NEW YORK: Sofia Coppola has been coming to Cannes since she was a child, accompanying her father when he debuted “Apocalypse Now.” This year, she will premiere one of the most anticipated films there, “The Beguiled,” her fourth at Cannes and second in competition.
“It’s still a place that’s celebrating and loves international cinema, and the idea of cinema,” said Coppola. “I feel like that’s at the heart of it.”
Cannes has often come under criticism for a lack of female directors — not to mention occasionally turning away women without high heels from red-carpet premieres. There are 12 female-directed films among the 54 official selections this year, including three in competition. (The other two are Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here,” with Joaquin Phoenix, and Naomi Kawese’s “Radiance.”)
“I guess there’s three instead of two this year,” said Coppola. “I think they have more there than we do here. There’s always been more of a tradition of female filmmakers in France and internationally.”
Coppola’s film is its own kind of correction. It’s a remake of Don Siegel’s 1971 Civil War drama about a Union soldier (Clint Eastwood, who will also be at Cannes to teach a MasterClass) hiding out in a Southern girls school. Coppola wanted to flip the story to a female point of view.
Like many other filmmakers, Coppola was racing last week to put the final touches on her film before the festival. But Inarritu was arriving in Cannes days early to finish building the space for his “CARNE y ARENA (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible),” a three-part installation about immigrants and refugees.
“I’m very curious to see how people from cinema will react to this,” said Inarritu. “It’s an individual experience. It’s one-by-one and it’s six minutes-and-a-half. This is not a community experience. That will give the festival something extraordinary to experience and see what people think about it.”
Cannes veteran Sofia Coppola to shine once again at festival
Cannes veteran Sofia Coppola to shine once again at festival
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
