Peter Weir Receives First AFTRS Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Weir has received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. The retired 81-year-old Australian director and screenwriter was presented with the honour at an event hosted by the Sydney Film Festival. His films include Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli. The award was presented by AFTRS council chair Rachel Perkins. During the event Perkins described Weir as “the greatest film-maker this country has produced”. Perkins, who founded and co-directed Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022, also

Cannes 2026 Ends with Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord” Winning Palme d’Or

The 2026 edition of the Cannes Film Festival concluded on May 23 with its annual closing ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in the south of France. Hosted by French actress Eye Haidara, the ceremony marked the end of two weeks dedicated to world cinema and revealed this year’s major award winners. Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu won the prestigious Palme d’Or for his film “Fjord,” marking his second victory in the category following “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” in 2007. The award also extended the remarkable streak of the

Fatherland: On Disbelief in the Meaning of the Word

The renowned Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski presented his latest film Fatherland in the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Pawlikowski had previously won the Oscar for Ida and then took home Best Director at Cannes for Cold war in 2018, so anticipation for his newest film was immense, not only because of those accolades, but because he is a filmmaker with a unique style and vision. With Fatherland, Pawlikowski returns once again to the era of World War II and its aftermath. The film follows the German novelist and

Cannes Opens Amid AI Debate and Hollywood Absence

The 2026 edition of the Cannes Film Festival opened on May 12 with international stars gathering on the red carpet, while conversations around artificial intelligence, the absence of major Hollywood studios, and political tensions overshadowed the celebrations. Actors including Demi Moore and Elijah Wood attended the opening ceremony on the French Riviera. Veteran actor and activist Jane Fonda officially declared the festival open alongside Chinese actor Gong Li. During her speech, Fonda described cinema as “an act of resistance” and said: “We tell the stories... that bring empathy to the marginalized,

The Wizard of the Kremlin: The Blind Self-Assurance of Power

Writing this, I’m reminded that until I was quite old I too adhered to the romantic cult of madness. I got over it, thank God. Experience has taught me that this particular form of romanticism is pure stupidity, and that madness is the saddest, most dismal thing on earth. – Emmanuel Carrère, Limonov. It does not begin with power. It begins with a vacuum. With a country that no longer understands itself, and with men who believe they recognise their opportunity precisely in that. The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier ' ...

The Giant Within: Viesturs Kairišs‍‍` Ulya

When someone is born naturally different from others in society, they have to face untold struggles. But being different was not their choice; we are all born the way nature made us. The most we can do is not give up and try our absolute best. Ulya, directed by Viesturs Kairišs—one of Latvia's most important filmmakers—tells exactly this kind of story. It is not just about a girl's struggle to survive; it is a powerful psychological and visual journey. This film is based on the real life of Ulyana Semyonova, one ' ...

Cannes 2026 Proved International Auteur Cinema Still Matters

At Cannes, the red carpet always tells the first story. It tells a story of lights, cameras, famous faces, and cinema as a beautiful public event. That is the version of Cannes most people see from far away. But the real story of the festival usually begins later. It begins when the applause fades and the prizes are announced. That is when Cannes stops looking like only a glamorous spectacle and starts acting as one of cinema’s most influential judges. On the closing night of Cannes 2026, that deeper story became ' ...

Roid: A Quiet Story That Stays With You

A woman whose name no one in the film ever learns. A man who rows her deep into a forest in the middle of the night and abandons her there. A palmyra tree whose falling fruit marks the turning points in their marriage. Each time a fruit drops, something shifts between them. The fruit does not cause these changes, but the film frames it as though nature is keeping score. Roid, the second feature from Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, handles these elements with the quiet confidence of a filmmaker who ' ...