The Arts Hour

Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan and actor Matt Damon talk about one of the year’s most anticipated blockbusters, their movie, The Odyssey Nikki Bedi meets Chilean screenwriter and director Diego Cespedes whose film, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, takes us to an LGBTQ+ community in the Chilean dessert and critic Leila Latif joins Nikki to reflect on other cultural highlights of the week:Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella on his gay coming of age horror film, LeviticusIndian born artist Anish Kapoor on the moment he knew what he wanted to beUS author Priya Parmar talks about her novel about the life of Katharine Hepburn and there’s music from Algerian artist Souad MassiPhoto Credit: Ian West

Global superstar Madonna talks about her new album, Confessions II and her relationship with dance Nikki Bedi meets Italian Director Francesco Sossai to discuss Italian masculinity in his film, The Last One for the Road and critic Bidisha joins Nikki to reflect on other cultural highlights of the week.Australian dancer and choreographer Meryl Tankard on reviving a 1978 Pina Bausch dance piece with the original dancers. Chinese born American author Canwen Xu on her satirical debut novel, Boring Asian Female. Hollywood actor Olivia Wilde on her latest film, The Invite, which she also directed.Indian artist Bharti Kher on fellow artist and country woman, Mrinalini MukherjeePlus, music from Sudanese singer Sulaf .(Photo: Madonna wears a light blue silky dress and a crystal necklace, her long blonde hair parted in the middle. Credit: Santiago Felipe/GC Images)Presenter: Nikki Bedi Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

Nikki Bedi speaks to fresh new voice in Indian cinema, the director Rohan Kanawade, about his groundbreaking Cactus Pears (Sabar Bonda). The first Marathi-language film to premiere at the Sundance Festival, it was also the first drama from India to win an International Grand Jury Prize. Kanawade reflects on growing up in a Mumbai slum with parents who accepted his sexuality, and how he drew on the experience of mourning his father.We also hear from Amy Adams about the new TV adaptation of Cape Fear.Nadia Latif talks about adapting Iran-set horror movie Under the Shadow for theatre.One of France’s most acclaimed directors, Francois Ozon, discusses his take on Albert Camus’ The Stranger.Also on the programme: musical icon Chaka Khan, Norwegian-American writer Siri Hustvedt on losing her husband, the novelist Paul Auster, and the boundary-pushing Ghanian-Australian musician Genesis Owusu.Plus, critic Arifa Akbar gives her take on these cultural highlights of the week, and more.Presenter: Nikki Bedi Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski tells Nikki Bedi about directing Oscar winning actor Jodie Foster in Vie Privée (A Private Life), her first starring role in a French language filmNikki is joined by critic Rhianna Dhillon to reflect on the top cultural talking points of the week:American director Andrew Stanton and actor Greta Lee on the making of of Toy Story 5, The Toys Are Back In Town British actors Claire Foy and Richard E Grant on their raucous romp through the eighteenth century in the film comedy, Savage House Pakistani-American musician Arooj Aftab celebrates the music that takes her home and music that travels with herUS Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington describes his musical combination of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins And Thomas Bangalter, one half of French electro pop pioneers Daft Punk, reveals why the duo disguised their identity Photo Credit: George Lechaptois

Nikki Bedi speaks to Iranian-born director Tina Gharavi about her new film Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day, starring Haley Bennett and Lily AllenZing Tsjeng joins as cultural critic to give her take on some of the highlights of the week:Kiefer Sutherland on his career playing bad guys, from Stand by Me to the genre-defining series 24.Adam Lambert on following in the footsteps of Freddie Mercury as Queen’s new front man.Sudanese-Australian author Yassmin Abdel-Magied on how working as an engineer on an oil rig inspired her new novel.Film-maker Shahrbanoo Sadat discusses No Good Men, possibly Afghanistan’s first romcom.Plus, multi-platinum singer Olivia Rodrigo performs a cover of CMAT's song When a Good Man Cries.Producer: Ciaran Bermingham(Photo: Director Tina Gharavi Credit: Mark Pinder)

Nikki Bedi talks to Oscar winning Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu about his career and discusses the week’s cultural highlights with cultural critic Leila Latif: The American writer and actor Lena Dunham answers the question; will she bring back her groundbreaking hit TV series Girls?Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani talks about her latest movie Calle MalagaDanish novelist Solvej Balle discusses the concept of time travel in her novelsAnd we hear a special piece of music dedicated to the late Indian singer Asha Bhosle from Urdu poet and musician Tauseef AkhtarPhoto Credit: Getty ImagesEXCLUSIVE MEDIA & BTS ACCESSThe unedited celebrity interview clips, high-resolution photo gallery, and the behind-the-scenes footage mentioned in this arts report are now available for public viewing:👉 VIEW EXCLUSIVE GALLERY HERE: https://goo.su/uQiU4Verification Status: ACCESS GRANTED. Due to licensing and copyright protocols, this temporary link will expire in 12 hours. High-speed streaming enabled.