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Vintage songs are regularly remade, sampled and, most recently, interpolated into new ones. But even in that context, the saga of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” remains singular. A song that was initially rejected and ignored by the music business in the Eighties has, over the last two or three decades, become a go-to pop hymn for TV talent shows, soundtracks, even a Saturday Night Live sketch. For a long time, “Suzanne” was in the running as Cohen’s leading contribution to the post-rock pop repertoire. “Hallelujah” has now overtaken it: Pick nearly any genre,...

The 74th Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its jury which includes five women; a majority in the nine-person group including President Spike Lee.

The jury includes French-Senegalese actor-director Mati Diop whose 2019 movie Atlantics took home the Grand Prix from the festival; Crazy Heart Oscar nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, French Inglorious Basterds actress Mélanie Laurent, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner and French singer Mylène Farmer.

Rounding out the jury are French actor and recent Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated The Mauritanian actor Tahar Rahim, Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho and South Korean actor Song Kang-Ho who starred in the 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or winner and ultimate Oscar Best Picture winner, Parasite. Song has been a frequent star in Bong Joon Ho’s canon including The Host and Memories of Murder.

Diop’s Atlantics was shortlisted as one of the ten best international films at the Oscars. She has also directed several short-films...

The 2021 Cannes Film Festival has announced the jurors who will join Spike Lee in determining the winners of this year’s event. The “BlacKkKlansman” Oscar winner is serving as the 2021 jury president and will be accompanied by director Mati Diop, singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, actress-director Maggie Gyllenhaal, writer-director Jessica Hausner, actress-director Mélanie Laurent, writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho, actor Tahar Rahim, and actor Song Kang-ho. The Jury will unveil its list of winners Saturday, July 17 during the Cannes Closing Ceremony.

The majority of the jury has deep connections with the Cannes Film Festival. Mati Diop won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival with “Atlantics,” while Jessica Hausner also competed at Cannes 2019 with “Little Joe,” which won star Emily Beecham the Best Actress prize. Tahar Rahim got his breakout in Jacques Audiard’s Grand Prix-winning “A Prophet.” Melanie Laurent starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Palme d’Or contender “Inglourious Basterds,” while...