World
‘American Fiction’ wins People’s Choice award at Toronto Film Festival
Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” a biting satire starring Jeffery Wright as a disillusioned academic, has won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a much-watched bellwether in the Oscar race.
“American Fiction” is the directorial debut of Jefferson, the veteran TV writer of “Watchmen” and “Succession,” and an adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure.” The film, about an author who resents that the literary industry is only interested in “Black books” that cater to the stereotypes of white audiences, emerged as a breakout hit at TIFF.
Toronto’s audience award winner, voted on by festival attendees, has historically nearly always signified a best-picture contender at the Academy Awards. Since 2012, every People’s Choice winner at TIFF has gone on to score a best-picture nod. In 2018, when “Green Book” won, it announced the film as a surprise awards contender. (Peter Farrelly’s film went on to win best picture at the Oscars.) Last year, Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” won Toronto’s top prize.
First runner-up went to Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” starring Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeonly boarding school teacher tasked with staying with a handful of students over Christmas break in the 1970s. Second runner-up was Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” the long-awaited latest Studio Ghibli film from the Japanese anime master.
“American Fiction,” which MGM will release in theaters Nov. 3, co-stars Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae and Tracee Ellis Ross. In an interview, Jefferson said he immediately connected with Everett’s book.
“I was having the exact same conversations with Black colleagues in both professions: Why are we always writing about misery and trauma and violence and pain inflicted on Blacks?” said Jefferson. “Why is this what people expect from us? Why is this the only thing we have to offer to culture?”
The Toronto International Film Festival, which wraps Sunday, was diminished this year due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes. Red-carpet premieres were mostly without movie stars, detracting from some of the buzz that the largest film festival in North American typically generates. It followed a similarly strike-affected Venice Film Festival, where the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, went to Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.” (That film skipped TIFF.)
The People’s Choice winner for documentary went to Robert McCallum’s “Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe” and the midnight madness award went to Larry Charles’ “Dicks: The Musical.” The festival’s juried competition awards were given to Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s “Dear Jassi,” winner of the Platform section, and Meredith Hama-Brown’s “Seagrass,” which took the FIPRESCI award from international critics.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
World
New Caledonia protesters, police play 'cat and mouse' before Macron arrives
World
Howler monkeys dropping dead, falling from trees due to excessive heatwave: report
The extreme heatwave in Mexico is not only affecting the environment, it’s wreaking havoc on the howler monkeys and causing them to fall dead out of trees, the Associated Press reported.
“They were falling out of the trees like apples. They were in a state of severe dehydration, and they died within a matter of minutes,” wildlife biologist Gilberto Pozo described what he witnessed to the AP.
In the city of Tecolutilla, Tabasco state, it was reported that the dead monkeys started appearing on Friday, when a local volunteer fire-and-rescue squad showed up with five of the monkeys in the bed of the truck.
So far, at least 83 howler monkeys have been found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. However, many others were rescued by local residents, with five being rushed to a local veterinarian for immediate care.
NEVADA WILDLIFE MYSTERY SOLVED, SUSPECTED WOLVES WERE ACTUALLY COYOTES
“They arrived in critical condition, with dehydration and fever,” Dr. Sergio Valenzuela told the AP. “They were as limp as rags. It was heatstroke.”
At least nine cities in Mexico have set temperature records as of May 9, with Ciudad Victoria, in the border state of Tamaulipas, registering 117 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the AP. The heatwave has been blamed on the deaths of at least 26 people since March, the AP reported.
Valenzuela said that the monkeys appeared to be on the mend, stating that they were “recovering, aggressive, and biting again.”
The howler monkey, which is the “loudest of all the monkeys,” is known for its loud whooping bark or roar, according to National Geographic.
Pozo added that many local residents wanted to help the monkeys, even adopt them, but he cautioned them on this.
WILD MONKEYS SPOTTED ROAMING FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOODS: ‘ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’
“The truth is that babies are very delicate, they can’t be in a house where there are dogs or cats, because they have pathogens that can potentially be fatal for howler monkeys,” Ponzo described, stressing they must be rehabilitated and released into the wild.
Pozo’s group has set up a special recovery stations for the monkeys and is working to organize a team of specialized veterinarians to give the monkeys the care they need.
Howler monkeys also get almost all the water they need from the food they eat, which is another reason the heatwave has been detrimental to their survival.
Pozo stated that several factors led to the death of the monkeys, including high heat, drought, and forest fires.
THAI WILDLIFE OFFICIALS TO REMOVE HUNDREDS OF MONKEYS FROM POPULAR TOURIST SPOT
Days after the monkeys began to drop dead, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged the issue, saying he had heard about it on social media.
He then congratulated Valenzuela on his efforts and said the government would seek to support the work.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Norway will recognise Palestinian state, PM says
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,
Spain and Ireland are also expected to recognise Palestine despite Israel’s warnings of the consequences.
Norway will recognise Palestine as a state, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere says.
A two-state solution is in Israel’s best interest, he announces, adding that the recognition will come as of May 28.
“There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”
Norway announcement comes as Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to announce later on Wednesday a date for formally recognising Palestinian statehood.
Ireland is also expected to announce its plans for the recognition of Palestine.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz has ordered Israel’s ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return to Israel.
“Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays,” Katz said.
Israel has said that recognition from the European nations will “fuel extremism and instability” and make them a “pawn in the hands of Hamas”.
More to come …
-
News1 week ago
Skeletal remains found almost 40 years ago identified as woman who disappeared in 1968
-
World1 week ago
Ukraine’s military chief admits ‘difficult situation’ in Kharkiv region
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Aavesham Movie Review
-
World1 week ago
Catalans vote in crucial regional election for the separatist movement
-
Education1 week ago
Video: Protesters Scuffle With Police During Pomona College Commencement
-
News1 week ago
Nevada Cross-Tabs: May 2024 Times/Siena Poll
-
World1 week ago
EU's divided right wing can disrupt if it finds greater unity: experts
-
News1 week ago
Controlled demolition planned at Baltimore bridge collapse site