Peepli Live

Two brothers, Natha and Budhia, are peasants in Peepli – a tiny, remote village in India. Unable to repay a loan, they risk losing their tiny piece of land to the bank. 

Aamir Khan joins Amanda Palmer for a look at Peepli Live and his incredible career

A local politician gives them a piece of advice: one of them should commit suicide.

There is a government programme, he says, that provides financial support to surviving dependants.

When Natha carelessly announces that he is willing to die, Budhia accepts his offer immediately. And when the national press grabs ahold of the story, Natha finds himself at the center of a media maelstrom. 

With Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan producing Peepli Live, first-time director Anusha Rizvi has forged a stinging media satire that addresses the decline of India’s farming base and its momentous shift towards the cities and manufacturing jobs – and its collateral damage – with humanity and humor.

Khan joins Amanda Palmer, Al Jazeera’s head of entertainment, and the FPS audience for a look at Peepli Live as well as the rest of his incredible career. 

Shahada

Shahada was one of the most talked-about films at this year’s Berlin Film Festival

The debut feature of Afghan-German Burhan Qurbani, Shahada is a timely look at the role of traditional Islam in modern Europe.

One of the most talked-about films at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, the film centers on three young Muslims trying to reconcile their faith with their needs and desires.

Never simplistic, Shahada draws you deep into its characters.

Qurbani talks to Amanda Palmer about how he thinks Shahada and its daring themes will play in the Muslim world – and within his own family. 

The Oath

The Oath gives rare insight into al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, and radical extremism

For her second in a trilogy of documentaries about America’s post-9/11 foreign policy, director Laura Poitras focuses on a compelling character: Abu Jandal, who served as Osama Bin Laden’s personal bodyguard during the 1990s.

After 9/11, Jandal broke his pledge of loyalty and became a taxi driver in Yemen.

The Oath is a rare inside look at Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, deconstructing myths and humanising its subject. 

It also takes a fresh look at Guantanamo and its treatment of detainees – and how America’s actions are causing young Muslim men to become further radicalised.

But mainly it is a profile of an outspoken, fascinating character who has been at the very center of radical extremism and emerged to tell the tale.

Poitras talks to FPS about how The Oath and her previous film, My Country, My Country, puts a human face on an abstract – and often mysterious – concept.

This episode of The Fabulous Picture Show can be seen from Thursday, October 28, 2010, at the following times GMT: Thursday: 0630; Saturday: 0830, 1630; Sunday: 0230, 1230 and 2330; Tuesday: 1930; Wednesday: 0730.