relationships with American studios and filmmakers.This year, he’s lured them back in spite of the ongoing pandemic, with a lineup including James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future,” Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up,” George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Longing” and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” “My first red carpet was for ‘Moulin Rouge!’ with Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman in 2001 and it will be engraved in my memory forever,” says Fremaux. “I’m happy to reunite with Baz this year.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAt this year’s Cannes Film Festival, heads will turn at a new May-December romance: TikTok, which is 6 years old, has hooked up with the venerable fest, now celebrating its 75th anniversary.How is it that Cannes — which, in years past, notoriously banned social-media posting from its famous red-carpeted steps — is now welcoming TikTok as one of its elite sponsors? For the festival, the partnership is aimed at pulling Cannes forward into the 21st century, lending it a sheen of techno-hipness and ideally attracting younger film fans. For TikTok, which boasts more than 1 billion monthly users worldwide, pairing with the Cannes Film Festival is an effort to show filmmakers that the app is more than just a place for teenagers to lip-sync to the latest viral dance craze.

Cannes Film Festival almost 35 years ago, I was still green and naïve enough to ask long-time Cannes attendees why the famed French fest held such a powerful place in the pecking order of international film gatherings. The late Richard Corliss, Time magazine’s peerless and beloved film critic, answered warmly and succinctly, with his own more worldly query: “Would you rather be in Germany in the winter or the South of France in the spring?”Corliss had a point, but in the decades since I’ve tucked my own couple of dozen Cannes fests under my belt, I’ve compiled my own list of reasons why Cannes remains the one film festival that people who’ve never been to a film festival have heard about and wish they could go to, and know that if a film has scored there, it must be worth their time.

The Israel Film Festival is kicking off in LA this week and it’s going big on television.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the program of its Cinema de la Plage section which launched last year with a mix of restored classics, cult films and premieres.Open to all audiences, the Cinema de la Plage will take place on the beach every evening and will be free of charge. The program, which runs alongside the Official Selection, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” the 40th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.,” as well as Peter Weir’s “The Truman Show” with Jim Carrey.

As the world has been hit by a heavy crisis in which a part of Europe finds itself in a state of war, the Festival de Cannes wishes to extend all its support to the people of Ukraine and all those who are in its territory.However modest as it is, we join our voices with those who oppose this unacceptable situation and denounce the attitude of Russia and its leaders.Our thoughts go out in particular to the Ukrainian artists and film industry professionals, as well as their families whose lives are now in danger. There are those whom we’ve never met, and those whom we’ve come to know and welcomed to Cannes, who came with works that say much about Ukraine’s history and the present.During this winter of 2022, the Festival de Cannes and the Marché du Film have entered their preparation phase.

Variety will honor French entertainment giant Pathé with its Achievement in Intl. Film Award on May 20 at the Cannes Film Festival.The oldest of the French film groups is still fully involved in exhibition, production, distribution and sales, is family-owned and run by Jérôme Seydoux.

The 32nd annual Inside Out Toronto 2S (two spirit) LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which champions innovative 2SLGBTQ+ filmmakers from across the globe, has revealed its full film lineup that will take place both in-person and virtually from May 26th to June 5th in Toronto, showcasing 128 films from 28 countries, including 38 feature films, 3 episodic series, and 7 world premieres. The announcement was made today by Inside Out’s Interim Co-Heads, Andrew Murphy and Elie Chivi.

Carson Burton The 2022 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) has announced the winners of its annual filmmaker awards, with Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s “Once Upon a Time in Calcutta” winning the grand jury prize for feature film. Anmol Sidhu’s “Jaggi” was the recipient of the Uma da Cunha Award for feature film debut, as well as the audience choice award for feature.“This year’s edition of the film festival was wonderful in so many ways,” said IFFLA executive director Christina Marouda.

Taylor Swift will appear at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival next month to discuss and screen her All Too Well short film.Last year, the pop star released the 15-minute film to accompany the release of ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’, which featured on the re-recorded version of her 2012 album ‘Red’.Tribeca Film Festival will host a special screening of All Too Well: The Short Film, which was directed, written and produced by Swift. After the screening, an “in conversation” event will be held where she will discuss her approach to filmmaking.The event will take place at New York’s Beacon Theater on June 11 and is one of a handful of music-related features at this year’s festival.Elsewhere, Pharrell will discuss his career at the Borough of Manhattan Community College on June 10, while Common will take part in a conversation with journalist Charles Blow.

Caer, an innovative and illuminating semi-documentary about trans Latin women in present-day New York, particularly those willingly employed as sex workers.On the flipside of that is Framing Agnes, the latest from director Chase Joynt, which is just now starting to hit the festival circuit after its recent Sundance debut.The film features an all-star cast including Angelica Ross (Pose), Jen Richards (Disclosure), Zackary Drucker (Transparent), and Silas Howard (Tales of the City), helping to shed light on a little-known slice of real-life and scientific research, specifically the story of a pioneering transgender woman who participated in gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s.Also on tap is a special retrospective screening of By Hook or By Crook, the landmark trans buddy film from 2001 directed by Harry Dodge and Silas Howard. All screenings will be offered with subtitles or captions to maximize accessibility.Streaming starts on Thursday, May 5.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticFor a headlining appearance at the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night, the group Haim does have two official support acts (Waxahatchee and Buzzy Lee). But for hometown fans who really want to make a full day of it, there’s an additional opening act: a screening just a couple of blocks down the hill of the complete tandem filmography of Haim and director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Italian actor and director Valeria Golino has been set as jury president for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.The film is celebrating its 40th anniversary after being released in 1982.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticThe general public may not think of “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” as a divorce movie, per se … although Dee Wallace’s reading of the line “He hates Mexico” has always been one of its most resonant.