Film critic Emma Jones tells us why Yorgos Lanthimos's latest film "Bugonia" manages to mix existential angst and entertaining performances in his sixth collaboration with Emma Stone. We also hear why Jesse Plemmon's turn as a conspiracy theorist is worth the ticket price alone.

Hind Rajab's phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent in January 2024 was, for director Kaouther Ben Hania, the "tipping point" in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. As the Franco-Tunisian filmmaker releases her latest film "The Voice of Hind Rajab", she tells us about re-creating the story of the five-year-old girl who was killed by the Israeli army following a lengthy phone call with Red Crescent staff who were working tirelessly to arrange her rescue.

One of the reggae artists who brought the genre to the world has passed away aged 81. Jimmy Cliff's widow announced on social media that he had died following a seizure and pneumonia. The Grammy Award winner worked with artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to Kool and the Gang. FRANCE 24's culture editor Marjorie Hache looks back at Cliff's career and how he broke out as an international music star. 

This week on arts24, Marjorie Hache talks to anaiis, a Franco-Senegalese artist who makes beautifully textured R'n'B and who has just released "Devotion & The Black Divine", which touches on the fate of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora and seeks comfort in nature. Her music also extends into film, with anaiis producing stunning music videos. 

This month brings the end of an era as "Stranger Things" returns for its fifth and final season. Meanwhile, Ryan Murphy's "All's Fair", starring Kim Kardashian, in her first leading role has united critics in calling it a catastrophe, with The Guardian dubbing it "fascinatingly, existentially terrible". Plus, a provocative new French series "Seduction" reimagines the classic tale of "Dangerous Liaisons". TV critic Dheepthika Laurent guides us through the must-watch (and must-avoid) shows of the month.

In this episode of Arts 24, we look at "Fall of Freedom" – a nationwide wave of performances, readings and public art events as artists across the United States mobilise against mounting censorship and political pressure on cultural institutions. Hundreds of theatres, museums, and libraries are taking part on November 21 and 22 in what organisers call an urgent stand for artistic freedom. Joining us from New York are two of the movement’s leading voices: Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Lynn Nottage and visual artist Dread Scott. They discuss why they believe democracy is at risk, how cultural institutions are being pressured into silence, and why artists are uniting now. Among the stars participating in "Fall of Freedom" are filmmaker Michael Moore, director Ava DuVernay, musicians John Legend and Amanda Palmer, Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer Egan and visual artists Marilyn Minter. Events include staged readings, public art installations, concerts, film screenings, and library programs, all aimed at defending free expression.

Film critic Emma Jones joins Eve Jackson to unpack Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's show-stopping return to Oz in Jon M. Chu’s "Wicked: For Good", the blockbuster sequel landing with sky-high expectations, brand-new music and even a headline-grabbing incident at its Asian premiere. But this week's arts24 film show has far more than pink bubbles and green glamour.

Producers and multi-instrumentalists Cate Le Bon, from Wales, and Ouri, who was born in French Guiana, joined Marjorie Hache to discuss their new albums and how much – or how little – location shapes their work. Ouri has just moved back to Paris after spending the past decade in Montreal. She recently released the electro acoustic pop gem “Daisy Cutter”. Cate Le Bon has relocated to South Wales after the end of a relationship, though her 7th album, “Michelangelo Dying”, was produced in Hydra, Cardiff and Joshua Tree. 

At first, its soft cushions, luxurious rugs and fine china evoke the warm hospitality of an Afghan home. Yet as the immersive theatrical experience progresses, the audience feels the walls closing in, the sky outside darkens and the narrator's stories become increasingly bleak in tone. "One's own room: Inside Kabul" is an artistic take on the circumstances Afghan women and girls are currently living in: limited to their homes, with scarce opportunities for education. Its co-creator, Caroline Gillet, tells us about creating this space based on the accounts of Raha and Marwa, the two Afghan women whose stories made up her award-winning podcast "Inside Kabul" after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

He creates images of a past, present and future that are tantalisingly close to reality: Phillip Toledano's approach to photography harnesses technology, style and a sharp sense of humour. He joins us to talk about his latest book "Another England" and tells us how manipulating these scenes using artificial intelligence brings another layer to our ideas about "truth". Phillip also talks about putting himself at the centre of his artwork, and we discuss the technological developments that are revolutionising the way we make and consume art and culture.