2011 | Foreign Students

Cannes Femmes Cineastes

Submitted by Séamas on Fri 13/05/11

Film is often criticised for being a man’s game; women get a look-in as long as they are lookers to be looked at and objectified, adding texture and focus to the man's role and the director’s gaze. The Cannes 2011 poster (as seen here) seems to reinforce this cinematic archetype with the fabulous Faye Dunaway, in a photo from a bygone era, gracing the festival poster and three facades of the Palais. “Women’s legs are compasses that circle the globe, giving it its equilibrium and harmony” is the charmingly macho Francois Truffaut quote given in the press kit that underlines the "classical" thinking behind the elegance of the poster choice.

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Cannes 2011 Film Festival: Day 1

Submitted by Séamas on Wed 11/05/11

Séamas McSwiney is our guest film correspondent and is currently reporting for us directly from Cannes. He has decades of experience in film journalism, with work published in some top international publications.

For two weeks in May, Cannes is the home of razzamataz and red-carpeted fantasies. It is also a global crossroads where culture, politics, art and business intersect. In Cannes, the global entertainment industry pays homage to cultural diversity because, during this French Riviera honeymoon, it is good business to do so. As jury president, Robert De Niro says, the Competition jury undertakes to choose “films that are represented in the world of film at its highest level, and these types of festivals help connect the international film community and have a lasting cultural impact”. This year, his fellow jury members include Jude Law and Uma Thurman from the UK and the US as well as Mahamat Saleh Haroun and Johnnie To, from Chad and China.

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The UK Today: 2011 Census Results

Submitted by Foreign Students on Wed 18/07/12

Figures from the latest census were published this week, with in-depth statistics about the population of Britain in 2011. Every ten years the whole of the population are sent a survey which they have to fill out about everything from the number of children they have, to their religion, to their occupation.

There is so much information that it can be hard to pick out the important facts, so here we have a few of the more interesting points from the survey:

Most Watched YouTube Videos of 2011

Submitted by Foreign Students on Wed 21/12/11

YouTube has revealed that the most watched videos of 2011 include a cartoon cat, a royal wedding spoof and a Charlie Sheen remix. However, the crown for the number 1 most viewed video in the UK this year has gone to 'Ultimate Dog Tease'- a comedy clip of a dog pretending to talk.

The video site unveiled the top videos of the year both globally and in the UK, with the UK versions claiming a combined total of over 300 million views, and the gobal ones boasting an incredible 650 million.

Whilst Rebecca Black with her infamously bad 'Friday' song only made 8th place in UK views, she topped the world chart with a staggering 180 million views worldwide. The winning UK entry shows a dog moving its mouth whilst its owner teases him with food and talks over the top.

Have a look at the UK top ten below to find your favourite.

1. Ultimate Dog Tease

And the Christmas Number One Is…?

Submitted by Foreign Students on Tue 20/12/11

With Christmas just five days away now, no one is bothered about buying presents, putting up decorations or buying food. Instead the question on everyone's mind is ‘who is going to be UK Christmas Number 1?'

In the UK the song that is top of the singles chart on Christmas Day takes the coveted Christmas Number 1 title. Here we take you through the possible contenders this year, with the usual mix of reality show winners, novelty acts and tearjerkers:

Military Wives Choir- Wherever You Are

This choir is unique in the fact that it is made up of only women whose husbands are in the military. It was put together by conductor Gareth Malone as part of a BBC TV show, and this is their first single.

The lyrics are inspired by letters to and from their soldier husbands, and this group of regular women from Devon are now huge favourites to be 2011 Christmas Number 1.

Latest Odds: 1/16 (Favourites)