The Fabulous Picture Show

Offering a fresh perspective on the world of movies and international film-making.

Rather than guess what cinema audiences want to know from filmmakers, The Fabulous Picture Show invites them to ask the questions.

The Fabulous Picture Show (FPS) is hosted from a live cinema event that brings filmmakers from across the world face-to-face with an international audience, and lets the public set the agenda.

After watching a specially screened film at the Everyman Cinema Club in London, our audience is invited by entertainment editor and presenter Amanda Palmer to question the guests in a lively, insightful, and often revealing debate.

As well as seeing filmmakers face their public, Amanda Palmer and the FPS team also talk to actors, directors, cinematographers, composers, costume and set designers – just about everyone involved in making interesting films.

Our features cover everything from world cinema, to experimenta, from the best of Hollywood to Nollywood, from shorts and music videos to documentary-style pieces that tell the stories of real people engaged in all levels of filmmaking.

Whether we’re covering the latest glitzy Hollywood premiere, or the most moving personal story, The Fabulous Picture Show aims to apply rigorous journalistic standards, a critical contextualising eye and, where appropriate, an irreverent sense of humour.

Amanda Palmer conceived The Fabulous Picture Show concept series, and leads a talented team in producing the bi-monthly programme for Al Jazeera English’s entertainment strand.

Coming up on the next edition of The Fabulous Picture Show:

Special Screening – Day Night Day Night

Amanda Palmer and Julia Loktev

New York director Julia Loktev has created an intriguing film about the last two days of an American female suicide bomber. Known only as She, we never learn the woman’s beliefs, or why she plans to detonate herself in Times Square.

But the tight, and at times humorous film just keeps picking up festival awards, so far winning a highly prestigious Independent Sprit Award at the 2007 ceremony in LA as well as nods from the Cannes and Chicago film festivals.

Julia Loktev answers our audience’s challenging questions about her enigmatic film in a very lively Q&A session, hosted by The Fabulous Picture Show presenter Amanda Palmer.

Alpha Dog

Bruce Willis and Emile Hirsch in
Alpha Dog

Based on a true story, Alpha Dog immerses itself in the seedy side of Southern California, when a drug-debt kidnap turns into murder. Johnny Truelove (played by Emile Hirsch), is Alpha Dog’s version of Jesse James Hollywood, the 20-year-old drug-dealer who made notoriety in August 2000 when he became the youngest person ever to feature on the FBI’s most wanted list for the murder of 15-year old Nicholas Markowitz.

The film, which also stars Justin Timberlake in his debut role, began shooting even before Hollywood was finally captured in Brazil in 2005. In an attempt to assist in his arrest, the FBI gave director Nick Cassavetes unprecedented access to otherwise classified documents.

Dubai’s Student Filmmakers

Dubai Student Filmmakers

For any student filmmaker a premiere is an important event, but what happens if you are travelling thousands of miles from Dubai to Hollywood for the occasion?

FPS follows five aspiring filmmakers from Dubai as they hit Hollywood to showcase their short films at the prestigious University of Southern California, where Steven Spielberg trained.

Gabriella Pescucci

Gabriella Pescucci’s
studio

We travel to Rome, the capital of the Italian film industry, to catch up with Oscar-winning Italian costume designer Gabriella Pescucci. Over her forty year career she has “dressed the cinema” for many acclaimed films including The Age of Innocence.

Gabriella invites Amanda to Cinema Va Di Moda, a catwalk tribute to celebrate sixty years of Italian cinema and costume. In her role as Artistic Director, we are led backstage as a cast of two hundred models are transformed into legendary characters from the world of Italian cinema.

Our private tour continues to the renowned Tirelli design studio, which has hosted some of the most famous fittings since 1964. Here we see first hand the processes of Gabriella’s work, from hand-drawn sketches to the final costumes.

This edition of The Fabulous Picture Show will air daily from Saturday 21st April 2007 at the following times:

Saturday 21st April – 14:30 and 22:30 GMT; Sunday 22nd April – 02:30 and 12:30 GMT;
Monday 23rd April – 07:30 GMT; Tuesday 24th April – 07:00 and 13:30 GMT;
Wednesday 25th April – 00:30, 11:30 and 20:30 GMT; Thursday 26th April – 05:30 and 19:30 GMT;
Friday 27th April – 03:00 and 16:30 GMT; Saturday 28th April – 06:30 GMT

Click here for Amanda Palmer’s biography

To contact us:

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