India mourns death of Sridevi, Bollywood’s first female star

The film "Back to Black" has been described as a never-seen-before glimpse into Amy Winehouse's rise to fame and the release of her groundbreaking album of the same name, which won five Grammys and sold 16 million copies. The pop star, who died in 2011, is played by Marisa Abela, known for her role in the banking TV drama "Industry". The movie is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who brought us "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Nowhere Boy". Eve Jackson sat down with them in Paris.

Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" will premiere on the French Riviera this year, alongside new releases from Cannes Film Festival favourites Jacques Audiard, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sean Baker and Karim Aïnouz. Those movies will all be scrutinised by jury president Greta Gerwig. FRANCE 24's Olivia Salazar-Winspear takes us through the line-up and flags up two major red carpet events: "Furiosa", the fifth instalment of the Mad Max films and "Horizon: An American Saga", Kevin Costner's passion project.

As elections near, India's nationalist BJP is trying to wrestle votes away from the opposition in Indian-administrated Kashmir. But standard campaign tactics might not be enough to win over Muslim voters in the region.

In the latest speculative fiction from British director Alex Garland, Kirsten Dunst stars as a war reporter documenting a conflict she once never thought possible: a new civil war in the United States. With the US in the midst of another divisive election year, the scenario may seem cliché, but FRANCE 24 film critic Lisa Nesselson says the film is engrossing, entertaining and unsettling.

India's mammoth elections are now under way, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi widely expected to win a third term. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has expanded subsidy programmes for the poor and women. These programmes include measures like equipping homes with butane gas by offering free cylinders or distributing free food rations. Some 60 percent of the population benefits from Modi’s food distribution scheme, which he has pledged to renew for another five years. Another success story is the nationwide rollout of digital payment services. Meanwhile, critics say the prime minister is eroding democracy by targeting opposition parties and controlling the media.

A world record of 969 million citizens are called to the polls for what some see as a referendum on one man. India is about to embark on the world's biggest election, staggered over seven weeks, with Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP expected to extend its solid lead in parliament. Modi has been pointing to a decade of unprecedented growth and power for a nation courted by the West and beyond.