Are Nolan and Cameron the Last Bankable Directors? Plus Toy Story 5, Venice & Welsh Cinema

Are Nolan and Cameron the Last Bankable Directors? Plus Toy Story 5, Venice & Welsh Cinema

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has broken BFI IMAX ticket sales records a month before release or before any reviews, raising a fascinating question: are Nolan and Avatar's James Cameron the last truly bankable directors in cinema? This week, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab debate Nolan's unique relationship with audiences, and how many other directors could inspire those sales. Or is the box office also excitement about the topic of the film itself? Staying with Greek myths, Emma explores the release of Welsh-language drama Effi o Blaenau, originally inspired by the Greek tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis via an acclaimed bok, Iphigenia in Splott, and what a new wave of Welsh and Irish language filmmaking says about the confidence of Celtic cinema. The pair also look ahead to the Venice Film Festival, discussing whether Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning will be there, the prospect of Tom Cruise going to the Lido for Digger, and how important the Venice red carpet is for publicising a film. Plus: Emma reviews Toy Story 5, Pixar's examination of childhood, screens and technology — and Kaleem makes the case for Toy Story as the greatest film franchise ever made. For more from us, subscribe for free or follow us: cinemainonetake.substack.com [https://cinemainonetake.substack.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @aftabamon [https://www.instagram.com/aftabamon] @emmapjones1 [https://www.instagram.com/emmapjones1/]

Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day and the Nadav Lapid Controversy

Steven Spielberg's long-awaited new alien epic Disclosure Day has finally landed. Is it his best film in 20 years, or a frustrating missed opportunity? Cinema in One Take's Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab disagree about what Hollywood's legendary director has created. They also discuss the controversy surrounding Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid and his withdrawal from FIDMarseille after calls for a boycott if he attended, because his previous film Yes received money from the Israel Film Fund. Should filmmakers be judged by the actions of their governments - even when they're highly critical of them? Plus, Kaleem pays a personal tribute to Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed director of Persepolis, who died last week, and Emma watched Dreams of Violets, the first fully AI-generated feature to premiere at a major film festival, in this case, Tribeca. You can find Kaleem's Substack on Marjane Satrapi, and all of their articles, here: cinemainonetake.substack.com [https://cinemainonetake.substack.com/] Follow us: @aftabamon [https://www.instagram.com/aftabamon] @emmapjones1 [https://www.instagram.com/emmapjones1/]

Backrooms, Martin Scorsese and YouTube's Hollywood Takeover

What happens when YouTubers start making some of the biggest films in the world? This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab dive into the extraordinary success of Backrooms and Obsession, two breakout hits from directors who built huge audiences online before stepping behind the camera. What took Hollywood so long to recognise the talent pipeline? They also tackle the Tribeca-premiering Dreams of Violets by Ash Koosha to Martin Scorsese's latest AI venture, and ask when technology opens doors for filmmakers, and when it starts replacing people. Plus, why are family films still more likely to feature a talking animal than a woman over 60 in a leading role? ( Not to mention a man called Chris)  Emma unpacks the latest industry figures and what they reveal about who Hollywood still thinks can sell a movie. And, in new releases,  Kaleem recommends The Little Sister, the latest film from Hafsia Herzi, a moving coming-of-age drama that explores faith, identity and sexuality in contemporary Paris.

Fjord Wins the Palme d’Or: Inside the Cannes 2026 Awards

Our final Cannes Film Festival wrap-up is here! In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones reports back from the Croisette after a whirlwind fortnight at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, while Kaleem Aftab joins to unpack the winners, surprises, controversies and biggest talking points from this year’s Palme d’Or race. They discuss why Christian Mungiu’s Fjord emerged as the festival’s major winner, how films like Minotaur, Fatherland and La Bola Negra were also this year's big winners, and whether Cannes 2026 marked a shift away from easy ideological certainties in contemporary cinema. The conversation also explores: * Why critics appeared divided over Fjord * The growing prominence of LGBTQ stories at Cannes * Why so many of this year’s prize winners were epic-length films * The emotional impact of Coward and A Man of His Time * The strongest discoveries from Un Certain Regard, including Every Time, Ben’Imana and Elephants in the Fog * Breakout cinema from Rwanda, Nepal and the Central African Republic, including Congo Boy * The British success of Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning * The devastating Iranian documentary Rehearsals for a Revolution * And why some of the festival’s most exciting films may have existed outside the main competition entirely Plus: the Palm Dog winner La Perra, Cannes audience reactions, world cinema discoveries, and which films could now become major players in the Oscar conversation.  Sign up for our updates: cinemainonetake.substack.com [https://cinemainonetake.substack.com/] Follow us: @aftabamon [https://www.instagram.com/aftabamon] @emmapjones1 [https://www.instagram.com/emmapjones1/]

Cannes 2026: The Palme d’Or Race Is Wide Open

The Palme d’Or race at the Cannes Film Festival is becoming more unpredictable by the day as the festival enters its final stages. Emma Jones speaks to Kaleem Aftab from Cannes, to talk about the icy family drama Fjord starring Sebastian Stan, the politically charged Russian thriller Minotaur, and the visually stunning World War I love story Coward. They also explore one of the festival’s biggest emerging themes: the remarkable number of LGBTQ+ stories this year, from Japanese romance dramas to queer wartime love stories and buzzy late-night festival title Jim Queen. Sign up for our updates: cinemainonetake.substack.com [https://cinemainonetake.substack.com/] Follow us: @aftabamon [https://www.instagram.com/aftabamon] @emmapjones1 [https://www.instagram.com/emmapjones1/]