It was a no-brainer that “Drive,” the taut, stylishly propulsive thriller that opens in theaters Friday, would make its Canadian debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Its star, Ryan Gosling, is a native of Ontario. And the timing dovetails perfectly with Toronto’s reputation as a launching pad for star-driven movies, from “Moneyball” and “The Ides of March” (which star Brad Pitt and George Clooney, respectively) to “From the Sky Down,” Davis Guggenheim’s documentary about U2, which opened the festival on Sept. 8. (The festival ends Sunday.) Read full article > >

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Toronto International Film Festival a balanced, healthy cinematic ecosystem

Russian director Alexander Sokurov wins the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion for Faust, a look at the corrupting nature of power.

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Faust wins top Venice film award

A new film adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre opens in UK cinemas on Friday and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week.

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VIDEO: The battle of the Brontes on film

The World Shakespeare Festival is the “trump card” putting “art at the heart of the Olympics”, the head of the Cultural Olympiad says.

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Shakespeare tops London festival

After a year’s absence, the Noor Iranian Film Festival was back this month and full of energy at the James Bridges Theater in Los Angeles. From Aug 5-7, the festival showcased films exploring Iranian themes, offering a rich selection of cinematic gems for Iranian and non-Iranian audiences alike.

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Noor Iranian Film Festival Spotlights Cinematic Gems of Iran

After a year’s absence, the Noor Iranian Film Festival was back this month and full of energy at the James Bridges Theater in Los Angeles. From Aug 5-7, the festival showcased films exploring Iranian themes, offering a rich selection of cinematic gems for Iranian and non-Iranian audiences alike.

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Noor Iranian Film Festival Spotlights Cinematic Gems of Iran

Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz’s British spy tale Page Eight will close next month’s Toronto International Film Festival, it is announced.

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Nighy film to close Toronto gala

The Edinburgh International Book Festival begins later in the city’s Charlotte Square Gardens.

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Book festival keeps up ‘quality’

The Edinburgh International Festival defends bringing artists to the city who have received cash support from the Chinese government.

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Festival defends cash from China

Some highlights from the Edinburgh International Festival

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International picks

Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier was banned from the 2011 Cannes film festival for comments he made during a news conference showcasing his new film, ‘Melancholia’. As Sarah Anne Hughes reported : Lars von Trier has been expelled from the Cannes Film Festival after the director said he sympathized with Hitler and called himself a Nazi at a news conference Wednesday. Read full article > >

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Lars von Trier banned from 2011 Cannes Film Festival for Nazi comments

Danish director Lars Von Trier “accepts” his ban from the Cannes Film Festival following his claims during a press conference that he sympathised with Hitler.

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Von Trier ‘accepts’ Cannes ruling

The Cannes Film Festival bans Danish director Lars Von Trier following a press conference at which he claimed to be a Nazi and sympathised with Hitler.

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Von Trier ‘non grata’ at Cannes

In a week when men behaving badly dominate the headlines, a refreshing sense of cognitive dissonance has set in at the 64th Cannes Film Festival . Not only does the festival feature a record four female directors in contention for the coveted Palme d’Or — the festival’s grand prize, which will be bestowed on May 22. But some of this year’s most highly anticipated films by men, including such legendary figures as Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier and the Dardennes brothers, have shared a startling common thread in the sensitivity with which they depict archetypal feminine impulses and female characters. Read full article > >

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At Cannes, record number of women filmmakers competing for top festival prize

Brad Pitt launches Terrence Malick’s long-awaited drama The Tree of Life at the Cannes Film Festival, where the debut screening is greeted with boos and applause.

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Malick movie premieres at Cannes