What's Hot At Cannes; Standing Ovation Timing; Movie Stocks Edge Higher; The Truth About Film Festivals

It's Friday, May 16th. Here's what you need to know.

📽️ News & Views

The first indie movie to get strong word of mouth out of the Cannes Film Festival this year is undoubtedly Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling. (The Daily | Criterion Collection)

Eddington, director Ari Aster's latest, is also getting a lot of buzz. Set in May 2020, where a rebellious sheriff and a conspiracy-fueled town expose the absurdity of pandemic-era America, it stars Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Pedro Pascal. (Deadline)

While America grapples with incentives and tariffs, Costa Rica is rapidly positioning itself as a global content production hub through generous tax incentives, skilled bilingual talent, and strategic initiatives. (Variety)

At Cannes, the length of a standing ovation is strangely important. It's a matter of debate just how genuine it is, but let's face it - there's value there. (Deadline)

Ever wonder how many lead characters die in a movie? (Stephen Follows)

Critic's fave Neon has tapped Ryan Werner to be their new President of Global Cinema. Werner comes from Cinematic Marketing. (Hollywood Reporter)

🎙️ Now Hear This

The Truth About Film Festivals (Distribution Advocates)
With the most influential film festival in the world underway, this podcast (recorded back in 2023) is still worth a listen. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio

💰 The Movie News Pro Stock Index

Market Close: Friday, May 16th, 2025
Total Value $102,548.31
Today's Change $1,152.75 (1.14%)
Total Gain/Loss $2,548.29 (2.55%)

An impressive day for the movie index, as we edged higher 1.14% today. Since launching our index on the 12th, our best performers have been Cineverse (up 10.86%), Fox (up 7.16%), and Netflix (up 6.54%).

Disclaimer: MovieNewsPro's Movie Stock Index is a virtual index - there are no actual funds invested. Sector index total value dollar amounts are based on an initial hypothetical investment of $100,000 on May 12th, 2025. We are not licensed investment advisors and our information should not be used as investment advice. Invest wisely.

Film Festivals

Cannes Film Festival, France - May 13-24
Marche du Film, France - May 13-21
Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, US - May 14-18
Harlem International Film Festival, US - May 15-18
Ridgefield Independent Film Festival, US - May 15-18
Seattle International Film Festival, US - May 15-25
Docaviv, Israel - May 22-31
Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, Canada - May 23-31
Krakow Film Festival, Poland - May 25-June 1
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, US - May 27-June 1
Nippon Connection Film Festival, Germany - May 27-June 1
Mendocino Film Festival, US - May 29-June 1

📺 Watch This Tonight

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Directed by Godfrey Reggio
A truly unique look at our planet, featuring an amazing score by Philip Glass.

Disclaimer/Transparency
MovieNewsPro is a film industry news monitoring service. All stories have been previously reported elsewhere and are not exclusive stories to MNP. All information is believed to be accurate at the time of reporting. MovieNewsPro uses a full array of technology to gather information, including machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence throughout its business monitoring, editing and reporting process.