In this Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, director Emmanuelle Bercot arrives for the screening of the film "On My Way" at the 63rd edition of the Berlinale, International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
For the first time, a female director will kick off the Cannes Film Festival.
The festival announced Monday that "La Tete Haute," a French drama directed by Emmanuelle Bercot, will open the 68th Cannes Film Festival on May 13. The film is about the upbringing of a juvenile delinquent and stars Catherine Deneuve.
The French Riviera festival has sometimes been criticized for not programming more female-directed films. Cannes head Thierry Fremaux said the choice "is a clear reflection of our desire to see the festival start with a different piece, which is both bold and moving."
Joel and Ethan Coen will preside over this year's jury. The film slate will be announced Thursday, adding to the already announced out-of-competition entry "Mad Max: Fury Road."
Cannes runs May 13-24.
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This combination of 2017-2022 photos shows the logos of Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on mobile devices. On Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, Seattle Public Schools filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, suing the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth. (AP Photo, File)
A top court in France on Friday struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms.
The Constitutional Council ruled that provisions in the ban "disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication" and haven't provided legal guarantees to ensure those rights, according to a press release summarizing the decision.
France last month became the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms amid rising worldwide concerns about the harmful effects of digital content on kids.
Both chambers of the Parliament had voted in favor of the measure, which also banned the use of mobile phones in high schools.
The legislation was one of the final major measures adopted under French President Emmanuel Macron's presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wanted the law to take effect at the start of the new school year in September, but the bill faced a review to determine whether it complied with the French Constitution.
Responding to the decision, Macron said in a statement that he was fully determined to see the ban take effect by spring and has tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu "with working as quickly as possible on a legally robust proposal that takes into account the decision of the Constitutional Council as well as the European legal framework."
"On this basis, it will be up to the President of the Republic, the Government, and Parliament to determine the means and mechanisms needed to protect our children from social media by the end of the current term of office," he added.
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