At Cannes, The EU Examines Gender Disparity Among Critics

Last year, the festival kicked off a 50/50 pledge – but there’s much work to be done, and the EU commission will gather Europe-wide data and report on best practices. As for now, a report says of France’s film reviewers who are women, “When they were writing, it was primarily for general interest or women’s magazines rather than publications specialized in cinema or culture, the report found. Men were significantly more likely to review thrillers, documentaries and action films.” – Variety

The Vanishing Stars Of Bengali Folk Theatre

Jatra stars used to be major celebrities, but now they have to work second (or third) jobs to make ends meet. “Jatra originated in Bangladesh and the eastern Indian states of Odisha and Bihar. It’s a living and vibrant form of theater, usually performed on open-air stages, inspired by Hindu mythology, popular legends and contemporary events.” – NPR

Granny Graffiti: Street Artists Tag Building and Statues With Yarn

“Yarn bombing takes that most matronly craft (knitting) and that most maternal of gestures (wrapping something cold in a warm blanket) and transfers it to the concrete and steel wilds of the urban streetscape. Hydrants, lampposts, mailboxes, bicycles, cars – even objects as big as buses and bridges – have all been bombed in recent years.”