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The Curzon Film Podcast

Interviews and discussion about the latest high quality and independent film releases from Curzon Cinemas in the UK<p style="color:grey; font-size:0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Curzon Cinemas

Kleber Mendonça Filho, the director of Aquarius, and collaborator Juliano Dornelles have come up with a politically loaded riff on The Most Dangerous Game scenario. It’s a thrilling blend of genre thrills and shocks, and smart satire. Bacurau, a settlement in rural Brazil, is shaken by its matriarch’s death. But something strange is happening, the water supply has been cut off, and the village has disappeared from satellite maps completely.Under threat from an unknown enemy, Bacurau braces itself for a brutal fight for survival.We hosted writer-director pair Kleber Mendoh-sa Feelyo and Juliano Dornales for a Q&A at Curzon Bloomsbury, where they spoke to Observer and Curzon Magazine contributor Wendy Ide about the films 10 year journey to the screen, its international inspirations and their 11000km search for the perfect small town…. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BACURAU Q&A | The Curzon Film Podcast feat. Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles

We’re in love. It started with a Water Lilies in 2007. Our love grew stronger with Tomboy in 2011. We were devoted by the time Girlhood came around in 2014. And now, well, we scarcely know what to do with ourselves.This month we’ve dedicated an entire episode of our podcast to Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the film that has set the roof alight with all those fire emojis. Twitter is burning! Sciamma’s fourth film as a director took Cannes by storm back in 2019, earning standing ovations and taking home the Queer Palme. Earlier this year it was nominated at the BAFTAs, having already stolen our hearts.Over the course of the show, you’ll get expert insights on Céline Sciamma’s career up to this point. We’ll hear from the director herself all about the inspiration for the film, the title and that stunning choral number. Modern day portrait artist, Nina Mae Fowler, tells us about the reality of portraiture. And we find out from academic Jennie Batchelor just what it was like for women artists in the 18th century.The podcast is hosted by Steph Watts. It is produced by Ryan Hewitt and Jake Cunningham, edited by Mark Towers, and scripted by Jake Cunningham and Steph Watts. With thanks to all of our contributors, and a special thanks to Kelly Powell, Louisa Maycock and Irene Musumeci.WITH THANKS TO OUR SPECIAL GUESTS:Céline SciammaCéline Sciamma is a French filmmaker, a director and writer. To date she has directed four films: Water Lilies, Tomboy, Girlhood and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and she wrote the screenplay for award-winning animation, My Life as a Courgette.Tricia TuttleTricia Tuttle is Director of Festivals for the BFI. Tuttle’s appointment as Artistic Director BFI London Film Festival follows her role as interim Artistic Director in 2018 and five successful years as Deputy Head of Festivals at BFI, including BFI Flare and BFI London Film Festival. She is also a huge champion of Céline Sciamma.Nina Mae FowlerNina Mae Fowler is known for her sumptuously detailed, large-scale drawings and installations which interrogate themes of celebrity, beauty, power and sexuality. Also an established portrait artist her sitters have included the biographer Dame Hermione Lee, biologist Richard Dawkins and ballet dancer Carlos Acosta (for which she was shortlisted for the BP Portrait prize in 2008).Most recently, The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled a major new commission by the artist entitled ‘Luminary Drawings’. The series comprises nine portraits of leading British Film Directors which now form part of the museum's permanent collection, including Sam Mendes, Ken Loach, Amma Asante and Sally Potter. Fowler’s work has won widespread acclaim. It is featured in numerous collections of international significance and in 2015 a monograph of her work entitled ‘Nina Mae Fowler: Measuring Elvis’ was published by Cob Gallery, London. The book features a commentary from an array of cultural luminaries including the curator Sandy Nairne and the playwright Polly Stenham. Lucy DahlsenLucy Dahlsen is a curator based in London and former Associate Curator of 20th century and contemporary portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery. Recent exhibitions she has curated include solo presentations of the artists Elizabeth Peyton and Njideka Akunyili Crosby.Jennie BatchelorJennie Batchelor is Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at Kent University, publishing in the long eighteenth century with a focus primarily on women's writing, authorship and anonymity, periodicals and women’s magazines, representations of gender, work, sexuality and the body, book history, material culture studies and the eighteenth-century charity movement.She is the author of two monographs and co-editor of four essay collections. Her most recent book (with Nush Powell), Women’s Periodicals and Print Culture in Britain, 1690s-1820s (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), is the ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE | The Curzon Film Podcast feat. Céline Sciamma

Beware, there's spoilers ahead!Bong Joon Ho's PARASITE is the film that keeps on giving. To complement our deep dive into the #BongHive, we have a very special bonus episode featuring Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver's Edgar Wright in conversation with the Academy Award-winning Director Bong.This Q&A was recorded at Curzon Bloomsbury, before the PARASITE mania hit UK shores. Since recording, the film has made history by winning multiple awards breaking multiple box office records. The PARASITE isn't finished with us yet! Tune in for two friends, peers and fans discussing the most exciting film in cinemas now.PARASITE is playing in cinemas around the country. We strongly recommend watching the film before you listen to this podcast. If you haven't done already, check out our deep dive PARASITE special, featuring more from Bong Joon Ho, his friend and collaborator Tilda Swinton, the founders of the #BongHive and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE PARASITE Q&A | The Curzon Film Podcast feat. Edgar Wright & Bong Joon Ho

We’ve dedicated an entire episode to the film that, for many many months, has been infecting audiences more than any other. Created by South Korean director Bong Joon Ho, since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019, Parasite has spread its way to box office success, BAFTA nominations and even a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.Over the course of the show, you’ll get expert insights on Bong Joon Ho’s career up to this point, we’ll hear from the people behind the frenzied #BONGHIVE fangroup on social media, we’ve got an insider on insiders here to tell us about the art of the Parasite con, and we’re luckily enough to bring you a conversation between Director Bong and one of his great friends and collaborators, Tilda Swinton.The podcast is hosted, scripted and produced by regular Curzon Podcaster, Jake Cunningham.It is edited by Mark Towers, and produced by Ryan Hewitt.With thanks to our special guests:Bong Joon HoDirector Bong has quickly become one of favourite people. Parasite is his seventh feature film, preceded in reverse order by Okja, Snowpiercer, Mother, The Host, Memories of Murder and Barking Dogs Never Bite.Tilda SwintonNo introduction necessary. Tilda Swinton is one of the finest actors working today. Her collaborations with Bong Joon Ho include Snowpiercer and Okja, and she is a total queen.Helen O’HaraFilm journalist for Empire Magazine.Tony RaynsTony Rayns is a film critic, commentator, festival programmer and screenwriter. He has written extensively for Sight & Sound, and its predecessor the Monthly Film Bulletin, and previously contributed to Time Out and Melody Maker.One of the world’s leading experts on Asian cinema, he coordinated the Dragons and Tigers competition for Asian films at the Vancouver International Film Festival 1988-2006 and has provided many DVD commentaries and English subtitle translations for films from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Thailand.He has written books about Seijun Suzuki, Wong Kar-wai and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and has been awarded the Foreign Ministry of Japan’s Commendation for services to Japanese cinema.Maria KonnikovaMaria Konnikova is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, The Confidence Game, winner of the 2016 Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, an Anthony and Agatha Award finalist. Her new book, The Biggest Bluff, will be out from Penguin Press on June 23, 2020.Maria is a regularly contributing writer for The New Yorker whose writing has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Excellence in Science Journalism Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. While researching The Biggest Bluff, Maria became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings—and inadvertently turned into a professional poker player.Maria’s writing has been featured in Best American Science and Nature Writing and has been translated into over twenty languages. Maria also hosts the podcast The Grift from Panoply Media, a show that explores con artists and the lives they ruin, and is currently a visiting fellow at NYU’s School of Journalism. Her podcasting work earned her a National Magazine Award nomination in 2019. She graduated from Harvard University and received her PhD in psychology from Columbia University.Find out more about Maria at her website www.mariakonnikova.comIana MurrayFilm critic and #BONGHIVE founding member. Contributing writer at GQ. other publications include i-D, Little White Lies and The Skinny.Parasite plays in our cinemas from Friday 7 February Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PARASITE | The Curzon Film Podcast feat. Bong Joon Ho + Tilda Swinton

This week we ask the question 'How long have we been on this rock? Five weeks? Two days? Where are we?' as Willem Dafoe and Robert Eggers join us to spill their beans about their new indescribable not-quite horror film The Lighthouse. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are left alone on a grim deserted island to tend to a lighthouse in 1890's New England. As tensions rise between the two men, the boundaries between fantasy and reality begin to blur... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE LIGHTHOUSE | feat. Willem Dafoe & Robert Eggers

This week we're joined by the writer-director of Waves, Trey Edward Shults. Waves stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Tyler, and 18 year old under pressure to excel from his domineering father, played by Sterling K. Brown. When an injury threatens Tyler's future career, he goes off the rails, and his family struggle to deal with the consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WAVES | feat. Trey Edward Shults

This week we go deep into the trenches to take a look at Sam Mendes' one-shot wonder, the war drama 1917, and speak to the films lead actors Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay, who star as two soldiers given orders to deliver a message across enemy lines that could save thousands of lives. Having won the Golden Globe award for Best Film last weekend, 1917 has announced itself as a major awards contender and one you have to see on the biggest screen possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1917 | feat. Dean-Charles Chapman & George MacKay

On this week's episode, we see out 2019 with Greta Gerwig's Little Women, and we welcome in 2020 with Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit.In Little Women, Greta Gerwig couldn't have chosen a more beloved classic to adapt for her second feature as director, matched only by the strength of cast she's corralled. Playing the four leads on the verge of womanhood are Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson and Sharp Objects' Eliza Scanlen. Telling the tale of four daughters of a preacher in post-Civil War Massachusetts as they learn to love and live their own lives, this adaptation emphasises the novel's feminist message of self-determination.Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit shouldn't work, but the director pulls it off with panache. Never less than extremely funny, Waititi’s performance as a cracked Adolf Hitler manages to easily overleap any questions of taste, backed up by a hilarious cadre of supporting Nazis (Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Alfie Allen). This anti-hate satire from the director of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok will win you over.Plus, Curzon bring you a Christmas Day treat: you can watch Mikhaël Hers' Amanda on Curzon Home Cinema from 25th December, over a week before it arrives in cinemas.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@ella_kemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LITTLE WOMEN + JOJO RABBIT

It's that time of year when we make endless lists of the most wonderful things we have seen at the cinema over the past 12 months. Tune in to hear about our favourites!Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ella_kemp - Ella@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Best Films of 2019

In this episode we welcome a true legend of cinema on to the podcast, the man, the myth... Werner HerzogAs well as talking to Mr Herzog, we round up the results of the European Film Awards where Herzog was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement. Along with this, we take a look at the Next Level of the Jumanji series.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS + JUMANJI | feat. Werner Herzog

On the pod this week, we welcome Alma Har'el, director of Honey Boy, the Shia LaBeouf biopic written by the man himself. Plus we delve in to Chinese heartbreaker So Long My SonSo Long My Son explores the impact of China's one child policy. It spans from the 1980s to the present day, regularly shifting back and forth in time. The story details the changing fortunes of a family and those around them, and how government policy has consistently affected their lives.Directed by Alma Har’el, in her first foray in to narrative fiction, having previously directed the documentaries Bombay Beach and Love True; Honey Boy is written by Shia LaBeouf, whilst he was in Rehab, and is a retelling of his experience as a child actor, his tumultuous relationship with his father (who LaBeouf plays a proxy of here) and his reconciliation with his experiences.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@csquinlan - CaitlinProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HONEY BOY + SO LONG MY SON | feat. Alma Har'el

Murder! This week we're joined by writer-director Rian Johnson who tells us about his new whodunnit Knives Out, and we discuss the controversial revenge thriller The Nightingale.Knives Out is an entertaining old-school murder mystery, boasting an incredible cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans and Don Johnson amongst many others. The Nightingale is director Jennifer Kent's follow-up to her acclaimed horror The Babadook, starring Aisling Franciosi as a young Irish prisoner in colonial Australia in pursuit of the British solider (Sam Claflin) who committed a terrible act of violence against her and her family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

KNIVES OUT + THE NIGHTINGALE feat. Rian Johnson

'Tis the season (nearly) so we unwrap our presents early and discuss Paul Feig's festive comedy Last Christmas, as well as take a look at offbeat animation I Lost My Body.Written by Emma Thompson, Last Christmas stars Emilia Clarke (aka Daenerys Targaryen) as Christmas shop worker Kate, a down-on-her-luck Londoner who meets handsome stranger Tom, who seems too good to be true. I Lost My Body tells the bizarre story of a severed hand who, having been removed from it's owner's arm, frantically roams the streets of Paris looking for its former body. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LAST CHRISTMAS + I LOST MY BODY

In this episode we get the report on The Report from director Scott Z. Burns. Plus, the amazing Amazing Johnathan Documentary...The Report is about Daniel Jones (played by Adam Driver), who is tasked by Senator Dianne Feinstein (that’s Annette Bening) with delivering a definitive report on the CIA's use of torture after 9/11. What he uncovers will shake America. But, under constant threat from the US security forces, will their publication of the 6,700 page report bring change?Our second film follows The Amazing Johnathan (John Edward Szeles), who built a career as a magician out of shock and deception in the 1980s. After Johnathan is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition and given one year to live, he’s forced to retire his act. Cut to three years later: Johnathan is not dead, much to everyone’s amazement, and documentarian Ben Berman films perhaps the illusionist’s greatest trick an epic comeback tour that careens off the rails in highly entertaining and unexpected ways... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE REPORT + THE AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY | feat. Scott Z. Burns

In this episode we soar into new heights, with guest Felicity Jones, and her new film The Aeronauts. Plus, we get in to the story of Noah Baumbach's new one on marriage.Noah Baumbach, director of The Squid and the Whale and The Meyerowitz Stories, returns with a new family drama that ranks among his very best, and is a front runner for acting awards over the coming months. This one’s about a stage director (played by Adam Driver) and his wife, an actress played by Scarlett Johansson, as they struggle through a gruelling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extreme.In The Aeronauts, it's 1862 and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) and widow Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) embark on a remarkable mission to go where no human has gone before: 37,000 feet into the sky in a hot air balloon. As they begin their journey into the unknown, we flash back to their reasons for taking this momentous step... Battling weather conditions and their uncertain vessel, can the two return to Earth safely?Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@ella_kemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MARRIAGE STORY + THE AERONAUTS | feat. Felicity Jones

This week, we take delivery of Ken Loach's latest, Sorry We Missed You and talk to the director himself. Plus, 37 years later, we return to the Overlook Hotel for The Shining sequel Doctor SleepDirector Ken Loach teams once again with I, Daniel Blake screenwriter Paul Laverty for another indictment of the capitalist forces shaping modern Britain. Ricky is dreaming of better things for his family when he becomes a delivery van driver. But as an ‘independent contractor’, he’s working in unsparing conditions, just like his wife Abbie, a care nurse, both of them on zero hours contracts. Living like this means that they’re pushed to the brink, and their world falls apart when their teenage son starts to go off the rails.Whatever happened to Danny Torrance, the gifted young boy from The Shining? It's a question that must have vexed Stephen King enough to produce a sequel 37 years later. In Doctor Sleep, a grown-up Danny (Ewan McGregor) finds himself in the role of protector to a young girl on the run from a cult that is hell-bent on harvesting her gift.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@ella_kemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SORRY WE MISSED YOU + DOCTOR SLEEP | feat. Ken Loach

In this episode, for the first time, we welcome a guest for the third time. François Ozon, director of Swimming Pool, In The House and L'amant Double, joins for a hat-trick appearance on the podcast to talk about his new film By The Grace of GodFrancois Ozon's gripping true-life drama tells the story of three men who come together to dismantle the code of silence around historic abuse cases within the Catholic Church. Alexandre (Melville Poupaud) lives in Lyon with his wife and children. One day he learns by chance that the priest who abused him when he was in scouts is still working with children. He decided to take action and is soon joined by two other victims of the priest, François (Denis Ménochet) and Emmanuel (Swann Arlaud). They band together to “lift the burden of silence” surrounding their ordeal. But the repercussions and consequences will leave no one unscathed.Exiled on a mountainside, the Monos are a teenage guerrilla group. Far away from clear orders, they must watch over a cow and a single hostage. But things go quickly awry, shaking the group apart and severing their links with the outside world. A rich allegory that bears many interpretations, Monos pairs breathtaking, hallucinogenic visuals with intense character dynamics. With a score from Mica Levi (Under the Skin, Jackie) propelling the action, this is gripping, original filmmaking at its best.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ella_kemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD + MONOS | feat. François Ozon

In this episode we pull a new page from Olivier Assayas's filmography, as we discuss Non-Fiction. Plus, we share our final highlights from the 2019 edition of the London Film Festival.Non Fiction begins when an affair between actress Selena (that’s Juliette Binoche) and writer Léonard (Vincent Macaigne) is nearly discovered thanks to Léonard’s recent thinly veiled autobiographical novel. Fortunately, Alain (Guillaume Canet), who is both Selena’s husband and Léonard’s publisher, rejects the book, remaining oblivious to the whole ordeal, maybe because he’s having his own affair as well.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett and Alasdair BaymanFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@ks_powell - Kelly@alasdairbayman - Alasdair@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NON-FICTION + LFF

In this episode we welcome Marchánt Davis, breakout star of The Day Shall Come, Chris Morris' return to film, a decade after Four Lions. Plus we delve in to our highlights from the London Film Festival so far.In The Day Shall Come, an impoverished preacher, played by Marchant Davis, who’s attempting to bring hope to the Miami projects is offered cash to save his family from eviction. However, he’s got no clue that his sponsor works for the FBI, and in search of promotion, they’ve got big dreams on turning Moses and his followers him in to the next big terrorist thread to America.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Duncan Carson and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@nowolvesplease - Duncan@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE DAY SHALL COME + LFF | feat. Marchánt Davis

In this episode we travel from Gotham City to the Emerald one as we cover Joker and Judy, with special guest Rufus our Sewell in the crown.Judy Garland became one of the undisputed icons of the Golden Age of Hollywood. But behind that success was a darker tale, one of innocence exploited. In Rupert Goold’s new biopic, Renée Zellwegger plays Judy in the twilight of her career. Battered but not beaten, financial ruin forces Garland to return to the stage. Setting ‘60s London alight, she reconnects with her love of performance, but old demons resurface.Drawing upon the work of Martin Scorsese – especially The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver – director Todd Philips has delivered a new standalone origin story for the clown with the cracked smile. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a clown-for-hire by day, who spends nights as a struggling stand up comic. But when he is pushed too far, Joker is ready to regurgitate Gotham City’s hate.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Ella Kemp and Alasdair Bayman.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@alasdairbayman - AlasdairProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

JUDY + JOKER | feat. Rufus Sewell

As the BFI London Film Festival takes over many of our screens for the next two weeks, we decide to find out why, by asking two of the festival's programmers (Kate Taylor and Michael Blyth) about putting the festival together; along with what films to watch out for during the festival and beyond.As well as talking to Kate and Michael, we also quickly reveal our most anticipated releases of the next few weeks, which will be arriving in cinemas soon after.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Jake Cunningham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW | feat. Kate Taylor & Michael Blyth

In this episode, we talk about the film that has smashed even Avengers Endgame's box office record, Lulu Wang's The Farewell. Plus, we talk to the director all about her film.First up though, is For Sama. When the Arab Spring came to Syria in 2012, Waad al-Kateab picked up her camera and began filming the revolution. For five years, under Assad’s brutal assault, she kept filming. For Sama captures that journey, as she marries her partner Hamza al-Kateab, and gives birth to her daughter Sama. The film becomes a justification to their daughter of why they remained in a war zone, capturing not just the daily assaults Hamza faces as a frontline doctor, but also the joys, passions and quiet moments of their friends and family.In The Farewell, Billi (Awkwafina) is called back from New York to her native China because her beloved grandmother is facing her last days. Yet, in accordance with tradition, this news is kept from the matriarch herself. Keeping up the pretence of a family wedding while reconnecting and grieving, we follow Billi on a funny, deeply moving exploration of the meaning of home and family.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Steven Ryder and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@ks_powell - Kelly@irma_pep - Steven@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE FAREWELL + FOR SAMA | feat. Lulu Wang

In this episode we get in to the Gray matters of space travel with James Gray, director of galactic sized interstellar therapy session Ad Astra. Plus, we roll out for a royal visit to Downton Abbey.In Ad Astra, astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.It's 1927, the jazz age is in full swing, and Downton Abbey is anticipating a visit from none other than the King and Queen. Inhabitants, relatives and servants swing into action but can the silver be polished in time? This is a lavish and cinematic version of Julian Fellowes’s country house drama but can it bring a satisfying conclusion to the much loved saga?Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and Steph WattsFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - Steph@samhowlett_1 - Sam@MarkDTowers - MarkProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AD ASTRA + DOWNTON ABBEY | feat. James Gray

This week we go from small-town Cornwall to small-town Maine, looking at the highly acclaimed British film Bait and the sequel to the biggest horror film of all time It Chapter Two, as well as speaking to the films' director Andy Muschietti.Bait looks at the effects of gentrification in a small fishing town in Cornwall. Shot in dramatic black-and-white on a 16mm camera, this is an impressive debut from director Mark Jenkin. It Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the events of the first film. The Losers Club are now all grown up, but the resurgence of Pennywise AKA It brings them back to Derry to face the monster from their childhood.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IT CHAPTER TWO + BAIT | feat. Andy Muschietti

In this episode we snag a couple of souvenir guests in the form of director Joanna Hogg and music supervisor Ilona Cheshire, who give us their unique insights in to one of the most acclaimed films of 2019The Souvenir is about Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne), a young film student struggling to find a firm direction in life when she meets the unwavering and decisive Tom Burke’s Anthony. The two take to one another and an intense romance blossoms, however, as the relationship develops it becomes clear that Anthony is not being honest about all aspects of himself...Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett and Caitlin Quinlan.Follow the team on Twitter:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@csaquinlan - CaitlinProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE SOUVENIR | feat. Joanna Hogg and Ilona Cheshire

In this episode we discuss the devilish double bill that is Penny Lane's satanic temple documentary Hail Satan? and Pedro Almodóvar's sumptuous, melancholic reverie Pain and Glory Penny Lane’s film Hail Satan? May not be as demonic as the title suggests. It’s a documentary about the satanists steadfastly working to preserve the separation of church and state. In three years their members rose from just three, to over 100,000, including by the end, the film’s director.Director Salvador Mallo (played by Antonio Banderas) is called to revisit one of his early career triumphs. But the new restoration of his film also restores his connection with estranged friends, and shakes loose old memories. The film moves back and forth between recollections of his mother (played by Penélope Cruz), his early sexual awakening and his current, heroin lined state of listlessnessDiscussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and Steph WattsFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - Steph@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PAIN AND GLORY + HAIL SATAN?

Quentin Tarantino’s joins us on the podcast this week, day tripping back to 1969 with his new film Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood. Plus, we review Christian Petzold's new film Transit.Quentin Tarantino's ninth feature is a kaleidoscopic tale of Hollywood backlots, rising starlets and fading stars, hippies and squares, the great and good of tinsel town, the most definitely bad of the golden state, and the ugliness of them rubbing against one another. Our guides through this culture clash are Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his affable stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), who stumble upon something far more sinister than a new kind of Hollywood star.When fleeing Paris after the German invasion, Georg (Franz Rogowski) escapes to Marseille, assuming the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. With nowhere to turn, he is confined to the corridors of a small hotel, the consulates, cafés and bars that line the harbour. Everything changes when Georg falls in love with the mysterious Marie (Paula Beer) who is desperate to find her missing husband.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Hannah Woodhead and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@ks_powell - Kelly@goodjobliz - Hannah@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN... HOLLYWOOD + TRANSIT | feat. Quentin Tarantino

This week the cinema is jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. We're talking to Gurinder Chadha (director of Bend it Like Beckham) about her Springsteen infused brit-musical Blinded By The Light, plus we ask whether new Willem Dafoe film Opus Zero is an Opus Hero, or whether it lives up to its name...It's 1987, and it's not easy being British Pakistani in a commuter town living through the tatters of Thatcher's Britain. But salvation arrives in the unlikely shape of Bruce Springsteen, whose tales of ragged working class glory ignite a new confidence in Javed. Taking Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir and digging deep into the cross-cultural connections between Bury Park, Luton and Asbury Park, New Jersey, Blinded By The Light is a feel good British story powered by the bulletproof music of The Boss.Paul, a composer, arrives in a remote Mexican village where his father has passed away. As his attention shifts to the fate of a missing woman, Paul must come to terms with the memory of his father and the uncertainty of his future.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Ella Kemp and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@ks_powell - Kelly@efe_kemp - Ella@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT + OPUS ZERO | feat. Gurinder Chadha

In this episode we delve in to the intimate pairing setting hearts racing across the globe: Hobbs and Shaw, plus we talk to Ritesh Batra - director of The Lunchbox - about his new film Photograph.The latest from writer-director Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox), Photograph is a charming tale of unlikely romance set against the vibrant backdrop of contemporary Mumbai. Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is a struggling street photographer who takes tourist portraits at the Gateway of India. When he meets Miloni (Sanya Malhotra), a shy stranger from an affluent family, he convinces her to pose as his fiancée after his overbearing grandmother decides to pay him a visit.Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham take an offramp from the juggernaut Fast & Furious convoy for this stand alone tale featuring two of the series favourite characters. Rogue outsider Shaw (Statham) and US agent Hobbs (Johnson) are forced put their deep loathing for each other aside to fight back against Idris Elba’s Brixton, a genetically enhanced super villain.Discussing the films this week are podcast regulars Sam Howlett, Ed Frost, Kelly Powell and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett@jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham@ks_powell - Kelly PowellProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HOBBS AND SHAW + PHOTOGRAPH | feat. Ritesh Batra

In the middle of the biggest heat wave the UK has seen in a long time, we discuss what we think are the hottest films of 2019. From the roundly praised Burning to the love it or hate it Under the Silver Lake, via a hulk-smashing superhero team-up and the mystical birds of Colombia, here are the best films of 2019 so far...Discussing the films this week are podcast regulars Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Jake Cunningham, with special guest appearances from Curzon staff members Ed Frost, Fern Beattie, Caitlin Smith and Ulysse Kelbert.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett@jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham@ks_powell - Kelly PowellProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR | So Far...

In this episode we tackle the king of the jungle and the queen of the cinema, as Agnès Varda circles her life with Varda by Agnès and Jon Favreau brings a new pride to Disney.Assembling a brilliant voice cast – featuring Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, John Oliver, Chiwetel Ejiofor and James Earl Jones – expect to see the brilliant songs, winning humour and heart-breaking tragedy anew. Following The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau once again shows he can marshal an incredible digital spectacle, while also deftly honouring a beloved childhood favourite. With visuals that rival ‘Planet Earth’, this is a superb reimagining of an African legend.Agnès Varda takes a seat on a theatre stage. This professional photographer, installation artist and pioneer of the Nouvelle Vague is an institution of French cinema but a fierce opponent of any kind of institutional thinking. Varda By Agnès follows the filmmaker and artist as she uses excerpts from her work to illustrate – more associatively than chronologically – her artistic vision and ideas. Her lively, anecdote-rich and clever talk charts her shift from analogue to digital.Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell, Beth Webb and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett@jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham@ks_powell - Kelly Powell@BethKWebb - Beth WebbProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE LION KING + VARDA BY AGNÈS

Prince Charles himself, Josh O'Connor (God's Own Country) joins us on the show this week, as well as Victoria's Laia Costa and the director of their new film Only You, Harry Wootliff. Plus, we disassemble Jim Jarmusch's latest, zom-com The Dead Don’t Die.Elena (Laia Costa) and Jake (Josh O'Connor) meet by chance one New Years Eve, arguing over the same taxi. Instead of going their separate ways after a shared ride, they begin a passionate relationship. Within weeks they are living together, and not long after they talk about starting a family. As the seasons pass, reality catches up with them. Falling in love was the easy part, but can they remain in love when life doesn’t give them everything they hoped for?Jim Jarmusch resurrects the gang for his fresh take on the zombie comedy, The Dead Don’t Die. Bill Murray, Chloë Sevigny and Adam Driver are small town cops working their beat when nature turns on itself, the sun refuses to set and the dead rise from the grave. Putting aside chicken theft, they set out to get to the bottom of these strange ghouls, with the help of Tilda Swinton’s mortician (who’s handy with a samurai sword if needs be).Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell & Jake CunninghamFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett@jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham@ks_powell - Kelly PowellProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ONLY YOU + THE DEAD DON'T DIE | feat. Josh O'Connor, Laia Costa & Harry Wootliff

Writer of Love, Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Notting Hill, Richard Curtis joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his fabulous new rom-com fantasy, Yesterday.But first, we blast off with our review of one of the year's best documentaries (and arguably one of the year's best films) Apollo 11. On the fiftieth anniversary of one of twentieth century's defining moment – the Apollo moon landing – comes this remarkable archive documentary that conjures the shear magnitude of the achievement. Brought to life with intimate detail, this elegantly edited doc gives an unrivalled, fresh view of science and spectacle involved in the team's feat.Next we hear from the writer behind some of the Britain's best loved rom-coms, Richard Curtis, and we give our verdict on Yesterday, the new film from Curtis and director Danny Boyle, which asks the question on everyone's lips: What if you were the only man on Earth able to remember the iconic music of The Beatles? Jack's (Himesh Patel) career as a singer-songwriter is not going well. His friend Ellie (Lily James) thinks he’s got talent, but no one else agrees. But after a mysterious blackout, it turns out he’s the only one who can recall the Fab Four’s back catalogue. With the iconic songs in his arsenal, he becomes world famous, but at what cost?Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett and Caitlin Quinlan.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@jakehcunningham - Jake@csaquinlan - CaitlinProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

YESTERDAY + APOLLO 11 | feat. Richard Curtis

Welcome to Strickland on Strickland: A four-part podcast mini-series from Curzon, about the work of acclaimed British director Peter Strickland ('Katalin Varga', 'Berberian Sound Studio'), made ahead of the release of his new film 'In Fabric', and featuring conversations with the director himself.Discussing the film are Strickland superfans (Berberians?), Catherine Bray - Variety, Film4, 'Beyond Clueless' - and the podcast's very own Steven Ryder, as well as regular host Jake Cunningham.The latest from the unique imagination of Peter Strickland, 'In Fabric' is a typically distinctive and haunting tale that blends Giallo-infused horror with absurdist dark humour, to ghostly effect. Set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period at a mysterious Thames Valley department store, the film follows the journey of a cursed but strikingly beautiful blood-red dress as it passes from person to person, with devastating consequences. Follow the team on Twitter:@irma_pep - Steven@jakehcunningham - Jake@catherinebray - CatherineProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Strickland on Strickland | Episode 4: IN FABRIC

Welcome to Strickland on Strickland: A four-part podcast mini-series from Curzon, about the work of acclaimed British director Peter Strickland ('Katalin Varga', 'Berberian Sound Studio'), made ahead of the release of his new film 'In Fabric', and featuring conversations with the director himself.Discussing the film are Strickland superfans (Berberians?), Catherine Bray - Variety, Film4, 'Beyond Clueless' - and the podcast's very own Steven Ryder, as well as regular host Jake Cunningham.From the critically acclaimed writer-director of 'Berberian Sound Studio' comes a tale of passion and sadomasochism that penetrates the deepest depths of what it means to be human, in love and in control. Cynthia is an orthopterist who is seemingly firmly in control of her partner Evelyn through a strict, dictatorial fetish life behind closed doors. But as Evelyn's requests to be dominated become increasingly extreme, the true nature of their relationship begins to surface. 'The Duke of Burgundy' is a story about power and the exploration of discomfort that people will stretch to for the ones they love, told in mesmerisingly coruscating style by one of Britain's finest contemporary auteurs, Peter Strickland.Follow the team on Twitter:@irma_pep - Steven@jakehcunningham - Jake@catherinebray - CatherineProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Strickland on Strickland | Episode 3: THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY

Welcome to Strickland on Strickland: A four-part podcast mini-series from Curzon, about the work of acclaimed British director Peter Strickland ('Katalin Varga', 'The Duke of Burgundy'), made ahead of the release of his new film 'In Fabric', and featuring conversations with the director himself.Discussing the film are Strickland superfans (Berberians?) Catherine Bray - Variety, Film4, 'Beyond Clueless' - and the podcast's very own Steven Ryder, as well as regular host Jake Cunningham.In 1976, a timid sound engineer (Toby Jones) arrives in Italy to work on a mysterious horror film, mixing bloodcurdling screams with the grotesque sounds of hacked vegetables. But as the on-screen violence seeps into his consciousness, reality and fantasy become blurred in nightmarish ways. Daringly original and masterfully constructed, this inspired homage to 70s Giallo horror is a devastating assault on the eyes, ears and brain - drawing comparisons with the films of David Lynch and being hailed as a modern cult masterpiece from Peter Strickland, the hugely acclaimed director of 'Katalin Varga'Follow the team on Twitter:@irma_pep - Steven@jakehcunningham - Jake@catherinebray - CatherineProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Strickland on Strickland | Episode 2: BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO

Welcome to Strickland on Strickland: A four-part podcast mini-series from Curzon, about the work of acclaimed British director Peter Strickland ('Berberian Sound Studio', 'The Duke of Burgundy'), made ahead of the release of his new film 'In Fabric', and featuring conversations with the director himself.Discussing the film are Strickland superfans (Berberians?) Catherine Bray - Variety, Film4, 'Beyond Clueless' - and the podcast's very own Steven Ryder, as well as regular host Jake Cunningham.Banished by her husband and her village, Katalin Varga is left with no other choice than to set out on a quest to find the real father of her son, Orbán. Taking Orbán with her under another pretence, Katalin travels through the Carpathians where she decides to reopen a sinister chapter from her past and take revenge. The hunt leads her to a place, she prayed eleven years prior, she would never set foot in again. Praised for its sound design as well as its ominous atmosphere, the award-winning revenge fable marks British director Peter Strickland’s directorial debut.Follow the team on Twitter:@irma_pep - Steven@jakehcunningham - Jake@catherinebray - CatherineProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Strickland on Strickland | Episode 1: KATALIN VARGA

In this episode we ask whether Pixar's long awaited 'Toy Story' sequel is worth the buzz, plus, we ask all our podcast contributors to send in their Top 10 Pixar films to figure out the definitive list ('Cars' fans, look away here)In the latest instalment of Pixar's beloved series, Woody, Buzz and the rest of the playroom must contend with 'Forky', a plastic spork in denial about his status as a toy. Their new child Bonnie embarks on a road trip and when Forky heads out on his own, the other toys must track him down, discovering a whole new world in the process.One of animation's enduring favourites, this fourth entry retains the effortless charm of Tim Allen's Buzz Lightyear and Tom Hanks' Woody, but also adds the voice work of comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Ella Kemp and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@samhowlett_1 - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Jake Cunningham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TOY STORY 4 + PIXAR RANKED

Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director of Amy and Senna, joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his new film Diego Maradona, which arrives in cinemas this week.In this inspired documentary portrait from Kapadia, we follow Maradona as he arrives at Naples in 1984, leading the club to their first ever title. But this success was the eye of the storm: Maradona's time in Naples was seven years of tumultuous chaos and jagged alliances. Using more than 500 hours of unseen footage from Maradona’s archive, this is another gripping story of an exceptional and complex person from the Oscar and BAFTA winning documentary team.Discussing the film are Jake Cunningham, Caitlin Quinlan, Steven Ryder and Bertha DocHouse's own Tilly Hudson.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - Steven@csquinlan - Caitlin@BerthaDocHouse - Bertha DocHouseProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DIEGO MARADONA | feat. Asif Kapadia

In addition to our episode featuring Julianne Moore all about her new film Gloria Bell, we've got a bonus episode for you! We speak to Mindy Kaling, the creator of 'The Mindy Project' and now writer and co-star of 'Late Night' - the story of a late night comedy TV host and her revamped writers room.Late Night is the story of Katherine (Emma Thompson on acidly winning form), a TV host in desperate need to stay relevant. Cynically hiring Molly (Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project, Ocean's 8), she thrusts her into the all-male writers' room. But Molly is looking to make more than surface changes. Along with laughs come deeper questions about sexism and diversity in the entertainment industry. Kaling's script has the sharpness of lived experience, as well as the comic chops to make the stand up segments sing. With a sprinkling of The Devil Wears Prada, Late Night mixes great chemistry with a forward-looking take on complex issues.Discussing the film with Mindy is Steven RyderFollow Steven at @irma_pepProduced and edited by Jake Cunningham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LATE NIGHT | feat. Mindy Kaling

Julianne Moore joins us on to the Curzon Film Podcast this week to talk about her latest film 'Gloria Bell', directed by Sebastián Lelio ('Disobedience', 'A Fantastic Woman'), and what an absolute pleasure it is to have one of contemporary cinema's true greats on our show.Gloria (Julianne Moore) is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a strait-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. After meeting Arnold (John Turturro) on a night out, she finds herself thrust into an unexpected new romance, filled with both the joys of budding love and the complications of dating, identity and family.Lelio creates a feel-good tale of later love which shows love can strike at any time, relationships are never simple, and nothing can get you down as long as you keep dancing.Discussing the film are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Susie Bould@SamHowlett_1  Sam Howlett@susieblues - Susie@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GLORIA BELL | feat. Julianne Moore

In this episode we talk to Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein about their instant classic new teen comedy 'Booksmart', plus we travel to Budapest for 'Sunset', the new film from the director of 'Son of Saul'Study hard, don’t slack off, get into a good college: that’s the formula for high school success, or so think best friends Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever). That’s until they discover that their hard-partying classmates are also bound for the Ivy League. So begins the party odyssey that is 'Booksmart'From László Nemes, the Oscar-winning director of 'Son of Saul', comes 'Sunset', a sublimely evocative recreation of 1913 Budapest, a city at the crux of world history. Irisz Leiter (Juli Jakab) arrives in the capital eager to become a milliner at her late parents’ legendary hat shop. But she is drawn into the mystery of what happened to her long-missing brother. Her search will lead her into a dazzling panorama of the dying gasps of the Austro-Hungarian empire.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Iana Murray and Sam HowlettFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@ianamurray - Iana - Iana@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BOOKSMART + SUNSET | feat. Beanie Feldstein & Kaitlyn Dever

In our second report from Cannes 2019, we get in to some more highlights form the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. Curzon’s own Director of Programme Damian Spandley discusses Bong Joon-Ho’s ‘Parasite’ along with more festival favourites.Plus past and future guests Iana Murray (The Skinny, Little White Lies) and Hannah Woodhead (Associate Editor - Little White Lies) share some of their highlights.To hear more from Iana, look out for our episode on 'Booksmart', which you’ll be able to find in our feed: http://hyperurl.co/vr732oHannah Woodhead can be heard discussing Lucrecia Martel’s masterwork 'Zama' on the Curzon Podcast last year: http://www.curzonblog.com/all-posts/2018/5/25/zama-podcastProduced and edited by Jake Cunningham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE CANNES REPORT 2019 | Part Two

It's a musical double bill on this episode as we touchdown with the Elton John biopic Rocketman, and speak to two of the film's stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Jamie Bell. Plus, we explore a whole new world with Guy Ritchie's take on Disney's Aladdin.Speaking on this episode are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Steven Ryder, with interviews from Ryan Hewitt and Ella Kemp. Follow the team on Social Media:@SamHowlett_1  Sam Howlett@irma_pep - Steven@ks_powell - Kelly@efekemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ROCKETMAN + ALADDIN | feat. Bryce Dallas Howard + Jamie Bell

In this first micro-dispatch from Cannes 2019, our intrepid host meets with Curzon's man on the ground for programming Ben Lyndon about a select few highlights from the first week of the festival.Plus, Catherine Bray (Film 4, The I, 'Beyond Clueless') Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 Short Film strand Random Acts highlights which short films have caught her eye.To hear more from Catherine, listen to our episode on Halloween from 2018: https://play.acast.com/s/thecurzonfilmpodcast/halloweenProduced and edited by Jake Cunningham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE CANNES REPORT 2019 | Part One

In this episode we talk about everyone's favourite super assassin who's checking in to cinemas this week, John Wick. Plus, we speak to Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego, the directors of crime epic Birds of Passage.Superassassin John Wick returns, played by Keanu Reeves with his trademark commitment to physical performance. Now with a $14 million price on his head, he is the target of an army of murderous bounty hunters. The third instalment of the story continues the emphasis on unreconstituted action, while also adding turns from the likes of Anjelica Huston, Halle Berry and Laurence Fishburne.From the filmmakers behind the Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent comes their latest epic, Birds of Passage, a tale about indigenous traditions and the corrupting forces of wealth and power, set against the backdrop of the Colombian marijuana boom of the 1970s. A film of both gangsters and spirits, corruption and fratricidal war, this is a thrilling depiction of the origins of the drug trade told through the story of an indigenous Wayuu family’s downfall when greed, passion and honour collide, putting their lives, culture and ancestral traditions at stake.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Caitlin Quinlan, Alasdair Bayman and Mark TowersFollow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@csquinlan - Caitlin@alasdairbayman - Alasdair@MarkDTowers - MarkProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BIRDS OF PASSAGE + JOHN WICK 3 | feat. Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego

In this episode we go deep with Claire Denis' interstellar introspective inter-everything sci-fi High Life, as well as speaking to the great director of Chocolat, Trouble Every Day and Let The Sunshine In herself. Plus, we get a front seat for one of Aretha Franklin's finest performances in Amazing Grace.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts, Ella Kemp and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@samhowlett_1 - Sam@_Stephwatts - StephProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HIGH LIFE + AMAZING GRACE | feat. Claire Denis

In this episode we discuss Brady Corbet’s unique pop star biopic Vox Lux. Plus we’ve managed to swing some time in the VIP section and talk to two of it stars, Stacy Martin and Raffey Cassidy. The second feature from writer-director Brady Corbet, Vox Lux is a stylish and absorbing modern portrait of a troubled pop star’s rise from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop superstardom, featuring a remarkable performance from Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@samhowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VOX LUX | feat. Raffey Cassidy & Stacy Martin

We’re going from online to on-crime this week as we take a look at acclaimed coming-of-age drama Eighth Grade and Jia Zhang-ke’s epic Ash Is Purest White. Plus we welcome Bertie Gilbert who brings some insight into the world of YouTubers and filmmaking. Bo Burnham, a former YouTuber himself, has made an incredibly impressive directorial debut with Eighth Grade, a refreshingly sincere look at a teenage girl growing up in the digital age. Ash is Purest White is an epic, decades-spanning crime drama about a woman who, after being released from prison, goes in search of her gangster boyfriend who left her there years ago. Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Ella Kemp, Caitlin Quinlan and Bertie Gilbert.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@csquinlan - Caitlin@bertieglbrt - BertieProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EIGHTH GRADE + ASH IS PUREST WHITE feat. Bertie Gilbert

We're talking satire and scandal as we take a look at the Silvio Berlusconi biopic Loro and the Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn starring thriller Dragged Across Concrete. Plus we welcome Professor of Modern Italian Politics and writer John Foot on to the show to talk about the rise of Berlusconi, comparisons to Trump and how Berlusconi's life and career are portrayed in Loro.Loro is Paolo Sorrentino's (The Great Beauty) latest film, exploring the unseen private life of one of modern Italy's most controversial figures with longtime collaborator Tony Servillo as Berlusconi. While Loro takes us through the extravagant parties of high society Italy, S. Craig Zahler drags us to the murky criminal underworld in Dragged Across Concrete, starring Gibson and Vaughn as two cops suspended after brutalising a suspect, whose plan to rob a criminal goes violently awry.Discussing the films this week are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell, Steven Ryder and Lou ThomasFollow the team on Social Media:@SamHowlett_1  Sam Howlett@London_lou - Lou Thomas@irma_pep - Steven@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LORO + DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE feat. John Foot

Put on your white cowboy boots and sequin jacket as we shine a spotlight on country musical Wild Rose and Jonah Hill's directorial debut Mid90s. Plus we welcome WILD ROSE's star and BAFTA Rising Star nominee Jessie Buckley on to the show to talk about her latest in a string of acclaimed performances.Wild Rose is directed by Tom Harper and is a passion project for writer Nicole Taylor, it's the story of a young Glaswegian mother who dreams of lighting up the country music bars of Nashville. Compared to the bright lights and shiny slide guitars of Wild Rose, Mid90s is a street level, free-rolling insight into the routines and relationships of a skate gang in, you guessed it, the mid-90s.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp and Caitlin Quinlan.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@csquinlan - Caitlin@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WILD ROSE + MID90S | feat. Jessie Buckley

Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed… well yee haw! On this week’s episode of the Curzon podcast we go West to the dusty plains of the USA and Jacques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers, but not before paying a visit to the tobacco fields of Italy in Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro.First up, we visit the perennially happy Lazzaro, a kind soul who would help anyone in his remote Italian village. Cut off from the outside world by a bridge that no one has the energy to fix, the inhabitants of the village are serfs to the Marchesa, whose son drafts Lazzaro into a kidnapping plot that quickly go awry.Next we move with Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Dheepan) to the USA where he makes his English-language debut with Western, The Sisters Brothers. Eli (John C. Reilly) and Charlie Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix) are brothers and assassins, on the trail of a chemist (Riz Ahmed) who has a formula that can highlight gold in rivers.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp and Sam Howlett.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@SamHowlett_1  - Sam@ks_powell - KellyProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE SISTERS BROTHERS + HAPPY AS LAZZARO

Van Gogh expert, Martin Bailey, joins us on the show this week to enlighten us on all things Vincent as we review the Willem Dafoe starring biopic, At Eternity's Gate, and we revisit to a childhood favourite with Tim Burton's Dumbo.First up we discuss Julian Schnabel’s Vincent van Gogh biopic, At Eternity’s Gate. Shot with a painter’s eye, Schnabel once again shows his talent for working with complex biography and the lives of artists as in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Basquiat. And, earning him an Oscar nomination, Willem Dafoe is mesmerising as Vincent van Gogh.We talk to journalist and van Gogh expert, Martin Bailey, who teaches us the correct pronunciation of “Gogh”, debunks some van Gogh conspiracy theories, and reminds us just how significant and relevance Vincent’s work was and remains today.Next we discuss the nostalgic delights of Tim Burton’s reimagined Disney classic, Dumbo. You may think you already know all there is to know about that flying elephant, but Burton's film is an altogether different adventure. Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) is hired by Max Medici (Danny DeVito) to work in his circus, charged with tending to the newborn elephant with outsize ears. Holt’s children are the first to discover that Dumbo can take to the air, but will he be able to escape the cynical clutches of V.A. Vandemere (Michael Keaton)?Discussing the films are podcast regulars Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Ella Kemp and Steven Ryder.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@SamHowlett_1  - Sam@irma_pep - StevenProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AT ETERNITY'S GATE + DUMBO | feat. Martin Bailey

Ralph Fiennes joins us on the Curzon Film Podcast this week to tell us all about his third directorial effort, the Rudolf Nureyev biopic The White Crow, and we tumble down the creepy rabbit hole that is Jordan Peele’s doppelgänger horror, Us.We begin with the most nervously anticipated horror of the year, Jordan Peele’s follow up to the surprise hit Get Out, it’s the terrifying Us. While on holiday, an African American family come face-to-face with demonic doppelgängers hell-bent on killing them.Next up, Kaleem sits down with Ralph Fiennes to discuss his new film, The White Crow. This biopic of Rudolf Nureyev, possibly the greatest ballet dancer of the twentieth century, hinges on a climatic moment in the young dancer’s life.Discussing the films are podcast regulars Sam Howlett, Ella Kemp and Steven Ryder, who are this week joined by a special guest reviewer, Kaleem Aftab.Follow the team on Social Media:@SamHowlett_1  - Sam@efe_kemp - Ella@irma_pep - Steven@aftabamon - KaleemProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US + THE WHITE CROW | feat. Ralph Fiennes

Popworld provocateur-turned-filmmaker, Simon Amstell, joins us on the Curzon Film Podcast this week, to talk about his romantic comedy, Benjamin, but first we get right to the pointe of Lukas Dhont’s ballet drama, Girl.Still only in his twenties, Belgian writer-director Lukas Dhont has already made a name for himself with his impressive, tender and controversial debut film. Girl tells the story of Lara (Victor Polster), a determined 15-year-old, committed to becoming a professional ballerina after starting at a new school. Having been born a boy, she faces a world that questions her gender and selfhood, while also also taking on the intense physical demands of a dancer's life.The film has been landed and criticised in near equal measure, the winner of multiple awards, challenged for its treatment of the transgender experience. After Girl, we then sit down with Simon Amstell, once a highly skilled troublemaker, now a talented filmmaker.Amstell’s Benjamin is a bittersweet comedy about a rising star filmmaker (that’s Benjamin, played by (Colin Morgan) who is thrown into emotional turmoil on the brink of premiering his second film, when Billie, his hard partying publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah. Set among the back streets of East and North London - and partly filmed in our very own Curzon Soho - the film boasts original music from James Righton of the Klaxons and great performances from its young cast including Colin Morgan, Phénix Brossard, Joel Fry, Jack Rowan and Jessica Raine.Discussing the films this week are Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham, Ella Kemp and Caitlin Quinlan.Follow the team on Social Media:@jakehcunningham - Jake@efe_kemp - Ella@SamHowlett_1  - Sam@csaquinlan - CaitlinProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Girl + Benjamin | feat. Simon Amstell

Wowzers, what a week for new films! On this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast, we speak to Maggie Gyllenhaal about her role in The Kindergarten Teacher and we review Asghar Farhadi’s new film Everybody Knows. First off, cinema’s most attractive real-life couple, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz (swoon) team up with the Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi for psychological thriller, Everybody Knows. To complement the film's release, Curzon Home Cinema has created a collection of Farhadi's previous films so that you can catch up on the work of this modern master.We then sit down with the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal to talk about The Deuce, working with female filmmakers, and her new film, The Kindergarten Teacher.Also in cinemas this weekend are Captain Marvel, Border and Ray & Liz.Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Steven Ryder and Ella Kemp.Follow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@irma_pep - Steven@efekemp - Ella@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Kindergarten Teacher + Everybody Knows | feat. Maggie Gyllenhaal

This week on the Curzon Film Podcast, we take a close look at war on film, in all its confusing, chaotic and complicated ways. We start with Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot, which stations much of its narrative at a desolate military checkpoint manned by four young soldiers who all try to burn away the hours of boredom that occur between cars arriving for inspection and, every now and then, a lone camel walking by. Meanwhile at home, the parents of one of the boys are devastated by the news of his supposed sudden death, though the circumstances surrounding this take several unexpected twists. We then take turns to pitch the very best war films, not in the English language. War films, particularly those from the US and the UK, tend to be quite similar in their heroics and bombast. So we've compiled a list of the best war films from elsewhere in the world, which each show the different sides of conflict. Thank you to all the listeners who helped us put together this list.This leads us onto the end of war and its lasting impact, as we discuss The Aftermath. Starring Keira Knightley in one of her finest performances yet, the film tells a story of tangled love in post-WWII Berlin.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@irma_pep - Steven@efekemp - Ella@SamHowlett_1  - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Foxtrot + The Best Foreign Language War Films + The Aftermath

On this week’s episode of the Curzon Film Podcast we're joined by Hollywood A-lister Armie Hammer, who talks to us about his new film On the Basis of Sex. Plus we discuss the BAFTA and Oscar-nominated Capernaum.We begin with Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum, a Lebanese film set on the streets of Beirut where a world-weary 12 year old, Zain, decides to sue his negligent parents for bringing him into his poverty stricken existence. A gritty and authentic film, it's being touted as a modern day Bicycle Thieves, telling a harrowing story of endurance that still manages to find hope in the darkest of situations. Head over to the Curzon blog to read our interview with the director, Labaki.We then hear from the ever-charming Armie Hammer, star of one of Curzon’s favourite films of recent years, Call Me By Your Name. He joins us to talk about the impact of the MeToo and TimesUp movements, good husband goals, and his new film On the Basis of Sex, a biopic of Ruth Bader Ginsberg that charts the formative years of her ongoing battle for gender equality in the United States. Felicity Jones plays the Supreme Court Justice known to many as RBG, and Hammer plays Martin Ginsberg, supportive husband to Ruth and an all round stand up guy. Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and Ella KempFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@efekemp - Ella@SamHowlett_1  - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ON THE BASIS OF SEX + CAPERNAUM | feat. Armie Hammer

This week on the Curzon Film Podcast, we're joined by The Sunday Times' Chief Foreign Correspondent to talk about A Private War, and Joe Cornish drops by to tell us about his new children's fantasy epic, The Kid Who Would Be King. We start with A Private War, a biopic following the life and work of Marie Colvin, an iconic foreign correspondent who reported from some of the most dangerous conflict zones in the world – from Sri Lanka to Syria and Iraq – risking her life to reveal the truth about unjust regimes and humanitarian crimes. A Private War avoids biopic cliches and instead asks troubling questions about the sacrifices made by Colvin and war reporters alike.Christina Lamb is Chief Foreign Correspondent at The Sunday Times, where Marie Colvin spent much of her career. Lamb and Colvin were colleagues and friends, and so we visited Lamb at her London office to discuss the film, the reality of life as a foreign correspondent, and her memories of Colvin.Later in the episode we discuss Joe Cornish’s The Kid Who Would Be King, a modern day re-imagining of the Sword in the Stone legend. Alex is just like any other twelve year old, until he retrieves the legendary Excalibur. Paired with the wizard Merlin (inexpertly hiding himself as a 16 year old boy), he must face his destiny, marshal his friends and defeat the enchantress Morgana, all before tea time.Director Joe Cornish joins us to talk about all things fantastical, and his hopes for this highly original take on a well known classic tale.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and Steven RyderFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - Steven@SamHowlett_1  - SamProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A PRIVATE WAR + THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING | feat. Christina Lamb & Joe Cornish

On this week's episode of the Curzon Film Podcast we speak to Moonlight director, Barry Jenkins, about his new film, If Beale Street Could Talk, and we discuss All Is True with none other than Sir Kenneth Branagh.We start with If Beale Street Could Talk. Adapted from the novel by celebrated author, James Baldwin, it follows the romance between Fonny and Tish, two young lovers living in 1970s Harlem, New York. Their love is tested to its limits when Fonny is wrongly imprisoned, and the fight for justice takes a heavy toll on the young couple's lives. Once again taking social realist material and blending it with a poetic eye, Jenkins’ film simply glows off the screen.Later in the episode we look at Sir Kenneth Branagh’s All Is True, which tells the little known story of Sir William Shakespeare’s humble retirement. Written by Ben Elton and directed by Sir Kenneth, this is a new take on Shakespeare that collects together the cream of British acting talent (including Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench) and is shot with an elegance and beauty, as well as a pitched honesty, that is a tribute to the Bard.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp, Jake Cunningham and Steven RyderFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - Steven@efekemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK + ALL IS TRUE | feat. Barry Jenkins & Sir Kenneth Branagh

We're lucky enough to welcome the now Oscar nominated Richard E. Grant on to the podcast to talk about his new film 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'. As well as that, we delve in to the burning questions and rare answers found in Lee Chang Dong's new filmIn 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Melissa McCarthy is brilliantly unsympathetic as literary fraud Lee Israel. With her writing career permanently stalled, inability to get over her ex-girlfriend and no job prospects, she turns her craft to penning elaborate fake letters from the likes of Noël Coward and Dorothy Parker, with the help of her drinking buddy Jack Hock.Adapted from Haruki Murakmi’s short story ‘Barn Burning’, Lee Chang Dong’s ‘Burning’ was the toast of Cannes, turning the heat on the Croisette even higher. It’s about Jong-soo, who dreams of becoming a writer, who bumps into Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), a forgotten childhood friend. They begin a relationship, but she vanishes, only to return with the mysterious Ben in tow (The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun), who starts to reveal some fascinating hobbies.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp, Jake Cunningham and Sam HowlettFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@efekemp - EllaProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark Towers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? + BURNING | feat. Richard E. Grant

In this episode we speak to director Adam McKay, whose latest film 'Vice' has just received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.Christian Bale is Vice-president Dick Cheney in this brilliant reconstruction of the madness of the George W. Bush presidency. An arch-manipulator, Cheney plays business, politics and warfare as mere tools for his personal gain, with his wife Lynne (Amy Adams) as his confidante. Sam Rockwell plays willing dupe Bush alongside Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, offering us a panoramic portrait of the craven misuse of political power.In 'Destroyer', Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, The Invitation) directs an unrecognisable Nicole Kidman as an embittered and cynical LA cop Erin Bell on the hunt for an old foe. Tracking back many years to an undercover case gone wrong, we slowly discover what has brought Erin to her current battle-scarred state.Discussing the films this week are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - SamProduced and Edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from Incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VICE + DESTROYER | feat. Adam McKay

In this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast we talk to Curzon’s Head of Programme about the best upcoming films, as well as dissecting this week’s new releases: M Night Shymalan’s ‘Glass’ and ‘Beautiful Boy’ starring Timothee Chalamet Based on bestselling memoirs, Steve Carrell and Timothée Chalamet star in ‘Beautiful Boy’ a raw look at a father-son relationship pushed to the edge by addiction. Felix van Groeningen (The Broken Circle Breakdown) directs this emotionally powerful story of a child living a secret life with candour and empathy for both parent and child.A collision between M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable and his recent smash Split, Glass finds Bruce Willis’s David Dunn entering an asylum, in pursuit not only of James McAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb but also Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr Glass.Discussing the films this week are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp and Louisa MaycockFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@louisamaycock - Louisa@efekemp - EllaProduced and Edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from Incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BEAUTIFUL BOY + GLASS | feat. Spring Programme Preview

In this episode, the team are joined by Curzon's very own programmer Lydia Penke, as well as director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air, Tully) to talk about two of the week's biggest releases: Colette and The Front Runner.Colette is a truly modern, complex woman: a libertine and bisexual, she also made her fortune from her wits and pushed back against the patriarchy. Wash Westmoreland presents an elegant but not sanitised view of turn of the century Paris, where we watch as Colette (Keira Knightley) is seduced and married by notorious rake Willy (Dominic West). Pushed into ghostwriting novels for this charismatic cad, she uses her exuberance to push back against all constrictions placed on her in this rich portrait of a dazzling talent.In The Front Runner, it's 1988 and Gary Hart, played Hugh Jackman, is the likeable and inspirational Democratic nominee, winning hearts and minds on the campaign trail. But he’s unwilling to open up about his family life, and the press unearth explosive details that begin to derail his marriage and his political aspirations. the personal fall out from this tabloid story changed the course of American politics.Discussing the films this week are Steven Ryder, Lydia Penke, Kelly Powell and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@hydra815 - StevenProduced and Edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from Incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COLETTE + THE FRONT RUNNER | feat. Jason Reitman

In this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast, we’re lucky enough to be joined by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who, The League of Gentleman) to talk about The Favourite, the new film from the director of The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.A triple threat of acting talent drives this acid period drama of courtly scheming. Olivia Colman is Queen Anne, a capricious and sickly ruler led by the nose by Rachel Weisz's courtier Lady Sarah. Abigail (Emma Stone) is a disenfranchised noblewoman who quickly sets about regaining her position by wheedling her way into the Queen's favours.Cue an equal parts hilarious and horrific love triangle-cum-battle royale, played out against the backdrop of the English Restoration. The fullest realisation of Yorgos Lanthimos's (The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster) talents to date, The Favourite has the beauty of Barry Lyndon and the avant garde edge of Peter Greenaway. A fantastic start to the year of film.Discussing the film are Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder and Kelly PowellFollow the team on Social Media:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@hydra815 - StevenProduced and Edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from Incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE FAVOURITE + AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE | feat. Mark Gatiss

In this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast, we discuss what the entire Curzon staff have decided are the top 10 films of 2018 - as well as some honourable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut.From early 2018 releases like Phantom Thread and A Fantastic Woman to recent award favourites like Roma, the pod team delve in to what have been some of the highlights of the year. Stick around as well for a festive quiz at the end of the podcast - and play along at home!Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on Twitter:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@hydra815 - StevenProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE BEST FILMS OF 2018

The 31s European Film Awards took place on 15th December in Seville and we were lucky enough to be invited along too.Podcast hosts Jake Cunningham and Sam Howlett attended the ceremony on behalf of Curzon, hosting the exclusive UK live stream of the event, reporting on the prestigious Awards and in general just celebrating another fantastic year of achievements in European cinema.In this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast, you'll head a round up of the nominees and winners from this star-studded ceremony. Make sure you visit the Curzon Blog to read an interview with Armando Iannucci ('The Thick of It', 'The Deat of Stalin') as well as a full breakdown of the categories and winners in Seville. Follow the team on Twitter:@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - SamProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2018

In this episode we tackle one of the year's most controversial films, from one of cinemas most controversial directors, Lars Von Trier.In a mesmerising career best, Matt Dillon plays failed architect turned serial killer Jack who leads us through his thought processes behind his increasingly more depraved acts of murder which he names “incidents”. As he retells his crimes to Verge (Bruno Ganz) as if they were all individual works of art in themselves, the audience is invited to question the nature of artistry, where its limits lie and when is far too far? And with pitch black humour and undeniable cinematic vision, von Trier delights in taking us there.Hosted by Jake Cunningham, Little White Lies' Hannah Woodhead guests on the show to defend Lars' latest, whilst The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey has had enough of this provocateur.Follow the team on Twitter:@clarisselou - Clarisse@goodjobliz - Hannah@jakehcunningham - Jake Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT | feat. Clarisse Loughrey & Hannah Woodhead

In this episode, we welcome David Lowey - director of Pete's Dragon and A Ghost Story - on to the podcast to talk about his latest film The Old Man and the Gun. We also chat about Boots Riley's startling debut Sorry to Bother YouDavid Lowery (A Ghost Story, Ain't Them Bodies Saints) brings the heist genre to a human level, with this tale of a senior citizen bank robber, played by Hollywood royalty Robert Redford. Redford's bank robber has all the charm and warmth we've come to expect across his seven decades in film. Keeping pace with him we’ve also got Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck as the cop tasked with tracking the “Over the Hill Gang”In his anarchic debut feature, Boots Riley sets fire to the modern world and blasts off to brilliantly original territory. An absurdist film that savages capitalism, low-paid labour and racism in a cutting, surprising trip that’s left American audiences baffled, buoyed and bruised in equal partsDiscussing the film this week are Ella Kemp, Steven Ryder and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on twitter:@efekemp - Ella@CunninghamJH - Jake@irma_pep - StevenProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN + SORRY TO BOTHER YOU | feat. David Lowery

In this episode we're talking about Sebastian Lelio's follow up to 'A Fantastic Woman', the acclaimed drama 'Disobedience', and Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' which sees the director of 'Gravity' revisit monochromatic memories of his childhood.In the same year as winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with A Fantastic Woman, Sebastián Lelio delivers the English-language Disobedience, starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams. When her estranged rabbi father suddenly passes away, Ronit (played by Oscar-winner and co-producer Rachel Weisz) returns from New York to the north London Orthodox Jewish community that rejected her years previously after a scandalous transgression.The most personal project to date from Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Roma follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuarón draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett and Jake Cunningham.Follow the team on Twitter:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@SamHowlett_1 - SamProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DISOBEDIENCE + ROMA

In this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast we look at one of the most universally acclaimed films of the year, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters, and one of the most controversial, Sam Levinson's Assassination Nation.Twenty years in to a directing career focused on quietly devastating family dramas, Kore-eda hits a high water mark with the Palme d’Or winning Shoplifters - the story of a ramshackle, puzzle piece family surviving through petty crime, who take an abandoned young girl in to their home. What if everyone’s online life were exposed? As it turns out: sheer, bloody anarchy, all led by four teenage feminists. The Purge jumps into a blender with Mean Girls in Assassination Nation a this story of youth gone wild in Salem, USA.Discussing the films this week are Kelly Powell, Kambole Campbell, Steven Ryder and Jake CunninghamRead Kambole's interview with Hirokazu Kore-eda here: http://www.curzonblog.com/all-posts/hirokazu-koreeda-interview-shoplifters-palmedorFollow the team on Twitter:@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - Steven@kambolecampbell - Kambole Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SHOPLIFTERS + ASSASSINATION NATION

It's a quite bewitching week of cinema; in this episode we're discussing two of the year's most talked about releases, Luca Guadagnino's remake of horror classic 'Suspiria' and Potter spin-off sequel 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'Suspiria sees Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) reunite with serial collaborator Tilda Swinton, to play the artistic director of a world-renowned dance company to create a bold and memorable horror from one of the most reliable auteurs in cinema today. Expanding JK Rowling's Wizarding World even further, this second installment in the Fantastic Beasts series finds Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) battling notorious dark wizard Gellart Grindleward (Johnny Depp). Newt must team up with Albus Dumbledore (now played by Jude Law) to thwart Grindlewald's plans for his pure-blood wizards to conquer the world.Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Ella Kemp and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on twitter:@efekemp - Ella@CunninghamJH - JakeSam - KellyProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SUSPIRIA + FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

In a week of remarkable cinema releases, we discuss two of the year's most acclaimed films, Steve McQueen's 'Widows' and 'Wildlife', directed by Paul Dano, who we also spoke to for this episode.Paul Dano’s debut feature as director is set in 60s Montana, and follows the small town separation of Jeannete and Jerry, played by Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal, and their son Joe who gets caught in the firefight. With 'Widows' Steve McQueen, one of the most interesting voices in contemporary British cinema directs a vital reimagining of the 80s TV drama of the same name. McQueen's crime-thriller transplants the story to modern-day Chicago and ups the ante, with Viola Davis shining through in an ensemble cast of widows who follow their husband's footsteps into crime after a botched job.Discussing the film this week are Kelli Weston, Kelly Powell, Ella Kemp and Jake CunninghamFollow the team on twitter:@efekemp - Ella@CunninghamJH - Jake@KS_Powell - KellyProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WILDLIFE + WIDOWS | feat. Paul Dano

In this condensed episode, we sit down with Mike Leigh, to discuss his lauded historical epic ‘Peterloo’, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival to great acclaim. Mike Leigh's latest film is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter's Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history.The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protestors were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression.Discussing the film is Sam HowlettFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PETERLOO | feat. Mike Leigh

In this special episode of The Curzon Film Podcast, we venture from our seats at the cinema to seats at the theatre, for an interview with Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch about the play 'Red', which is being broadcast in cinemas on November the 7th.Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant, and the threatening presence of a new generation of artists, Mark Rothko takes on his greatest challenge yet: to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.MGC Artistic Director Michael Grandage directs this first ever UK revival since directing the world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009. The production went on to win six Tony Awards, including Best Play.Award-winning stage and screen actor Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark) reprises his critically acclaimed performance as the American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. He is joined by rising star Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder, Harry Potter) as his assistant Ken.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RED | feat. Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch

In this spooktacular edition of the podcast, we're discussing David Gordon Green's ('Joe', 'Manglehorn') latest entry in to the legendary 'Halloween' franchise, which sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprise her iconic role as Laurie Strode in a new battle with the iconic Michael Myers.You might have thought this franchise was done but Michael Myers still has terror to give. Forty years after the fateful night of John Carpenter’s original he’s back, but this time Laurie Strode is ready for him. David Gordon Green helms this terrifying sequel with the blessing of Carpenter, who has contributed a new score.Discussing the film are Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and special guest Catherine Bray (The I, Variety, 'Beyond Clueless')Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@jakehcunningham - Jake@catherinebray - CatherineProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HALLOWEEN

In this bonus episode the podcast team discuss their favourites from the 62nd edition of the BFI London Film Festival.Highlights include 'Roma', 'The Favourite', 'Non Fiction' and many more, and as well as our regular podcast contributor's picks, we also checked in with some of the wider Curzon team and one of our listeners as well, to cover as many fantastic films as we could.Discussing the film are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, and Kelly PowellFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Sam HowlettMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BFI London Film Festival 2018 | Review

We welcome Matteo Garrone, director of modern Italian mafia classic 'Gomorrah' and anthology fantasia 'Tale of Tales', on to the podcast to talk about his latest work 'Dogman'Marcello is a small and gentle dog groomer who wants two things, to look after his dogs and take his daughter on exotic holidays. But to fund this lifestyle he runs a side business which has more unsavoury clientele and he soon finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorises the entire neighbourhood. When Simone exploits him too much Marcello must make a crucial and potentially dangerous decision in order to regain his dignity.Discussing the film are Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder, Kelly Powell and Alasdair BaymanFollow the team on twitter:@alasdairbayman - Alasdair@CunninghamJH - Jake@KS_Powell - Kelly@SamHowlett_1 - SamProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DOGMAN | feat. Director Matteo Garrone

In this episode we're talking about Damien Chazelle's latest out of this world directorial effort First Man - which chronicles the story of Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon.On the heels of their six-time Academy Award-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for First Man, the riveting story of NASA's mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong from the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the sacrifices and the cost - on Armstrong and on the nation - of one of the most dangerous missions in history.Discussing the film are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and special guest Kobi Omenaka (Flixwatcher Podcast, The Wire Stripped with Kobi and Dave)Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@kobestarr - KobiProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FIRST MAN

In this episode we preview the 62nd edition of the BFI London Film Festival, which takes over the cinemas of the capital this October. We're also lucky enough to be joined by two of the festivals programmers Kate Taylor and MIchael Blyth. From the biggest films, well on their way to Oscar glory, to the tiniest arthouse ventures that might slip through most cinematic nets, the London Film Festival features over 200 films with an incredibly eclectic variety. Here, our podcast team dissect the films their most anticipating.Discussing the film are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder and Ryan HewittFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - StevenProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BFI London Film Festival Preview | feat. Programmers Kate Taylor & Michael Blyth

In this episode we're discussing 'The Wife' - a new drama set to earn Close another Oscar nomination - directed by Björn Runge who we're lucky enough to talk to about the film itself.Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) is "the perfectly devoted wife". Forty years spent sacrificing her own talent, dreams and ambitions to fan the flames of her charismatic husband Joe (Jonathan Pryce) and his skyrocketing literary career. Ignoring his infidelities and excuses because of his 'art' with grace and humor. Their fateful pact has built a marriage upon uneven compromises and Joan's reached her breaking point.On the eve of Joe's Nobel Prize for Literature, the crown jewel in a spectacular body of work, Joan's coup de grace is to confront the biggest sacrifice of her life and secret of his career.The Wife is a poignant, funny and emotional journey; a celebration of womanhood, self-discovery and liberationDiscussing the film are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Steven RyderFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - StevenProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Stephanie WattsMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE WIFE | feat. Director Björn Runge

We recently welcomed Academy Award nominated director Lenny Abrahamson ('Frank', 'Room') to Curzon Mayfair for a special Q&A about his new film 'The Little Stranger', where he was joined by the writer of the original novel Sarah Waters ('Fingersmith')WWII has ended and Dr Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. During one hot summer he is called out to attend to a patient at Hundreds Hall. He finds that the scullery maid, Betty (a fantastic performance by Liv Hill, one to watch) has been sensing things and events turn more peculiar after that.Produced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Sam Howlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE LITTLE STRANGER Q&A | feat. Lenny Abrahamson

Marking her long-awaited return to filmmaking, Faces Places sees iconic, 90-year-old auteur Agnès Varda forging an unlikely partnership with enigmatic photographer JR as they embark on a road trip unlike any other.Varda and JR share a lifelong passion for images and how they’re created, displayed and shared. Varda expresses this through cinema and documentary, JR through his emotionally arresting open-air photo gallery installations. When the pair first met they instantly recognised the opportunity for a unique collaboration and set about exploring the villages and small towns of rural France. Meeting different groups of people, they were inspired to create large-scale portraits plastered across unconventional locations. What followed was a heartwarming insight into hitherto unnamed communities, documented here in Varda’s typically tender, playful and humanist manner.Discussing the film are Rowan Woods, Alasdair Bayman and Jake Cunningham.Follow the team on Twitter:@rowanwoods - Rowan@jakehcunningham - Jake@alasdairbayman - AlasdairProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FACES PLACES

In this episode we're talking about 'Lucky', the directorial debut from John Carroll Lynch ('Fargo', 'Zodiac') and the final performance of the late, great Harry Dean Stanton.Lucky follows the spiritual journey of Harry Dean Stanton’s character Lucky, a cantankerous, self-reliant 90 year old atheist, and the quirky characters that inhabit the Arizona town where he lives. Having out-lived and out-smoked all of his contemporaries, the fiercely independent Lucky finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self-exploration, leading towards that which is so often unattainable: enlightenment.John Carroll Lynch's directorial debut also features director David Lynch, Ron Livingston (The Conjuring, Swingers, Office Space), Ed Begley Jr. (St. Elsewhere), and Tom Skerritt (Alien, Top Gun, Contact).Discussing the film are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell, Ryan Hewitt and first time podder Mark Towers.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@MarkDTowers - Mark@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LUCKY

In our second podcast of the week we welcome Desiree Akhavan ('Appropriate Behavior') on to the podcast to talk about her Sundance award winning sophomore feature 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) is shipped off to a Christian conversion camp after she is discovered kissing a female friend. No sooner there, she realises that almost all the inductees are repressing their true feelings and the notion of a cure is absurd. Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance Grand Jury winner is an articulate and funny drama that speaks out against the current tide of social conservatism in the US.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - Jake@irma_pep - StevenProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST | feat. Desiree Akhavan

In this episode of the podcast, we welcome Bart Layton, director of the BAFTA winning 'The Imposter', to the show with his new film 'American Animals', a stranger-than-fiction heist thriller set in suburban Kentucky.This isn't based on a true story, this happened. Writer-director Bart Layton (The Imposter) takes the heist movie into bold new territory with this unbelievable but true story of four young men who attempt one of the most audacious art heists in US history.Barry Keoghan and Evan Peters play two friends from the middle-class suburbs of Lexington, Kentucky, who upon enrolling in college realise that their lives may in fact never be important or special in any way. Determined to live lives that are out of the ordinary, they plan the brazen theft of some of the world’s most valuable books from the special collections room of the college Library.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AMERICAN ANIMALS | feat. Bart Layton

'Cold War' is the latest film from Pawel Pawlikowski, director of the Oscar winning 'Ida'. 'Cold War' won Pawlikowski the award for Best Director at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and we were lucky enough to speak to the film's lead actors Joanna Kulig & Tomasz Kot for this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast.'Cold War' is an epic romance set against the backdrop of Europe after World War II. Sumptuously shot in luminous black and white, it spans decades and nations to tell a love story that is as tragic as it is moving, and as transportive as it is honest.Discussing the film are podcast regular Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Steven Ryder, as well as special guest contributor Iana Murray, editor of Much Ado About Cinema.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@ks_powell - Kelly@ianamurray - Iana@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced by Jake CunninghamEdited by Mark TowerMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COLD WAR | feat. Joanna Kulig & Tomasz Kot

In this episode of the Curzon Film Podcast we’re extremely excited to welcome a true legend of cinema, Spike Lee, on to the show to talk through his latest joint ‘BlacKkKlansman’. In the studio, to discuss the film, we’re also thrilled to be joined Kaleem Aftab, author of ‘Spike Lee: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It’ as well as Little White Lies’ social producer Hannah Woodhead and regular contributors Kambole Campbell and Steven Ryder.Spike Lee’s hugely enjoyable and politically timely film uses this unbelievable case to lift a lid on racism in America, both past and present. It’s frequently hilarious, particularly in highlighting the idiocy of the Klan, but never misses a moment to comment on racial inequality.Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) was a black Colorado police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan by going undercover, with the help of a white colleague (Adam Driver), to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.Follow the team on Twitter:@kambolecampbell - Kambole@goodjobliz - Hannah@aftabamon - Kaleem@irma_pep - Steven@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic by incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BLACKKKLANSMAN  | feat. Spike Lee

France, 1915. The impact of the First World War is being felt across Europe as conscription forces the men to leave their homes for the battlefield. Featuring touching performances from French screen legend Nathalie Baye and astounding newcomer Iris Bry alike, and cinematography that captures the bucolic life with painterly splendour, 'The Guardians' shines a light on the untold lives, characters and details that helped shape the First World War. Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder and Amy Watts.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@irma_pep - Steven@amyvioletwatts - Amy@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic by incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE GUARDIANS

Gleaning Truths is a new programme from Curzon, available across the UK and Ireland to exhibiting and engaging with brand new digital restorations of eight of Agnès Varda’s best-known films, as well as extensive previews of her upcoming Oscar-nominated documentary 'Faces, Place' ahead of its general release on the 21st September.To celebrate Gleaning Truths and Varda's work 9 essays have been written about her work and are available to read at www.agnesvarda.co.uk/essays/, for this special episode of our podcast, we have invited 3 of these essayists - Beth Webb, Corrina Antrobus and Rowan Woods - to discuss Varda's work.Revered for her bold political and autobiographically inspired work, Agnès Varda is a seminal feminist filmmaker and matriarch of French Cinema. Her influential career began in the 1950s with 'La Pointe Courte' – often considered the first film of the New Wave – and has spanned seven decades with no sign of slowing down as she enters her 90th year.Follow the team on Twitter:@BethKWebb - Beth@corrinacorrina - Corrina@rowanwoods - Rowan@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GLEANING TRUTHS | Agnès Varda Round Table

Last month at Curzon Soho we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the release of Whit Stillman's Last Days of Disco with a repertory screening of the film on 35mm with Q&A from Whit himself. While Whit was in town, the following day he joined us for a further Q&A, for his 2016 film Love & Friendship plus stars Tom Bennett (Sir James) and Justin Edwards (Charles Vernon). In this special episode of the Curzon Film Podcast, you're now able to hear that Q&A.Listen for insights on adapting Jane Austen, improvisation, writing a novel whilst trying to make a film and lots more. You can also head to the Curzon Blog where you'll find a short blog entry from Curzon Events Programmer Michael Garrad: www.curzonblog.comProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP | Q&A feat. Whit Stillman, Tom Bennett & Justin Edwards

Written and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, a former Jehovah's Witness, 'Apostasy' is a remarkable and authentic debut film that provides rare insight into the complex nature of faith, family, duty and love - and we're lucky enough to have Daniel on the podcast to talk through his assured and compelling first feature.As devout Jehovah's Witnesses, sisters Alex and Luisa and their mother, Ivanna, are united in The Truth. But when Luisa starts to question the advice of the Elders, she makes a life-altering transgression that threatens to expel her from the congregation. Discussing 'Apostasy' this week are Kelly Powell, Sam Howlett and Alasdair Bayman.Follow the team on twitter:@alasdairbayman - Alasdair@CunninghamJH - Jake@KS_Powell - Kelly@SamHowlett_1 - SamRead emailer Hannah Ryan's review of 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again' for Much Ado About Cinema here: https://bit.ly/2LTH4QtProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

APOSTASY | feat. director Daniel Kokotajlo

Here we go again, with a new episode of The Curzon Film Podcast, this week we're chatting about the much anticipated sequel (and prequel) to smash hit musical adaptation 'Mamma Mia!'Ten years after the wildly successful first film, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again picks up the story with Sophie pregnant, and not sure how she’s going to cope. But her mother’s story might give her some pointers... Moving between past and present, we follow Sophie as she tries to come to terms with her situation, and also see how Donna did it all those years ago, falling in love and building a home for her family on their sun-soaked island.Discussing the film this week are Alasdair Bayman, Steph Watts and Jake Cunningham.Follow the team on Twitter:@_stephwatts - Steph@alasdairbayman - Alasdair@CunninghamJH - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

After a 14 year wait, The Incredibles are finally back on our cinema screens in Pixar’s long awaited sequel and we were lucky enough to chat to the film’s producers Nicole Grindle and John Walker. PLUS in the superhero crossover event of the summer, Dave Corkery - one half of British Podcast Award winning show The Cinemile - joins the Curzon team for this incredible episode.Having hung up their capes, Helen is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob navigates the day-to-day heroics of "normal" life at home with Violet, Dash and baby Jack-Jack - whose superpowers are about to be discovered.Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. But the Parrs don't shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone by their side.Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Steph Watts, Kambole Campbell and Dave CorkeryFollow the team on Twitter@_stephwatts - Steph@kambolecampbell - Kambole@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@thisiscorkery - Dave @thecinemile - The Cinemile Podcast@jakehcunningham - JakeListen to The Cinemile here: http://www.thecinemile.com/Produced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

INCREDIBLES 2 | feat. Nicole Grindle & John Walker + Cinemile Crossover

The tempestuous romance that inspired one of Gothic literature’s most influential works is brought to life in 'Mary Shelley'. Starring Elle Fanning as the titular author, 'Mary Shelley' is the directorial follow up to 'Wadjda' from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa al-Mansour, and we were lucky enough to sit down with her to talk about her latest work.With a strong ensemble cast including Douglas Booth, Bel Powley and Maisie Williams, this rousing and exquisite biopic balances sumptuous period detail with a timely feminist message. The film is a vivid tribute to Shelley’s passion, courage and craft – and a reminder of her enduring relevance today.Discussing the film are pod regulars Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Steven Ryder and after recently screening Al-Mansour's 'Wadjda' with the Despatch Feminist Moving Image collective, Amy Watts also joins the show.In the spirit of championing young, forward thinking and creative minds, we also reached out to the young women at South Hampstead High School and asked them to share their thoughts on the film, for the first edition of Curzon Blog section, the Young Feminist Film Club: http://www.curzonblog.com/all-posts/2018/7/6/young-feminist-film-club-mary-shelley Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@irma_pep - Steven@amyvioletwatts - Amy@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MARY SHELLEY | feat. Haifaa al-Mansour

This week we decided to do something a bit different to mark the halfway point of the year - discuss our favourites films of the first half of 2018 and preview our most anticipated releases for the next 6 monthsCelebrate the solstice with Sam, Kelly, Jake and Kambole as they chat about recent favourites You Were Never Really Here, 120 BPM, Phantom Thread, Zama and Hereditary as well as some excited previewing of Disobediance, Incredibles 2, Blackkklansman and more.Follow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@kambolecampbell - Kambole@CunninghamJH - JakeEmail your thoughts to podcast@curzon.comProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE BEST FILMS OF 2018 SO FAR

Critically acclaimed filmmaker Fatih Akin ('The Edge of Heaven') returns with In the Fade, a gripping, edge-of-your-seat contemporary thriller exploring the lengths one woman would go to seek retribution after a brutal terrorist attack. Inspired by shocking real-life events, the film tells the story of Katja (Diane Kruger), whose life is torn apart when her husband and young son are suddenly killed in a bomb attack.Winner of the Best Actress award at Cannes 2017, the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and featuring a career-defining central performance from Kruger, In the Fade is a timely and all-too-urgent drama about a woman pushed to the edge as she desperately searches for the answers she believes to be out there.To discuss the film this week Sam and Steven are joined by Amy Watts from Dispatch Feminist Moving ImageFollow the team on Twitter:@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@irma_pep - Steven@amyvioletwatts - Amy@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IN THE FADE

In this episode we welcome Ari Aster, the director of ‘Hereditary’ on to the podcast, to talk about ‘this generation’s The Exorcist’ - PLUS Rupert Everett joins us to discuss his directorial debut, ‘The Happy Prince’. ‘Hereditary’ begins when Ellen, the reclusive grandmother of the Graham family, passes away and her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Discussing the film are Sam Howlett, Steven Ryder, Steph Watts and our latest guest this week is Ollie Charles. Follow the team:@slwmedia - Steph@SamHowlett_1 - Sam@OllieCharles - Ollie@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic from incompetech.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HEREDITARY | feat. Ari Aster

This week we welcome one of the directors of one of the biggest films all time on to our tiny little podcast. Colin Trevorrow directed ‘Jurassic World’ in 2015 and joins us having just written its sequel ‘Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom’, this time passing the directors chair to JA Bayona (‘The Orphanage’, ‘The Impossible’, ‘A Monster Calls’). We talk about taking the series in to new genres, just how important JA’s body of work to date was to that and why he decided to blow up Isla Nublar.Set three years after the destruction of Jurassic World, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to the remnants of the park to save the remaining dinosaurs from an active volcano and bring them back to the mainland - but is that really the safest thing to do? Discussing the film are Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts and Ryan Hewitt. Email your thoughts on ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ to podcast@curzon.com and don't forget to subscribe, review and leave a comment!Follow the team:@slwmedia - Steph@jakehcunningham - JakeProduced and edited by Jake CunninghamMusic by incompetech.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.