The lights are in position, the stars en route to the French Riviera. And Spike Lee’s face is peering out onto the Croisette from a huge banner announcing Tuesday’s debut of the world’s premier film festival.

The show is running 14 months late, due to the pandemic. And it’s about time for the city’s merchants, hoteliers and restaurateurs, who hope the return of the festival’s glamour and revenues heralds a broader renaissance for the region and France’s cultural world after an exceptionally damaging year.

“We lost all of the international conventions, congress, large events like the film festival. So we lost millions,” Charles Richez, director of the Majestic Hotel, said. “We’re very happy now to have the film festival again. It’s the beginning of the return of all the international events.”

On a scorching summer day in the remote Transylvanian village of Micasasa, 39-year-old Romanian architect Eugen Vaida is busy coordinating a team of volunteers helping to breathe new life into a centuries-old castle on the brink of ruin.

“It’s in an advanced state of degradation and it’s a monument of national importance,” Vaida, who in 2016 launched the Ambulance for Monuments project, said.

The Ambulance for Monuments has a simple task: to race around the Balkan country, giving critical care to as many historical buildings as possible that are in an advanced state of decay before it’s too late.

Since it launched, Ambulance for Monuments has rescued 55 historical structures, including medieval churches, historic fortification walls, old watermills and ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from descending into complete ruin.

Situated in a broad valley at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountain basin, the dilapidated 16th-century Brukenthal Castle, which was once home to influential aristocrats and used as a primary school until just after the turn of the century, is one such endangered building being revived by the project.

More than two decades of neglect have left the old castle in serious need of attention.

“It probably would have gotten to a stage where it could barely be saved, it would have gotten to a ruin, and a ruin you cannot build again,” Vaida said. “Heritage is not renewable.”

The castle’s interior boasts around 600 square meters (6,460 square feet), but its roof is leaking, its timbers rotting and part of a key structural wall that supports it is compromised by decades of neglect. A month-long revamp, like all of Vaida’s projects, is supported by dozens of volunteers who are playing an important role in preserving Romania’s past.

Nollywood veteran Richard Mofe Damijo popularly known as RMD has revealed how he broke the specter of death in his family.

The movie star made this known during a chat with Chude Jideonwo on his show ‘WithChude.’

RMD who turns 60 on July 6th, said his parents didn’t make it to 60 which is a big deal for him.

“None of my parents lived to be 60, so life for me is just about to get started. There’s been a specter of death around my life, that’s what I’ve been dealing with last year till this year. When I turned 59, it was a big deal for me, big deal for me! My mom died at 59, my father died at 57/58,” he said.

“So, it was like, can I break it? When people see me and I go on a weight loss, people think that… you know, it’s health. Both my parents were diabetic and hypertensive, I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to be diabetic and hypertensive, I want to be healthier.”

“Atleast give myself a fighting chance to change that whole cycle. Yes I’m a Christian now, so I’ve broken that yoke but I have to also help myself.”

RMD is a Nigerian actor, writer, producer, and lawyer. He is also a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State.

Film and TV workers who suffered alleged bullying and sexual harassment in the industry say they feared being blacklisted if they reported abuse.

More than 1,400 members of the entertainment workers’ union, Bectu, have revealed their experiences.

Some 73% said they lacked confidence any action would be taken over claims, while others feared losing their jobs.

Campaigners have called for an independent body to deal with claims of abuse in the creative industries.

A voluntary questionnaire, sent to 14,000 Bectu members, asked workers about their experience in the TV and film industry. Of the 1,400 people who responded, just over 70% said they had experienced bullying, sexual harassment or abuse.

Two thirds of those did not report the abuse, with more than half saying feared being blacklisted or were scared of losing their jobs. The majority of those who responded were freelance workers.

Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, said some of her members felt “very vulnerable”. She said: “They worry about how reporting allegations of bullying and harassment will impact on their careers. The power imbalances are quite huge.”

She said called for a single reporting mechanism to monitor serial abusers, as well as safeguarding officers on every set.

Richard Donner, the Hollywood director whose films included Superman and The Goonies, has died aged 91.

He passed away on Monday, his wife, the film producer Lauren Shuler Donner, said.

His first major break came with 1976’s The Omen, and later produced Free Willy and The Lost Boys.

Steven Spielberg, who wrote the story on which The Goonies was based, told Variety that Donner was “gifted across so many genres”.

“Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favourite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally, and – of course – the greatest Goonie of all,” Spielberg said.

“He was all kid. All heart. All the time. I can’t believe he’s gone, but his husky, hearty laugh will stay with me always.”

Born in the Bronx, New York, Donner started in television in the early 1960s, with credits including anthology series The Twilight Zone and spy thriller The Man From Uncle.

But it wasn’t until the mid-1970s that he made his mark on Hollywood. His work on 1978’s Superman starring Christopher Reeve is often regarded as the first modern superhero film.

French couture house Christian Dior kicked off Paris fashion week on Monday with an in-person runway show drawing celebrities to the front-row in an attempt to revive a touch of pre-pandemic glamour.

Actresses Jessica Chastain, Cara Delevingne, Monica Bellucci and Florence Pugh were among the limited crowd who lined the catwalk at Dior’s Fall/Winter 2021-2022 haute couture collection.

“I am just very happy to be in a room with people and look at incredible pieces,” said Chastain after the show.

Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said she wanted fabrics to be front and centre. An audience in the room could appreciate the detail and the tactile nature of the fabric in a way that does not come across online or in video footage.

Tweed ensembles, from jackets to hats resembling horse riding helmets, took the stage in a patchwork of muted tones.

Models showed vegetal prints on a velvet and satin coat. For evening looks, there were long skirts embroidered with feathers and sheer pleated long dresses in silk gauze.

In past months, fashion brands have showcased their collections in online-only formats such as short films.