“The Bechdel Test” started as a joke in one of her comic strips before becoming one of the most famous measures of gender representation in film. Now, acclaimed American cartoonist Alison Bechdel has joined forces with French critic Iris Brey for their new essay, “La Véritable Histoire du test de Bechdel”. FRANCE 24’s Charli James speaks with Bechdel about the true story behind the test, how it feels when your name becomes more famous than you, and how she uses humour to empower the queer community in the Trump era.

As the conflict in the Middle East engulfs Lebanon, with air strikes and evacuation orders once again shaking the foundations of society, we hear from Wissam Charaf and Zeid Hamdan, two Lebanese artists grappling with this moment of crisis. Filmmaker Wissam Charaf joins us by video link from Beirut to reflect on the past seven years and how they have driven many artists to flee the country.

As war shakes their home country, Iranians of the diaspora in Paris have raised their voices, calling for peace, solidarity and a sustainable transition from autocracy. 

Ben Croll and Dheepthika Laurent look at the all the winners – and losers – from the César awards ceremony in Paris, including Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague" and the moving family drama "The Ties That Bind Us". Ben takes us through the highlights of the evening, including a lifetime achievement award for actor Jim Carrey and Iranian-French actress Golshifteh Farahani's tribute to Iranian protesters.

After four decades away from French stages, the Dance Theatre of Harlem is back in Paris – and making history once again. On arts24, Eve Jackson sits down with dancers Alexandra Hutchinson and Lindsey Donnell as they bring the company's groundbreaking legacy to the Palais des Congrès de Paris. Born in 1969 in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination, the company was founded on a belief: ballet belongs to everyone.

In this edition of our film show, critic Emma Jones talks to Eve Jackson about the latest film releases, including "The History of Sound" from director Oliver Hermanus. It stars Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor as two men who fall in love in the shadow of World War I. The film premiered in competition at Cannes to lukewarm reviews, but Emma argues its quiet, repressed portrayal of a gay relationship shaped by its era is exactly what gives it emotional force.

In this episode of arts24, we mark four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine with powerful films from the frontlines. The BAFTA-winning documentary "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" exposes how Russian schools have been used for propaganda, while Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov captures frontline courage in "2000 Meters to Andriivka", which follows soldiers during the 2023 counteroffensive.

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with British artist Jamie Woon, who is back with new music for the first time in a decade. He emerged from London's fertile post-dubstep scene of the early 2010s with his debut album "Mirrorwriting" and his Mercury-nominated follow-up "Making Time". His lyrics are vulnerable and introspective, blending R'n'B, neo soul and electronic sounds. After a decade away from the spotlight, Jamie is back with his album "3,10, Why, When" and is heading out on a European tour.

Where many filmmakers might have made a conventional biopic about George Orwell, Raoul Peck chose instead to use the British author’s own words to craft an urgent documentary – one that serves as a warning about the dangers of totalitarianism today. The Haitian director joins us to discuss his new film, “2+2 = 5”, which explores how fragile democracies can be in the face of “alternative facts,” mass surveillance and media monopolies. Peck explains how Orwell’s warnings are playing out across the world – and why the resilience of civil society may be our only hope.

In this episode of arts24, Eve Jackson speaks to Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani, whose intimate and quietly powerful cinema continues to explore love, identity and the tensions within Moroccan society. After "Adam" and "The Blue Caftan", she returns with her most personal film yet, "Calle Málaga" – a story of memory, mixed identity and belonging set in Tangier's historic Spanish community. At a time when debates around migration and identity feel increasingly polarised, Touzani brings the conversation back to something deeply human. The film is also a tender and rare meditation on ageing and desire – celebrating vitality, intimacy and dignity later in life in ways cinema seldom dares to portray.