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    Cannes Film Fest Welcomes Back Lars von Trier After Banning Him 7 Years Ago

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments3344 Views
    In this Feb. 9, 2014, photo, director Lars von Trier poses for photographers at a photo call for the film "Nymphomaniac" at the International Film Festival Berlinale in Berlin. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, File)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Seven years after being banned by the Cannes Film Festival for jokingly calling himself a Nazi, Danish director Lars von Trier has been invited back to the French festival.

    Von Trier was declared "persona non grata" by Cannes after expressing sympathy for Adolf Hitler in a 2011 press conference for his film "Melancholia." But Cannes on Thursday announced that von Trier's "The House That Jack Built" will play out of competition at next month's festival. The film stars Matt Dillon as a serial killer.

    Von Trier has regularly been a figure of controversy in Cannes and elsewhere. In October, Icelandic singer Bjork said he sexually harassed her during the making of 2000's "Dancer in the Dark," which won Cannes' Palme d'Or. Von Trier has denied the allegations.

    Thierry Fremaux has recently signaled that the festival might reinstitute von Trier. The Danish director apologized shortly after his comments in 2011, calling them "completely stupid." In response to a question about his heritage, von Trier said that he learned that he had German roots as well as Jewish. Von Trier said he "understands Hitler" and "I am a Nazi."

    Cannes also said that Terry Gilliam's famously delayed, famously misfortunate "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" will close the festival. The film, which stars Adam Driver and Stellan Skarsgard, has taken Gilliam two decades to make because of endless production problems, funding issues and legal woes.

    The festival also announced several more additions to its prestigious competition lineup: "The Wild Pear," from Turkish director and previous Palme winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan; "Knife + Heart," by French filmmaker Yann Gonzalez; and "The Little One," by Kazakh filmmaker Sergei Dvortsevoy.

    That brings the competition slate to 21 titles, three of which are directed by women. Cannes has in recent years been criticized for not selecting more films by female filmmakers.

    The 71st annual Cannes Film Festival runs May 8-20.

    Category:News
    Tags:Cannes Film FestivalLars von TrierThe House That Jack Built



    A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.

    The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.

    Here's what it all means:

    What is the Justice Department's goal?
    Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.

    "The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."

    Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."

    It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More

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