Episodes
Three years after the majestic Parisian monument closed for renovations, the Grand Palais is once again the HQ of the contemporary art world, as it hosts Art Basel Paris. We hear from Oliver Beer, one of the artists showing his sound-inspired pieces at the event, who tells us how his Resonance Project has inspired installations, paintings and even an operatic film experience. Our reporters also check out the sculptures popping up in public spaces around Paris, as the fair brings contemporary...
Published 10/18/24
Published 10/18/24
After the phenomenal success of her first novel, "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie", author Ayana Mathis returns with a story that shifts between 1980s Philadelphia and a mythical Black utopia in Alabama. She tells us about finding inspiration in a particular moment of American history – of dashed hopes and failed social projects – and discusses the challenge of creating three-dimensional characters, including their flaws. We also talk about the upcoming US presidential election and Ayana tells us...
Published 10/17/24
Gilles Lellouche's take on the euphoria of teen romance was savaged by the press at the Cannes Film Festival, but critic Emma Jones tells us why "Beating Hearts" won her over by capturing the intensity of first love. We also discuss the dark undercurrents in Romanian drama "Three Kilometres to the End of the World" and check out the talent on the red carpet at the Lumière Festival in Lyon. Plus, Disney's most famous fawn gets the live action treatment in French director Michel Fessler's...
Published 10/16/24
The Spanish powerhouse dancer has been called on by the likes of Beyoncé, Coldplay and Paul McCartney to create memorable works. One of the world's most sought-after choreographers, Blanca Li is Eve Jackson's guest to talk about her latest creations showing in Paris and beyond. Her most recent work was for French shoe designer Christian Louboutin, with Olympic swimmers performing in high heels in a Paris swimming pool. Coming soon is her modern retelling of the tragic love story "Dido and...
Published 10/15/24
In this edition of our music show on arts24, Jennifer Ben Brahim is joined on set by one half of the Franco-Congolese duo Tshegue. Faty Sy Savanet and Nicolas Dacunha AKA “Dakou” burst onto the music scene in 2017 with their powerful blend of afropunk, rock, electro and funk. They are back with their third EP “Argent”, a call to arms to today’s youth. Faty Sy Savanet once again sings in her native Lingala, and references the important Kotazo cultural movement of Kinshasa in this latest...
Published 10/14/24
Olivia Salazar-Winspear and Dheepthika Laurent look at the latest releases on the small screen. They discuss "The Confidante", Max's first French series about a woman who faked her way into a victim's association set up after the Bataclan terror attack in Paris. Also: Cate Blanchett stars in Alfonso Cuaron's psychological thriller "Disclaimer". Plus: Will Ferrell and his best friend Harper go on a US road trip to rediscover their friendship after she comes out as a transgender woman. Finally:...
Published 10/11/24
Best known for her dark and troubling novel "The Vegetarian", Han Kang has been announced as the 2024 laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, with the Swedish Academy praising her "intensely poetic prose" and the important questions of historical trauma and human fragility that she deals with. Audrey Chapuis, the executive director of the American Library in Paris, joins us on set to discuss the themes of the author's work and its international reach, as well as the viral boost that...
Published 10/10/24
From "The Full Monty" and "Billy Elliot" to last year's "The Quiet Girl", which went all the way to the Oscars, arts24 is at the intimate French film festival that’s served as the launchpad for independent gems that go on to conquer the world of cinema. From social chronicles to wacky comedies, over five days some 20,000 people gathered to see this year's offerings at the Dinard British & Irish Film Festival. More than 50 films filled cinema screens, with actors like Tim Roth and Anthony...
Published 10/10/24
She was the ultimate 1990s bombshell: Pamela Anderson got her break on TV show "Baywatch" three decades ago. After years out of the spotlight, Anderson returns as the protagonist of Gia Coppola's film, "The Last Showgirl". The actress spoke to film critic Emma Jones about her big-screen comeback at this year's Zurich Film Festival, where a crop of new films could be headed to the awards ceremonies early next year. We also take a look at Kate Winslet's impressive performance as the American...
Published 10/09/24
There have been documentaries, television programmes and "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketches, but this is the first film about one of the most divisive men of our times. "The Apprentice" tells of how Donald Trump rose to fame and power in 1980s New York before he became president of the United States. Directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, it stars Sebastian Stan as the young Trump. At its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it earned a standing ovation and threats of lawsuits...
Published 10/08/24
Hubert Blanc-Francard, aka Boombass, is one half of one of France's coolest music exports: Cassius. In the wake of acts such as Daft Punk and Air, they conquered dancefloors and charts across the world as part of the French Touch movement, before reinventing themselves a decade later while producing albums for others. Boombass tells us of their career and what it's like keeping Cassius alive following the tragic death of his other half, Philippe Zdar. We also check out new releases by La...
Published 10/07/24
Chris Sanders is the artistic mastermind behind children's films "Lilo and Stitch", "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Croods". His latest animated feature sees a lone robot, Roz, cast adrift on an island where her artificial intelligence is pitted against the innate intelligence of the local flora and fauna. Sanders joins us to talk about why actress Lupita Nyong'o was the perfect voice for his protagonist and discusses the challenge of conveying big issues like climate change to the small...
Published 10/04/24
This week, arts24 is in the delightful seaside town of Dinard in Brittany, for France's yearly celebration of British and Irish film. For 35 years, it's been a launchpad for independent gems that go on to conquer the world of cinema. Culture editor Eve Jackson shares some of this year's highlights.
Published 10/04/24
Four-time Oscar-nominated Irish actress Saoirse Ronan speaks to Eve Jackson about her heart-wrenching addiction drama "The Outrun", based on Amy Liptrot's memoir. Known for "Lady Bird" and "Little Women" in German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt's film, Ronan plays a recovering alcoholic who returns to her hometown in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The actress also talks about her role in Steve McQueen's new movie "Blitz" and the reasons behind the recent success of so many Irish actors.
Published 10/03/24
Depicting a young woman yearning for freedom and suffocated by village life, "Norah" is a striking account of provincial life in the Saudi Arabia of the 1990s. The film was shown at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Director and writer Tawfik Alzaidi joins us on arts24 to discuss his inspirations for the story, the fledging film industry in his home country and how, despite growing up without access to movie theatres, he was determined to become a filmmaker.
Published 10/02/24
Fashion critic Samantha Tse speaks to Eve Jackson about the highlights of Paris Fashion Week, including Louboutin's swimming spectacle in stilettos, the return of Bella Hadid to the runway and our top picks including Alessandro Michele's debut at Valentino, and shows from Loewe and Courrèges.
Published 10/01/24
In this edition of our music show on arts24, Jennifer Ben Brahim is joined on set by two artists from very different musical universes, but linked by a similar nomadic spirit. Model and actress Hen Yanni is starting a new chapter of her life as a singer-songwriter. Her lifelong passion has transformed into a debut album called "Version of You". It's an intimate portrait of her life and journey from Israel to France, told with a new-wave twist. She is also joined by Saràh Phenom, who...
Published 09/30/24
Colson Whitehead is one of the rare authors to win the Pulitzer Prize twice. The first time was for his novel "The Underground Railroad" in 2017, loved by Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey and made into a TV series by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins. It led to him being on the cover of Time Magazine, the first author in nearly a decade to grace the front page since Jonathan Franzen. Colson Whitehead was honoured again for "The Nickel Boys" in 2020 – adapted into a film due out in the...
Published 09/27/24
She's one of the greatest contralto singers in the world; a French-speaking Canadian opera star who has performed on stage across the planet. Marie-Nicole Lemieux talks to Eve Jackson about wanting to speak to the audience’s emotions through music, being a body positive role model for women of different shapes and sizes and why Maria Callas's tragic life nearly put her off becoming an opera singer. You can see her perform at the Bastille Opera house as Mrs Quickly in Verdi's "Falstaff" until...
Published 09/26/24
It was a low-budget, erotic film that became the most successful French movie of the time. "Emmanuelle" went on to be the symbol of the sexual liberation and free love of the 1970s. Fifty years after Just Jaeckin's softcore movie first became a global phenomenon, a remake is being released with some big changes. Directed by a woman, award-winning director Audrey Divan has moved the action from Thailand to Hong Kong and the sensual character exploring her sexual desires is played by...
Published 09/25/24
One of the greatest filmmakers of all time speaks to Eve Jackson on arts24 about his new movie. Francis Ford Coppola has five Oscars and two Palmes d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival. The man who gave us the "Godfather" trilogy, "Apocalypse Now", "Dracula", "The Rainmaker" and "The Conversation" now brings us an ambitious original sci-fi apocalypse drama, "Megalopolis", starring Adam Driver. It's wildly original – and has left the critics baffled.
Published 09/24/24
Garage Punk queens The Darts formed in 2016 and have since attracted fans around the world. They are currently on a 100-date tour of Europe which has taken them from Spain to Finland. They popped by FRANCE 24 to tell us about their latest album “Boomerang” and how they keep going from venue to venue. We also look at new releases from Manu Chao, Katy Perry and Sophie. 
Published 09/23/24
From cartoon baddies to Hollywood pin-ups, Bill Plympton’s animations embrace an eccentric collection of characters, all of them set in motion in his unique, shimmering style. As the animator and cartoonist’s work goes on show at the Formula Bula Festival in Paris, he joins us to discuss the tens of thousands of hand-drawn plates that go into his feature animations, some of which have won him the industry's most prestigious awards. He tells us about the one-minute movie about Donald Trump and...
Published 09/20/24
In this arts24 episode, we talk to fugitive director Mohammad Rasoulof about his powerful Iranian film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, a brazen and startling picture about the misogyny and theocracy in his country. The director had to flee Iran where he was sentenced to prison for his filmmaking. The movie won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May where it premiered. French culture editor Louise Dupont sat down with him in Paris.
Published 09/19/24