Cannes 2026 is trying very hard to sell itself as a return to “serious cinema.” The question is simple, even if nobody says it that directly: Is this return to “serious cinema” actually happening, or is it just a more refined version of branding? Cannes used to sit at the center of global film culture almost by default. That position has been weakening for years. In that space in between, Cannes has been floating somewhere between prestige and spectacle. Red carpets carry more weight than they probably should. Streaming-era visibility sits in the background like an unspoken pressure. And underneath…
Author: Arameh Etemadi
Arameh Etemadi
Arameh Etemadi is a versatile media professional with extensive experience in television production, documentary direction, journalism, and film criticism. Since 2007, she has been recognized as a film critic for Iranian Film Magazine, where she is known for her insightful articles and film reviews. In 2014, she won the award for Best Art Interviewer from the Iranian Society of Film Critics and Writers (ISFCW). Currently, Arameh Etemadi works as a film critic for Cinema Without Borders, and her writing has also appeared in a range of other publications, including Chelcheragh, Hamshahri Javan, Shargh Newspaper, Tehran-e Emrooz, and 24 monthly magazines. She was born and raised in Tehran, where she began her professional career as a journalist and film critic for Hamshahri and Naghshafarinan in 2004. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and has studied Social Communication Science in Tehran and Arameh Etemadi completed post-production courses at UCLA. In addition to her work as a film critic, Arameh Etemadi is also a talented writer, director, and live TV show producer. Her documentary on the life and works of “Mohamadreza Lotfi” was released in 2015, showcasing her skills as a director. In 2022, Arameh Etemadi directed and produced two documentaries about cryptocurrency. Furthermore, she co-founded and served as Artistic Director of the Sheed Film Festival in Dallas, TX, in 2016 and 2017.
Secrecy Is the Bomb. Love Is Where It Goes Off. By Arameh Etemadi: When a secret comes to light, love doesn’t just break. The whole world collapses. Secrecy can be a bomb. One withheld truth, one night, and suddenly a relationship is in crisis. The Drama makes this look almost simple. Everything Falls Apart Everything collapses overnight, much like the title of the book Charlie reads in the film’s opening scene: Damage. Kristoffer Borgli explored something similar in Dream Scenario. Here too, a single night destroys the warm relationship between Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya). As a teenager, Emma planned to take her…
CBS: President Trump on Sunday announced movies as the latest target for tariffs because the U.S. movie industry “is DYING a very fast death.” In a Truth Social post, the president said he’s authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff “on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.” It wasn’t immediately clear how the tariffs would be applied. Mr. Trump said the incentives that other countries are offering filmmakers and studios constitute a national security threat. “Other Countries are offering all…
Cannes 2025 Jury: Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas & Jeremy Strong Set As Members Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas and Jeremy Strong have been announced as members of the Cannes Film Festival’s main Competition jury for its 78th edition running from May 13 to May 24. They join previously announced Jury President Juliet Binoche. Together, they will award the Palme d’Or to one of the 21 films in the main Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor awards. U.S. Actress and filmmaker Berry was…