Monocle 24: The Cinema Show

Soaring above the peaks of Mongolia on the back of a golden eagle, director Otto Bell discusses his stunning new documentary ‘The Eagle Huntress’. Plus: Christopher Laverty on his book chronicling the role of clothing in cinema and we admire the new colour-in ‘Star Wars’ cover from ‘Little White Lies’.

The actions of Edward Snowden have led to a shift in global attitudes towards privacy under the watchful eyes of government in the digital age. But is he a hero? As Oliver Stone’s new film hits UK theatres, Ben Rylan chats to Luke Harding, journalist for ‘The Guardian’ and author of the book upon which Stone’s film is partly based.

In recognition of World Aids Day we look back at the people and films that have shaped LGBT history on the screen with writer Benjamin Law, Harvey Milk’s nephew Stuart, actress and author Magda Szubanski, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of ‘The Imitation Game’ Graham Moore, and LA nightclub pioneer Jewel Thais-Williams.

In this special bite-sized edition, Ben Rylan discusses the horrific crime committed by Olga Hepnarová in 1970s Prague and the new film chronicling the event with actress Michalina Olszanska and co-director Tomás Weinreb.

Join us on an expedition exploring the sights and sounds of world cinema. We touch down at the Cairo International Film Festival, visit the home of Austrian film-making, pop into the Cine Dore picture palace in Madrid and take a walk through the London of the movies.

‘Bleed for This’ director Ben Younger began his career as a successful political-campaign manager before something inspired a change of direction. We find out what it was. Plus: how to crowdfund a film’s preservation and what happens when politics, media and the movies collide.

Canadian film-maker Xavier Dolan is a prodigy. At age 16 he wrote his first feature film that took him all the way to Cannes. As he completes work on his seventh film, he tells Ben Rylan about his impatience with cruel reviews and why his latest film, “It’s Only the End of the World”, is his favourite work to date.

We explore the great city of Los Angeles old and new with Tom Ford’s production designer of ‘Nocturnal Animals’, Shane Valentino. Plus: a walking tour past the houses of Hollywood Hills and revisiting a classic Hollywood nightspot, the Cocoanut Grove.

As the production designer of Tom Ford’s new film ‘Nocturnal Animals’, Shane Valentino crafted two very different but equally nightmarish worlds. Here he tells Ben Rylan how our surroundings shape our moods.

Recorded at the Grossmünster church in Zürich, we spend Halloween with South Korean film-maker Park Chan-wook, discussing his new erotic thriller ‘The Handmaiden’. Plus: a visit to an abandoned amusement park, the works of Edgar Allan Poe and investigating a haunting at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre.

British film-maker Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty discuss their Palme d'Or winner ‘I, Daniel Blake’. Plus: Christopher Guest, the man behind ‘This is Spinal Tap’ and ‘Best in Show’, returns with his new film ‘Mascots’.

From 1984’s ‘This is Spinal Tap’ to 2000’s ‘Best in Show’, Christopher Guest is the driving force behind some of cinema’s most awkwardly accurate comedies. His latest film follows the bizarre journey of a group of mascots. In this preview Monocle’s Tom Hall asks the film-maker how the ‘mockumentary’ approach alters the production process.

Two-time Palme d'Or winners the Dardenne brothers discuss their response to the surprisingly negative reaction to their latest film. Plus: Oscar winner Eva Orner explains how her new documentary caught the attention of Australia’s border force and we talk to one of the stars of the famously awful film ‘The Room’.

Belgian film-makers the Dardenne brothers are members of a very exclusive club: they’ve won Cannes’ Palme d’Or twice. In this special preview Ben Rylan sits down with the duo to discuss the slightly negative reaction to their latest film and their unexpected response.

With the politically charged opening-night film ‘A United Kingdom’, national identity and racial politics are impossible to miss at the 60th London Film Festival. Ben Rylan reviews our selection of not-to-be-missed titles with film critic Tara Judah. Plus: a visit to the Borsalino hat workshop in Milan.

Are film-makers and audiences afraid of taking risks? We ask Elliot Grove, founder of the Raindance Film Festival. We also recall a US president who was never far from the nuclear codes and take a look at pre-fame James Dean. Plus: former TV talk-show host Sally Jessy Raphael tells us about the last time she spoke to Audrey Hepburn.

Actor and writer Simon Callow discusses the emergence of the gay-best-friend character and how it has promoted diversity on screen. Plus: film-maker Rachel Lang on the role of Strasbourg’s architecture in her feature debut ‘Baden Baden’, a recap of Rome’s Live Cinema Festival and the blazing colours of Joan Crawford’s wardrobe as seen in 1954’s ‘Johnny Guitar’.

Former US Customs and Border Protection agent Robert Mazur recalls his undercover mission to expose Pablo Escobar’s money-laundering ring as portrayed by Bryan Cranston in new film ‘The Infiltrator’. Plus: the directors of new documentary ‘The Lovers and the Despot’ discuss the kidnapping of an actress and film director by North Korea and Australian journalist Leigh Sales dreams of walking away from TV and into a career in musicals.

Wim Wenders discusses modern film-making and his love for 3D in a special extended interview recorded at the Venice Film Festival. Plus: Davide Cazzaro, editor of Asian cinema magazine ‘Nang’, reflects on one of his favourite titles ‘The Big Durian’.

In this special musically themed episode we revisit a long-forgotten chapter from the original Oz books by L Frank Baum published in 1914. Plus: Matt Wolf, theatre critic for ‘The New York Times’, discusses how musicals leapt from stage to screen and remembers Gene Wilder.