arts24

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with Ambroise and Zoé from indie band Astral Bakers. The French four-piece have a real Americana, soft-grunge sound, blending warm harmonies with stripped-down arrangements. Their second album "Vertical Life" was recorded in the Catskills in upstate New York, and celebrates their collective identity. We also look at the return of the cassette tape, which is hoping to emulate the same success vinyl records have had in recent years.

The Broadway classic "Chicago" now has a certain "je ne sais quoi" on stage at the Casino de Paris. Our reporters went to check out this new production of the musical famed for Bob Fossé's choreography and its femme fatale, Roxy Hart. We also look back at the life of reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff, who has died at 81 years old and discover a new, luminous collection of paintings from British artist Christopher Le Brun. Plus we learn more about the micro-dramas hailed as the "soap operas of the digital age", with one-minute episodes designed specifically for smartphone screens.

In this arts24 interview, Grammy-nominated poet aja monet joins us in Paris to talk about her new collection "Florida Water" and what it means to make art in a moment of political turmoil. She opens up about living through the new wave of American culture-war battles – from book bans to attacks on arts funding – and explains why she believes poetry has become an important tool for resistance, healing and community. aja monet also reflects on the heartbreak at the centre of "Florida Water", her long-standing activism for Palestine and the loneliness she sees shaping a generation. With poems like "Castaway" and "For Sonia", she explores how poetry can help us face climate grief, injustice and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the world.

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.