On October 26, 2025, the actor and writer Emma Thompson joined the staff writer Helen Shaw for a discussion at the 26th annual New Yorker Festival, a weekend of conversations, screenings, performances, and more. The Festival, which is the magazine's signature event, was held in New York City and brought together leading voices in literature, film, comedy, television, politics, and medicine.
But since the pandemic shifted how so much of the industry operates, the past few years have seen unusual variation. Coda became the first best picture winner from Sundance, Everything Everywhere All at Once the first from SXSW, Oppenheimer the first non-festival premiere to win since The Departed in 2006 and the past six years has seen Cannes with more best picture wins than any other festival.
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Jonathan Glazer stated, "All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say look what they did then, rather look at what we do now." His remarks connect historical events to current social issues, emphasizing the continuity of dehumanization processes and the implications of occupation.
