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The 76th Cannes Film Festival begins today, with the movie world’s movers and shakers jetting into the French Riviera from around the world.

Last year’s festival produced three Oscar best picture nominees, so all eyes are on the films up for contention this time around.

It’s a record year for female filmmakers too, with seven of the 21 movies competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or directed by women.

Take a look at eight of the movies already making a buzz as the festival kicks off.

Johnny Depp in Jeanne Du Barry. Pic: Stephanie Branchu/Why Not Productions
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Jeanne Du Barry. Pic: Stephanie Branchu/Why Not Productions

The most talked about: Johnny Depp’s comeback

After winning his high-profile US court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp will make his big film comeback in the opening movie of this year’s festival.

Called Jeanne Du Barry, it sees the star playing King Louis XV, while the drama’s director, a French filmmaker known as Maiwenn, will play the titular role.

She recently admitted to spitting in a journalist’s face following reports accusing her ex-husband, the director Luc Besson, of rape (the French court of appeal dismissed all the allegations against Besson in May last year).

It’s a somewhat controversial choice to kick off proceedings but seemingly the festival is happy to overlook any raised eyebrows – and it’s certainly got people talking.

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny. Pic : Cannes Film Festival
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Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The blockbuster: Fifth and final Indiana Jones

Perhaps the best pap shots to look out for in the press this week will be of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Harrison Ford as they premiere Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny out of competition during the festival.

Directed by James Mangold, whose previous work includes Logan and Ford v Ferrari, the movie will star Ford in his final outing as the iconic archaeologist while Fleabag’s Waller-Bridge plays his goddaughter.

It’s the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg or written by George Lucas and has been a long time coming – its initial intended release date was 19 July 2019.

Due out in cinemas on 30 June, it’s expected to be a summer blockbuster hit for Disney, but Cannes will provide a select few an early chance to see the end of Indy’s adventures.

Killers Of The Flower Moon. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
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Killers Of The Flower Moon. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The Scorsese awards bait: Killers Of The Flower Moon

Killers Of The Flower Moon is a Western crime drama from Martin Scorsese with a very starry cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons and recent Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser.

It’s based on a book about a series of murders of members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma during the 1920s after oil was discovered on tribal land.

Reported to have cost £160m, and not out in cinemas until October, the drama is expected to be an awards contender.

It’s playing out of competition at Cannes, and while it’s due to eventually come out on Apple TV+, Scorsese has described it as a “big-screen movie”.

Asteroid City. Cannes Film Festival
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Asteroid City. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The Palme D’Or play from Wes: Asteroid City

A recent online trend has seen videos imitating the unique and highly stylised look of Wes Anderson films.

So, what better time for a new film from the director himself?

As usual, he’s pulled together a big ensemble cast – this one includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum (to name just a few).

Set in 1955, it’s about a junior stargazers’ convention and is among the films at Cannes hoping to take home the prestigious top prize – the Palme d’Or – before it hits cinemas in June.

May December. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
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May December. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The arty one: May December

Director Todd Haynes, known for work including Wonderstruck and Dark Waters, has an intriguingly meta offering in competition at the festival.

May December stars Natalie Portman as an actress who goes to meet a woman played by Julianne Moore that Portman’s character is going to play in a film.

In real life, both stars have won Oscars in the past and the film is yet to be sold to a US distributor, so makers are no doubt banking on great reviews when it premieres at the festival before coming out on Sky Cinema later this year.

The Idol. Pic : Cannes Film Festival
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The Idol. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The nepo baby and The Weeknd team up: The Idol

The highly anticipated series by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and musician The Weeknd, The Idol, will see another Depp getting a Cannes premiere.

The film stars Johnny’s daughter Lily-Rose as an aspiring popstar who enters a complex relationship with a self-help guru played by The Weeknd.

With reports of a costly overhaul midway through production, all eyes will be on the reaction to the Cannes premiere before the show airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

Occupied City. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
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Occupied City. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The WWII flick by Steve McQueen: Occupied City

One of Britain’s most lauded directors, Sir Steve McQueen, will bring his new documentary Occupied City to this year’s Cannes as a special screening.

About Amsterdam – where he now lives with his wife, writer Bianca Stigter who co-produced the film – under Nazi occupation during the Second World War, it’s billed as having a whopping 262-minute running time.

It’s the first time McQueen has directed a documentary feature, but his doc mini-series Uprising won a TV Bafta last year.

Elemental. Pic: Cannes Film Festival
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Elemental. Pic: Cannes Film Festival

The animated heart warmer: Elemental

The latest offering from Disney Pixar is set in a city where elements live together and is about the relationship between a fiery girl and a boy made from water – who find that just because they can’t touch one another doesn’t mean they have nothing in common.

The animation will premiere out of competition and will close the festival on 27 May, before releasing in cinemas next month.

The voice cast includes Jurassic World star Mamoudou Athie and Nancy Drew actress Leah Lewis.

Inspired by romantic movies including You’ve Got Mail and Amelie, expect it to bring a heart-warming close to the festival.

Cannes Film Festival runs from 16-27 May

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Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci join call for Starmer to ‘end UK complicity’ in Gaza

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Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci join call for Starmer to 'end UK complicity' in Gaza

Dame Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci are among another 100 famous names who have added their signatures to a letter urging Sir Keir Starmer to “end the UK’s complicity” in Gaza.

Sky News can exclusively reveal the Bond actress, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Conclave actor are among a host of public figures who have added their names to the letter.

At the end of May, Sky News revealed about 300 actors, bands, singers, activists and sportspeople signed the letter, organised by refugee charity Choose Love, calling on Sir Keir to suspend all UK arms sales and licences to Israel.

Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker were among the celebrities to also urge the PM to use all available means to ensure full humanitarian access and broker an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Celebrities and activists also read out all the names of children killed in Gaza in front of parliament.

But three weeks later, they say nothing has changed.

Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker, Benedict Cumberbatch. Pics: PA
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Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker and Benedict Cumberbatch signed the letter in May. Pics: PA

Other new signatories include actors Florence Pugh and Russell Tovey, Dr Who star Ncuti Gatwa, singer Paolo Nutini, author Michael Rosen, musician Paul Weller, Little Mix members Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, broadcaster Fearne Cotton, Game of Thrones actress Carice van Houten, Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright and ex-England rugby captain Chris Robshaw.

The letter urges Sir Keir to “take immediate action to end the UK’s complicity in the horrors of Gaza”, and says children are starving “while food and medicine sit just minutes away”, in reference to Israel blocking aid into the territory.

It says 71,000 children under four are “acutely malnourished” and those who survive starvation “wake up to bombs falling on them”, with more than 15,000 children killed in the conflict so far.

Read more:
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Bodies of Israeli couple taken into Gaza by Hamas recovered

Ncuti Gatwa, who plays Dr Who, has signed the letter. Pic: Reuters
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Ncuti Gatwa, who plays Dr Who, has signed the letter. Pic: Reuters

Actress Florence Pugh has signed the letter. Pic: Reuters
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Actress Florence Pugh has also signed the letter. Pic: Reuters

Actor Russell Tovey has signed the letter. Pic: Reuters
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Actor Russell Tovey is a signatory too. Pic: Reuters

“Violence stamped with UK inaction – flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel – could be obliterating families in seconds,” the letter adds.

“You can’t call it ‘intolerable’, yet do nothing.

“Every moment this continues, is another moment children die on our watch.

“History is written in moments of moral clarity. This is one. The world is watching and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute.

“Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?”

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Steve Coogan: It has to stop

What has Starmer said and done about Gaza?

In September, the UK suspended about 30 arms export licences to Israel, but government export licensing figures from May show the UK approved licences for £127.6m worth of military equipment from October to December 2024 – more than the total between 2020 and 2023.

Since the first letter was sent, Sir Keir has called Israel’s actions in Gaza – both the blockade of aid and strikes – “appalling and intolerable”.

Some of his own MPs are pressuring him to take further action against Israel and call the 20-month war – which started when Hamas killed 1,195 people in Israel and took 250 hostage – a genocide, but he has not used those words.

On 10 June, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian civilians”.

They are banned from entering the UK and are now subject to a freeze on UK assets and director disqualifications.

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Gaza crisis ‘acute’ and continuing

Last week, Sir Keir said more RAF jets, including Typhoons and air-to-air refuelers, were being sent to the Middle East after Israel and Iran attacked each other.

On Tuesday, Sir Keir told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby he is “worried about the impact” escalation between the two countries will have on Gaza.

Josie Naughton, co-founder and CEO of Choose Love, said: “Since we urged the government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call. We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.

“It took us 18 hours to read the 15,613 names of children known to be killed in Gaza. Every single one of them was someone’s whole universe. Every one of them deserved better.

“The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.

“History will remember how we acted in this moment. We beg Keir Starmer to end the UK’s complicity in these horrors.”

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A government spokesperson said: “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.

“The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.”

The spokesperson added: “Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict.

“We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.”

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R Kelly rushed to hospital after prison ‘overdose’ plot, his lawyers say

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R Kelly rushed to hospital after prison 'overdose' plot, his lawyers say

R Kelly was hospitalised after prison officials gave him an overdose of medication, his lawyers have claimed – as part of what they say is an ongoing assassination plot.

Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is currently serving time at the Federal Correctional Institute in Butner, North Carolina, after being convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in 2021.

A year later, he was found guilty on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.

The 58-year-old was taken to hospital on Friday after prison staff “administered an overdose of his medication”, according to a court document filed by his lawyer.

The document, filed on Tuesday, reads: “Mr. Kelly’s life is in danger, and that danger is coming from Bureau of Prisons officials and their actions.

“Mr. Kelly needs this Court’s intervention. His life actually depends on it.”

Nicole Blank Becker, one of Kelly’s lawyers, said he is in solitary confinement and that she spoke with him on Monday.

“What is happening right now with him is insane,” she said. “I hope that this really results in someone, somewhere, somehow getting ahold of him today and getting him back in the hospital.”

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that “for privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues”.

“Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons does not comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings,” they added.

The allegation is the latest in a line of similar claims from the singer’s legal team, who last week filed a motion accusing the Bureau of Prisons of instructing another inmate to kill Kelly.

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A motion filed by Kelly’s legal team claimed Mikeal Glenn Stine, who is alleged to be a member of the Aryan Brotherhood gang and has a terminal cancer diagnosis, was given a chance to “to live out the last of those months as a free man” in exchange for killing the singer.

The next day, his legal team filed additional material saying he had been moved to solitary confinement and denied access to his lawyer.

Prosecutors rejected the claims as “repugnant”.

Their written response said: “Kelly has never taken responsibility for his years of sexually abusing children, and he probably never will.

“Undeterred, Kelly now asks this Court to release him from incarceration indefinitely under the guise of a fanciful conspiracy.”

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Disgraced singer Gary Glitter to stay in jail as parole bid refused

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Disgraced singer Gary Glitter to stay in jail as parole bid refused

Gary Glitter will stay in prison after the Parole Board refused the disgraced singer’s bid to be released.

Glitter, 81, was recalled to jail less than six weeks after he was released halfway through his 16-year sentence in 2023 for breaching his licence conditions by allegedly viewing downloaded images of children.

He was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment in 2015 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980.

The Parole Board last year said it was “not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public” after a hearing held behind closed doors.

Pic: PA
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Glitter was jailed in 2015 Pic: PA

A spokesman on Tuesday said his release was refused again following a “paper review”.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community,” a statement said.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

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“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, will be eligible for a further review at a date set by the Ministry of Justice. His sentence expires in February 2031.

He was made bankrupt earlier this year after failing to pay more than £500,000 in damages to a woman who sued him for abusing her when she was 12 years old.

Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries at Slater and Gordon, who represented the woman, told Sky News the Parole Board has made “the right decision”.

He added: “My client is relieved at this ruling but apprehensive about having to go through the merry-go-round of Gadd coming up for parole again, and the fear of him being let out on licence.

“This is unfair on victims and it would be better if they were assured that he would serve the rest of his sentence.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Ex-lawyer ‘fears revenge over gang boss murder claim’

Glitter was first jailed for four months in 1999 after he admitted possessing around 4,000 indecent images of children.

He was expelled from Cambodia in 2002, and in March 2006 was convicted of sexually abusing two girls, aged 10 and 11, in Vietnam, where he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.

Glitter was automatically released from HMP The Verne, a low-security prison in Portland, Dorset, in February 2023 after serving half of his fixed-term determinate sentence.

But he was back behind bars weeks later after reportedly trying to access the dark web and images of children.

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