Female directors are thin on the ground – plus ça change – but the lineup promises intriguing new films from modern day masters, as well as some unknown hot potatoes

• Donald Trump biopic and new films by Yorgos Lanthimos and Andrea Arnold to premiere at Cannes

The new Cannes selection has been unveiled in one of the most tense and fraught geopolitical situations for years, giving even more of a frisson to the traditional rune-reading activity of scrutinising the festival’s list, and scrutinising cinema itself, for contemporary meaning. There is a very prominent Russian director in competition, Kirill Serebrennikov, with his film Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie, starring Ben Whishaw as Russian opposition leader and poet Eduard Limonov, based on the novel by the veteran French author and public intellectual Emmanuel Carrère. Of course, the point is that Serebrennikov is a notable anti-government figure.

As far as the Gaza situation goes, there is an intriguing title in the Special Screenings sidebar: The Beauty of Gaza by French film-maker Yolande Zauberman, about a trans woman who travels from Gaza to Tel Aviv.

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Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited passion project Megalopolis and Jacques Audiard’s musical set in the world of Mexican drug cartels will also be in competition

Donald Trump, impersonated by Marvel actor Sebastian Stan, will make an unlikely star attraction on the Côte d’Azur in May, as a new film about the US presidential candidate’s real-estate career is set to premiere at Cannes in May.

The lineup for the 77th edition of the film festival, unveiled at a press conference in Paris on Thursday by general delegate Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch, will also see Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone continue their prize-winning creative partnership, and British film-maker Andrea Arnold team up with Saltburn star Barry Keoghan for her first feature film in eight years.

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From books about disintegrating relationships and countries to a worker’s-eye view of Korea and a story of farmers in Brazil, the selected titles engage with current realities, say the judging panel

Korean writer Hwang Sok-yong and German author Jenny Erpenbeck appear on this year’s International Booker shortlist, which features books exploring “divided families and divided societies”, according to prize administrator Fiammetta Rocco.

Hwang is shortlisted for his ninth novel translated into English, Mater 2-10, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae. The nearly 500-page novel traces a century of Korean history through the story of three generations of a family of rail workers and a laid-off factory worker. In her Guardian review , Maya Jaggi said it provides “a worker’s-eye view of the 20th-century history surrounding Korea’s partition”. It is the third year running that a South Korean author has been shortlisted for the prize.

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At the end of September 2023, Jim Fenwick found himself in Palermo, Sicily, when wildfires started to break out. The London-based photographer noticed the low cloud cover was reflecting the glow of the fires, which turned the sky red. With an hour to spare before he needed to start work on a different project, he stepped away to capture what was happening. “Sicily experiences the highest number of fires in Italy,” says Fenwick. “The primary cause stems from human activities, both unintentional and deliberate. Even if you’re living thousands of miles away from wildfires, we should all be paying attention.”

• Jim Fenwick is a finalist in the landscape category in the professional competition of the Sony world photography awards 2024 at Somerset House , London WC2, 19 April-6 May

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Over 150 Jewish Hollywood professionals express support for director after he faced backlash for speech

More than 150 Jewish Hollywood professionals, including Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Coen and Ilana Glazer, have expressed their support for Jonathan Glazer after the Zone of Interest director faced intense backlash for his acceptance speech at this year’s Oscars.

In an open letter published on Friday , the signatories wrote they were “alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks”.

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A selection of photographs from the 24 winning projects and six honourable mentions in the World Press Photo annual competition. This year, the jury included two special mentions. Awarded stories will be part of a global exhibition visiting London in May. Four global winners will be announced on 18 April

• Warning: viewers may find some of the following photographs distressing

“These final selected works are a tapestry of our world today, centred on images we believe were made with respect and integrity, that can speak universally and resonate far beyond their origins. This is an opportunity to applaud the work of press and documentary photographers everywhere and to amplify the importance of the stories they are telling, often in unimaginable circumstances.” Global jury chair, Fiona Shields, head of photography at the Guardian

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The acclaimed British director said Glazer had ‘understood the possible consequences, which made him braver still’

Veteran British director Ken Loach has added his support to Jonathan Glazer over the latter’s controversial Oscar acceptance speech for The Zone of Interest.

In an interview with Variety , Loach said he had “great respect” for Glazer and that his speech was “very brave”. He added: “And I’m sure he understood the possible consequences, which makes him braver still, so I’ve got great respect for him and his work.”

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Joining the Guardian columnist and Observer art critic are academics Tiya Miles and Noreen Masud, FT journalist Madhumita Murgia and poet Safiya Sinclair
• Inside the shortlist choices with the chair of judges

Online conspiracy theories and AI are tackled in two of the six books on the inaugural Women’s prize for non-fiction shortlist.

Doppelganger by Guardian US columnist Naomi Klein, which explores conspiracies and far-right politics, and Code Dependent by Madhumita Murgia, about the impact of emerging AI technologies on society, were both shortlisted for the prize.

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The Boss says he is proud to become a fellow after being recognised for his ‘impact on the UK’s cultural landscape’

There is perhaps nobody in the US’s short history who is better-known for describing blue-collar American life.

But Bruce Springsteen is to be recognised by the most British of institutions when he becomes the first foreigner to be inducted as a fellow of the Ivors Academy.

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