The machinery of the global film festival circuit is humming into high gear as the industry prepares for its annual migration to the Côte d'Azur. While the main competition at Cannes often captures the headlines, the announcement of the ACID sidebar—a program curated by directors since 1992—serves as a reminder of the festival’s role as a talent scout. Though this year’s nine selections feature names largely unknown to the general public, the program’s provenance is formidable, having previously launched the careers of filmmakers like Justine Triet and Radu Jude.
Stateside, the festival landscape is similarly dense with upcoming premieres. The Tribeca Festival is set to open its twenty-fifth anniversary edition with Questlove’s latest documentary project, *Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World)*, signaling a continued interest in the intersection of archival musicology and cinema. Meanwhile, the Seattle International Film Festival will open with Boots Riley’s *I Love Boosters*, and in Switzerland, Visions du Réel is hosting a vanguard of documentary and experimental filmmakers, including Kelly Reichardt and Laura Poitras.
This period of anticipation is marked by a significant loss in the world of cinema sound. Asha Bhosle, the legendary playback singer whose voice defined decades of Bollywood film, has passed away at the age of ninety-two. Bhosle’s career was a masterclass in versatility, often described as the stylistic counterpoint to her sister, Lata Mangeshkar. Her death marks the end of a specific era of playback singing, a system where the voice was as much a part of the cinematic architecture as the actors themselves.
With reporting from Criterion Daily.
Source · Criterion Daily
