CANNES, France — A blood-splattered “Mad Max” heroine, a Meryl Streep masterclass, a #MeToo figurehead — the Cannes Film Festival showed the progress women have made in cinema on its first full day.
The festival was bracing for the world premiere of “Furiosa”, the latest installment of the post-apocalyptic “Mad Max” franchise, with Anya Taylor-Joy in the no-holds-barred title ro le playing alongside “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth.
While “Furiosa” plays out-of-competition, the race for festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, also gets under way on Wednesday with two films that put women’s stories centre-stage.
They are being judged by a jur y led by Greta Gerwig, the first woman to direct a billion dollar movie with “Barbie.”
First up are “The Girl wi th the Needle”, billed as the story of a Danish woman who set up an underground adoption agency after World War I, and “Wild Diamond” about a French teenager seeking fame on a reality TV show, from first-time director Agathe Riedinger.
Related: Meryl Streep receiving honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes
Streep masterclass
One of the most iconic women in cinema, Meryl Streep, will also be delivering a masterclass a day after receiving an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony.
“I’m just so grateful that you haven’t gotten sick of my face,” Streep, 74, joked as she received the award from French actor Juliette Binoche.
And there is a screening of a short film about sexual violence, “Moi Aussi” (“Me Too”), by French actor Judith Godreche.
She has become a leading figure in France’s #MeToo movement after accusing two directors of assaulting her when she was a teenager in the 1980s — even appearing before the French Senate this year to call for greater protections on film sets.
It comes amid a wave of new allegations in France, most notably against veteran actor Gerard Depardieu, and persistent rumours that more big names will face accusations.
Godreche said she has a nuanced view of the #MeToo movement, “There is growing awareness, but sometimes things are announced in a way that feels too staged. It’s not very spectacular being abused, it’s not very funny, it’s not very theatrical.”
Related: Cannes Film Festival 2024: List of films competing
Gerwig hopeful
The host of the opening ceremony, Camille Cottin, star of hit series “Call My Agent!” and an outspoken feminist, also took digs at the “biggest bad guy of all time: the patriarchy.”
“The late-night work meetings in hotel rooms of all-powerful gentlemen are no longer part of the Cannes vortex,” she said in her welcome address.
Gerwig, meanwhile, struck an optimistic note.
“Every year I cheer when there are more and more women being represented,” she told reporters. “Fifteen years ago, I couldn’t have imagined the number of women represented not only at international festivals but in distribution and board conversations, and so I’m hopeful that it’s just continuing.”
Still to come at the 77th edition of the festival is the hotly anticipated return of “The Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola with his decades-in-the-making epic “Megalopolis.”
Also in the running for the top prize is a Donald Trump biopic, “The Apprentice,” and new films from arthouse favourites David Cronenberg (“The Shrouds”), Italy’s Paolo Sorrentino (“Parthenope”), as well as “Emilia Perez,” an unlikely-sounding musical about a Mexican cartel boss having a sex change from French Palme d’Or-winner Jacques Audiard.
RELATED: Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ among entries for Cannes Film Festival
MANILA, Philippines – Sasalang ang higit sa 500 swimmers sa Congress of the Philippine Aquatics (COPA) National Capital Region “One For All-All-For One” Championships ngayong linggo sa Teofilo Ildefonso Swimming Center sa Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RSMC) sa Malate, Maynila.
“This is part of a series of COPA competitions aimed at fostering camaraderie and boosting the swimmer’s development at the grassroots level. But of course, expect tough competition as some of our Palarong Pambansa qualifiers are confirmed to join the event,” ani Batangas 1st District Rep. Eric Buhain at COPA co-founder at Philippine Aquatics Inc. (PAI) Secretary-General
Sinabi ni COPA co-founder Chito Rivera na libre ang mga koponan at estudyante mula sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa tatlong araw na tournament na magsisilbi ring fund-raising event dahil bahagi ng mga kikitain ay mapupunta sa pamilya ng yumaong swimming coach na si Elcid Evangelista.
Ang age-group competitions ay para sa mga lalaki at babae 6-under, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 at 18-year-old pataas.
“Also, this will serve as part of our young swimmers’ preparation for the coming National tryouts on August 15-18 to select members of the team for the Southeast Asian Age Group SEA Age Group Championship slated in Bangkok in December,” dagdag ni Buhain, ang swimming icon at Philippine Sports Hall-of-Famer.
Ang three-day meet ay may basbas ng Philippine Aquatics Inc.
Kabilang sa mga lalangoy ay sina Palarong Pambansa-bound Nicola Diamante ng RSS Dolphins sa Parañaque, Asian Age-Group Championships campaigner Patricia Mae Santor ng University of Santo Tomas.
Lalahok din sina Rio Balbuena, Jada Cruz, Amber Arano, Kristoffe David at Audrina Victor ng Ilustre East Swimming Club na nasa pangangasiwa ni national coach Ramil Ilustre.
Samantala, ipinaalala ni Rivera na ang mga pisikal na sasabak sa PAI tryouts para sa 25-meter competition sa Agosto 19-21 ay magiging karapat-dapat na kumatawan sa bansa sa apat na international tournaments:
Ang mga ito ay ang World Cup sa Shanghai, China (Oktubre 18-20), Korea World Cup sa Incheon (Oktubre 24-26), Singapore World Cup (Oktubre 31- Nobyembre 2) at ang World Championships sa Budapest, Hungary (Disyembre 10-15).