Murrain with Starve Acre director Daniel Kokotajlo

Murrain with Starve Acre director Daniel Kokotajlo

Witches, pigs, and thick midlands accents: in this episode we’re discussing Murran, the 1975 teleplay by Nigel Kneale.  When vet Critch arrives at the Bealey farm to treat a mysterious illness in a group of pigs, he’s surprised to discover a growing conspiracy in the village, centered around a suspected witch, Clemson.  For this discussion, I’m excited to be joined by Daniel Kokotajlo, director of Apostasy and the upcoming folk horror film Starve Acre with Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark. Dan knows his folk horror really well and has some fascinating insights on how this inspired Starve Acre, so hope you enjoy listening.

Cast-Offs with director Delyth Thomas

In Cast-Offs, a group of disparate disabled people – like wheelchair user Dan, thalidomide-affected Will, and deaf Carrie – are stranded on a deserted island for 3 months as part of a reality TV show. Cutting between their lives at home before the show and the challenges of living together on the island, Cast-offs takes aim at disability representation with dark humour. Joining me to chat about this hidden gem is Delyth Thomas, a director across film and TV whose previous credits include all-time fave The Story of Tracy Beaker, as well as episodes of Vera, Silent Witness, Victoria, and working with baby Bella Ramsey in The Worst Witch.

Certain Women with Fancy Dance director Erica Tremblay

Erica Tremblay joins to discuss Kelly Reichardt's film Certain Women. Erica is the director of new film Fancy Dance, which follows Lily Gladstone as Jax, who searches for her missing sister and cares for her niece, as they prepare for an upcoming powwow. Erica offers a super insightful analysis of Reichardt's film and walks through casting Lily Gladstone in her own film, her inspirations as a director, and working with the nearly extinct Cayuga language in Fancy Dance. This conversation can't be missed! Certain Women: in Livingston, Montana, the intersecting lives of three women illuminate tensions between old and new, and male and female, in the American West. Attorney Laura Wells is dealing with an unstable client. Gina is building a period-inspired home with her husband, who has just broken off his affair with Laura. And Jamie, a lonely ranch hand played by Lily Gladstone in her starmaking role, chances into an education law night class and forges a bond with teacher Beth, a junior attorney who works at Laura’s practice.

Save Curzon Mayfair

In this break from normal programming, I sit down with Curzon's Jake Garriock to talk about the historic Curzon Mayfair cinema, which is currently in jeopardy, as well as the importance of cinemas serving their communities, the gorgeous design of Mayfair itself, and my illicit Christmas decorations there in 2019. Help with the campaign: https://www.curzon.com/save-curzon-mayfair/objections/ [https://www.curzon.com/save-curzon-mayfair/objections/]

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly with Ed Lovelace, director of Name Me Lawand

Director name lengths, the hazards of POV filming, and guest Ed Lovelace's new film Name Me Lawand; join me and Ed to explore why this 2007 disability drama by Julian Schnabel is so intriguing.