Xuenou > Editor's Picks > Frances McDormand, Joel Coen to Deliver Masterclasses at Ponta Lopud Festival – Global Bulletin
Frances McDormand, Joel Coen to Deliver Masterclasses at Ponta Lopud Festival – Global Bulletin
The second edition of the Ponta Lopud Festival will feature masterclasses from Oscar winners Frances McDormand and Joel Coen.

Frances McDormand, Joel Coen to Deliver Masterclasses at Ponta Lopud Festival – Global Bulletin

FESTIVAL

The second edition of the Ponta Lopud Festival (June 22-27) on the island of Lopud, near Dubrovnik, Croatia, will feature masterclasses from Oscar winners Frances McDormand and Joel Coen. “At this point in our professional lives, we can’t think of a better way to spend the warm days of summer than in conversation about the process of filmmaking and the love of film watching with a group of other filmmakers on an island in the Adriatic Sea,” said McDormand and Coen.

Participants at this year’s edition include filmmakers Tamara Kotevska (“Honeyland”), Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (“Murina), Una Gunjak (“Chicken”), and actor Gordan Bogdan (“Fargo”). There will also be lectures by director Juho Kuosmanen, producer Peter Spears and talent agent Brian Swardstrom and conversations between masters and participants moderated by special guests, directors Pawel Pawlikowski, Michel Franco, Lili Horvat, Danis Tanovic and Ognjen Glavonic.

The founders of the Ponta Lopud Festival are Miro Purivatra, former director and founder of the Sarajevo Film Festival and Tilda Grossel Bogdanovic from island Lopud.

TALENT

Applications are open for BAFTA Breakthrough 2022, the talent initiative in partnership with Netflix that showcases and supports the next generation of U.K. creative talent in film, games and television.

BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar said: “Each year we see an incredible array of applications for BAFTA Breakthrough, with those selected for the initiative developing their careers in many ways and some even going on to win a BAFTA. I encourage anyone with ambitions to progress their careers to apply, especially those working in games, those with craft-based roles, and individuals from underrepresented groups.”

Anne Mensah, VP Netflix original series, added: “We believe that great stories can come from anywhere, and are delighted to support this global initiative which provides a platform and opportunities for rising stars around the world.”

Since its launch in 2013, BAFTA Breakthrough has championed over 160 talented newcomers, including actors Bukky Bakray, Paapa Essiedu, Letitia Wright, Jessie Buckley and Florence Pugh, games creatives Chella Ramanan, Segun Akinola and Gemma Langford, and writers and directors Rose Glass, Stella Corradi, David Proud and Destiny Ekaragha.

Applications close June 28.

STREAMING

S.S. Rajamouli’s smash hit “RRR” will be available from May 20 on South Asian focused streamer ZEE5 Global in the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages, with English subtitles. The film has grossed $146 million worldwide since it released in March. An action-drama set in the 1920s, the historical fiction story by Vijayendra Prasad and Rajamouli makes real-life Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (NTR Jr) meet and become fast friends. The occupying colonial British are their common enemy. Produced by D. V. V. Danayya of DVV Entertainment, the film also stars Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, and Olivia Morris.

Ram Charan, NTR Jr in “RRR”DVV Entertainment

Meanwhile, Telugu-language action drama “Acharya,” which features the real-life father-son duo of Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan has also set a May 20 streaming date, on Amazon Prime Video India. Directed by Koratala Siva and produced by Ram Charan and Niranjan Reddy, the film also stars Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood, Jisshu Sengupta, Kishore Kumar, Regina Cassendra, Sangeetha, Ajay, and Tanikella Barani. It revolves around a social reformer who fights against misappropriation of temple funds and donations.

Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi in “Acharya.”Konidela Production Company/Matinee Entertainment