‘Stubbornness to exist': Chile's ‘The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' wins Cannes' Un Certain Regard honours for queer storytelling
The film set in the early 1980s centres around a queer family in Chile and the onset of the AIDS epidemic.
'This award doesn't celebrate perfection. It celebrates that fear, that stubbornness to exist just as we are, even when it makes others uncomfortable,' said Cespedes while accepting the prize.
This year's Un Certain Regard section, which usually focuses on more art-house fare, was particularly strong, with several promising directorial debuts from actors including Scarlett Johansson, Harris Dickinson and Kristen Stewart.
'Once Upon a Time in Gaza,' which follows a low-level drug dealer and his underling in the coastal enclave the year the Islamist group Hamas took over, earned a directing award for Palestinian twin filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser.
To everyone in Gaza, 'to every single Palestinian: your lives matter and your voice matters, and soon Palestine will be free,' said Tarzan Nasser, eliciting a standing ovation.
Colombian director Simon Mesa Soto's dark comedy exploring the art world, 'A Poet,' received the runner-up Jury Prize.
Frank Dillane, who stars in Dickinson's well-received debut about a homeless man, 'Urchin,' took home best performance along with Cleo Diara, who stars in Portuguese director Pedro Pinho's exploration of neo-colonialism, 'I Only Rest in the Storm.'
The screenplay award went to British director Harry Lighton and his Alexander Skarsgard-led kinky romance 'Pillion.' — Reuters
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Malay Mail
24-07-2025
- Malay Mail
DIY community raises over RM9,000 for Palestine through art, music, and solidarity
KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — The basement of Semua House KL was buzzing with energy last weekend as around 160 people turned up for the 'Turun Bawah Volume 3: A Push Toward Freedom' charity event. Organised by local non-profit solidarity project Hiphop Against Genocide together with Burrow Skateshop, the benefit show aimed to raise funds and awareness for Palestine, more specifically, the Palestinian skateboarding community, through a full-day celebration of resistance, camaraderie and solidarity. The event featured a slew of activities, including a curated photo exhibition of the Palestine skateboarding scene, a flea market selling merchandise, vinyls, CDs and cassette tapes, live silkscreen printing, a mini skateboarding competition, a graffiti session, and a benefit show by local underground acts. Why the focus on skateboarding, you might ask? According to the group, despite being under military occupation and facing restricted mobility, the Palestinian skateboarding community is thriving. Skateboarding is not seen as just a sport but rather, a form of freedom and resistance. The spirit of Palestinian youth, who continue to carve out space for joy, resilience, and community, was showcased through the 'A Push Toward Freedom' photo exhibition, which will run until July 31. The photo exhibition is free to attend and all 40 photos on display are for sale at RM300 each. The benefit show comes with a RM25 donation tag. Hiphop Against Genocide is also collaborating with UK-based NGO Skatepal, which is actively building skateparks and providing equipment, workshops and support for Palestinian skaters in Palestine. Local skaters from all ages turned up for the 'Turun Bawah Volume 3: A Push Toward Freedom' charity event. — Picture by Firdaus Latif Local underground rapper Yarobin Yashar, who is also the founding member of Hiphop Against Genocide and one of the brains behind the charity event, said that for the first phase collection, they have amassed a total of RM9,770 through ticket donations, photo sales, t-shirt printing and merchandise sales. All of the proceedings will be fully donated to Skatepal. This is not the final figure as the second phase collection will be announced next week after the photo exhibition wraps up. Voices of solidarity and resistance One of the highlights of last weekend's event was the benefit show that took place at the Union Skate Club, an indoor skatepark just one floor beneath Burrow Skateshop – where most activities took place, except for the photo exhibition. The skatepark also had a little makeover, filled with thought-provoking banners and posters showing solidarity with the cause. The benefit show, which took place in the concrete bowl of the skatepark, featured four local underground acts: rappers Yarobin and Altrbng, who were joined by DJ Killah Z on the decks, along with local shoegaze band Commemorate and Shah Alam-based screamo band Piri Reis. The Shah Alam-based screamo band Piri Reis had the audience going during their set. — Picture by Firdaus Latif Yarobin opened the show with a powerful call for solidarity, before diving into his setlist with hunger and purpose – spitting bars that resonated deeply, including several compelling lines that highlighted his message of resistance. Altrbng brought the same matching energy to his set, pausing midway to call for solidarity not only with the Palestinians but also with other displaced communities, including the Rohingyas and Ethiopians. 'Every human being deserves to live,' Altrbng said. The show continued with mesmerising riffs and melodies from Commemorate, who also called for solidarity, emphasising that it transcends faith and religion. 'Just a few days ago, the only Catholic church in Gaza was bombed as well. Obviously this is not about which religion you are in, this is about being human and having empathy,' the band's vocalist, Sasha, said. The show wrapped up with an energetic performance by Piri Reis, which had the crowd hyped—forming mosh pits, crowd surfing, and shouting their solidarity throughout. A communal effort Aside from Hiphop Against Genocide and Burrow Skateshop, 'Turun Bawah Volume 3: A Push Toward Freedom' was also a collective effort from the do-it-yourself (DIY) community around Kuala Lumpur, which consists of skaters, music and visual art lovers. Some of the main faces behind 'Turun Bawah Volume 3: A Push Toward Freedom' charity event, from left to right: Dirty Donuts' Azmal, Burrow Skateshop's Munir Muhammad, rapper Yarobin Yashar, DJ Killah Z and operation manager Syafiq. — Picture by Firdaus Latif For example, the live silkscreen printing was done by Dirty Donuts, with one of their crew members, Azmal, preparing several designs in solidarity with Palestine. The crew also encouraged the public to bring their old t-shirts to be upcycled with their prints. Another highlight was the live graffiti session, which was done by local graffiti collective, Satu Table Crew. According to Burrow Skateshop's representative, Munir Muhammad, the 'Turun Bawah' series, which began in January this year, is part of the store's initiative to showcase the KL skateboarding scene to the public by combining skateboarding, music and arts into one event. For the third instalment of the series, they maintained the same vision, but with an added cause. 'I think what we have curated so far is very special to the community. 'When it comes to skateboarding events, usually it's just competitions but here, we are celebrating the community as a whole instead of just organising skate competitions. 'And to be able to do it while raising funds for a greater cause is just something special for us,' Munir said. Meanwhile, Yarobin, who has been organising similar fundraisers for Palestine in the past under his Hiphop Against Genocide project, admitted that this is by far the largest collection they have made. He extended his gratitude to everyone who was involved with the event. In 2024 alone, Yarobin collected a total of RM7,915 for Palestinian causes through events, exclusive merchandise sales, and album releases, including the Viva La Resistance EP featuring Palestinian poet and actress Dana Dajani. He added that all the proceeds from their latest event will go to Skatepal, sharing that Skatepal had helped build four skateparks in the West Bank, which are still actively in use today.
The Sun
21-07-2025
- The Sun
Scuffle at London opera as performer displays Palestinian flag
LONDON: A performer at London's Royal Opera House caused a stir by displaying a Palestinian flag during the curtain call of Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore. The incident, captured in online footage, showed a brief scuffle as a staff member attempted to remove the flag. The Royal Ballet and Opera condemned the act, calling it 'wholly inappropriate' and unauthorised. A spokesperson stated, 'The display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist.' Audience members described the moment as extraordinary. One witness posted on X, 'During the curtain call, one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.' This follows a trend of artists expressing solidarity with Gaza, including acts at Glastonbury Festival. Police are investigating musician Bob Vylan for leading anti-Israeli army chants, while Kneecap's Liam O'Hanna faces charges over alleged support for banned groups Hamas and Hezbollah. - AFP
The Sun
17-07-2025
- The Sun
Superman soars, DC reboots
THERE has not been a film that DC Studios and Warner Bros Pictures desperately need to succeed more than James Gunn's Superman. It has to fly faster than a bullet, hit harder than a train and more importantly, be more human than its colder predecessors. Despite the relatively low bar thanks to the previous decade of middling DC Comics films, Superman surpasses expectations. Hovering right across the pitfall of subjecting the audience to another origin story, Gunn's film drops viewers into the third year of Clark Kent (David Corenswet) already donning the red underwear and blue suit. In a world full of metahumans, Superman is firmly established as being the strongest among his costumed super-peers, which draws questions from pundits, politicians and defense agencies on the alien immigrant's beliefs, politics and agenda on earth. After stopping the invasion of the fictional country of Jarhanpur by the more powerful Boravia, an ally to the US, Superman finds himself in the crosshairs of not only the US, but also Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). This geopolitical intervention by Superman serves as the catalyst for the events in the film. Humanity in focus amid cosmic chaos The very on-the-nose Israel-Palestine parallels with Boravia-Jarhanpur aside, Superman has a strong story, at least in terms of comic book films that serve the role as a jumping-off point role in a potential 'cinematic universe', but it does come at a cost. By dropping the audience into an already developed world with existing superheroes, supervillains, aliens, pocket dimensions, nanotechnology and cloning, this can be exhausting for those more accustomed to standard superhero origin films, because from the opening sequence, Superman 's pacing is all gas, no brakes at Mach 10 speed. Having said that, everything the film introduces at breakneck speed is entertaining, particularly due to the focus Gunn puts on the individual in the centre of Superman, which is Kent and his humanity. Bright, colourful, sometimes goofy, most times charming, Gunn's writing, aided by a solid performance by Corenswet, nails what makes Superman who he is: a boy scout raised in rural America that sees only the good in everyone and will not hesitate to save them. From sequences such as the interview Superman has with Lois over his interference in the Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict being due to simply how 'people were going to die', to how Superman repeatedly goes out of his way to rescue and protect innocent bystanders, Superman proudly wears Clark's heart and love for humankind on its sleeves. Hoult's Lex Luthor is another standout in the film, being the most comic-accurate version of the character ever put to live action film. Long past the quirkiness and silly wigs worn by Gene Hackman and Jesse Eisenberg in their iterations of the character, this screen incarnation of Luthor is an actual menace and danger, not just to Superman, but the entire world. An extremely smart technocrat, calculative deceitful, viciously petty and narcissistic, Hoult brings his A-game to carry out Gunn's script to perfection. The same extends to Lois, who spends the entire film being a journalist rather than Superman's girlfriend, along with the other supporting characters, such as the Justice Gang's Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and even Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo). Second shot at legacy Criticising the now-dead DC Extended Universe and the mostly maligned films under that umbrella is a low-hanging fruit at this point, but it has to be done, as Gunn's Superman is Warner Bros's second, latest attempt to kickstart their own cinematic universe, similar to what Zack Snyder did in 2013 with Man of Steel. Developed by the new DC Studios – led by Gunn and Peter Safran – Superman comes across as a more natural superhero film, with a plan already in place for the new DC Universe (DCU), a goal in mind and what would come next. However, chronologically, the DCU started with Creature Commandos last year, but that was an animated series and as great as it was, it did not firmly establish what Superman does in terms of world-building or in introducing the bigger universe that Gunn and Safran are bringing to the table. Based on the certain appearance of another popular character in the Superman family towards the end of the film, there is certainly expectation on how the next films in the DCU will carry not only the momentum, but also the hope of something better that has been started by Superman.
