The Band’s Visit

Amanda Palmer is joined by writer-director Eran Kolirin

This week, The Fabulous Picture Show hosts a special screening of the comedy-drama The Band’s Visit, which follows the absurd plight of an Egyptian band stranded in a small Israeli town. First-time director Eran Kolirin’s droll humour and witty visual style transcends political boundaries and offers an affectionate, hopeful look at regional differences.

The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band flies to Israel to perform at an Arab cultural centre. When no one turns up to meet them, they take matters into their own hands, but wind up stranded in the wrong town, with no transport available until the following day. Fortunately, the owner of a local café takes them under her wing, providing lodgings for the bandmaster and billeting the other musicians around the town. During this strange and funny night, everyone comes to learn more about one another, and also about themselves.

Writer-director Eran Kolirin joins Amanda Palmer at a Q&A to talk about his subtle approach to the tension inherent in Arab/Israeli relationships, and how he manages to reveal both sides in all their humanity.

Ken Loach

It’s a Free World won Best Screenplay at this year’s Venice Film Festival

Ken Loach, who has spent 40 years dramatising the lives of the exploited, remains committed to making films about overlooked members of society.

His latest hard-hitting drama It’s a Free World, which won the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Venice Film Festival, is about Britain’s illegal labour market and unscrupulous job agencies that abuse immigrants.

In a candid interview, Amanda Palmer meets Ken Loach to discuss his directing methods and his motivation behind tackling socially sensitive issues.

Redacted

Redacted earned director Brian De Palma the Best Director award

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have spawned a new generation of war movies – it is the first time filmmakers on the home front have widely and openly criticised an ongoing conflict. Among the recent explosion of war films is Brian De Palma’s Redacted.

The acclaimed director of such films as Carrie, The Untouchables and Scarface has turned his cameras on Iraq to shoot a faux documentary based on a true atrocity that took place in southern Baghdad.

Redacted, which earned De Palma the Best Director award at this year’s Venice Film Festival, is a harrowing film about a group of US soldiers who rape and kill a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murder members of her family.

Terror’s Advocate

Terror’s Advocate explores the birth and maturation of modern-day terrorism

Barbet Schroeder’s documentary Terror’s Advocate explores the birth and maturation of modern-day terrorism through the career of lawyer Jacques Vergès, who prides himself on having defended the world’s most despised.

The controversial Frenchman, whose clients have included Nazi war criminals, the Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic and officers of the Khmer Rouge, is now in his 80s and completely unrepentant.

Watch Part One here:

Watch Part Two here:

This episode of The Fabulous Picture Show will be broadcasted at the following times GMT:

Saturday 03rd November 14:30, 22:30; Sunday 04th November 02:30, 12:30; Monday 05th November 00:30, 07:30; Tuesday 06th November 06:00, 13:30; Wednesday 07th November 11:30, 19:30; Thursday 08th November 05:30 Friday 09th November 03:00, 16:30; Saturday 10th November 06:30