Magnus Ferrell on Viral Song ‘Asleep Talking’ and Dad Showing It to Michelle Obama

At a Tokyo event, director Ulrike Ottinger said her Isabelle Huppert vampire film “The Blood Countess” was cut against her wishes. The remarks highlight a dispute over creative control and final cut in filmmaking.

Shahrbanoo Sadat and Jelena Maksimović criticized discrimination in film funding during a talk at the Tokyo International Film Festival. They highlighted barriers that filmmakers face in accessing financing and how these inequities affect whose stories reach the screen.

A Guardian Culture report examines a gameshow format in which contestants gambled their own money, with one saying they could not afford to lose £3,000. The story highlights questions about how far TV entertainment should go in exposing participants to personal financial risk.

The Marrakech International Film Festival will open with a screening of "The Debut," with "Artificial" and "Paper Tiger" also slated for gala slots. The lineup signals the Moroccan festival's mix of international prestige titles and crowd-pleasing premieres. It matters mainly to industry attendees and distributors tracking the fall festival circuit.

Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker Darin J. Sallam addressed the backlash to her film "Farha" and said she has never regretted making it. The film depicts Palestinian displacement during the 1948 Nakba and has sparked controversy. Her comments add to the ongoing debate over the film, historical memory, and Palestinian representation.