My Picture House

For Halloween I am joined by Taz from My spotlight independent.

Please visit Taz’s website here and check out the VOD page-

https://www.myproduction.co.uk/vod

There is something radical about the local.

In this episode I am joined by Joe Cornick, the director, writer, DOP and more of 'Steel: the blood of us'.

"Steel: The Blood of Us" (2026), is a love letter to the community of Port Talbot during the final years of traditional steelmaking in the town. It is a beautifully crafted mediation on the town of Port Talbot and its people.

A trailer for “Steel: The Blood of Us” can be screened here- https://youtu.be/xFNmKwfQMUQ?si=L4A47_uCftkXX2Zy

Steel on Film brings together two remarkable documentaries made fifty years apart: "The Face of Change" (1976), produced by British Steel as the industry faced widespread restructuring, and "Steel: The Blood of Us" (2026), a love letter to the community of Port Talbot during the final years of traditional steelmaking in the town. Beginning in Ebbw Vale and moving to Port Talbot, the films offer contrasting perspectives on an industry and the communities shaped by it across five decades of British industrial history. Together, they explore not only the rise and uncertain future of steel in the UK, but the people and families caught up in that change, revealing how many of the questions facing steel communities in 1976 continue to resonate today.

Dates for upcoming screenings are:

The Market Hall Cinema - Ebbw Vale, Wales - Friday 18th September (Joe Cornick, Ben Doherty and Malcolm Hignett in attendance for Q&A)

Chapter Arts Centre - Cardiff, Wales - Saturday 19th September (Joe Cornick & Ben Doherty in attendance for Q&A hosted by ITV Journalist Sofia Lewis)

Studio Cinema - Coleford - Sunday 20th September (Joe Cornick in attendance for Q&A)

Warwick Arts Centre - Coventry - Wednesday 23rd September (Joe Cornick in attendance for Q&A)

Redcar Regent Cinema - Redcar - Sunday 27th September (Joe Cornick & Ben Doherty in attendance for Q&A)

Pheonix Cinema - Falmouth - Wednesday 14th October (Joe Cornick & Ben Doherty in attendance for Q&A)

The Genesis Cinema - London - Sunday 25th October (Joe Cornick, Ben Doherty, Executive Producer Craig McCall and Malcolm Hignett in attendance for Q&A)

More are set to be announced...

https://www.steelthebloodofus.co.uk/

Get out and support if you can.

In this episode I am joined by author and journalist Joe Luc Barnes to talk about 'The Death of Stalin' (2017).

Joe is the author of 'Farewell to Russia- A journey through the former USSR' published by Pegasus Books.

We talk about the film, the uses and abuses of political language, what happens after the death of dictators and the fall of empires, authoritarian elections, the birth of the Molotov Cocktail, Khruschev's joke strategy, Stalin's influence on Soviet football, MMA sports-washing and the even the geo-political importance of Chairman Mao's feces.

About Joe:

JOE LUC BARNES has spent a decade living and working as a journalist across China and the former Soviet Union. Joe’s fascination with the region began with his love of Russian literature. Before long, he was living it, working as a governor in a dacha outside Moscow. He later studied a master’s in Russian and East European Politics at Oxford University. As a journalist, Joe has contributed to numerous English language media outlets including The Financial Times; Nikkei; The Diplomat; and The Times of Central Asia. In an age of work-from-home punditry, he prefers the messiness of the road: the haze of smoky bars, chance encounters in a railway dining car. He has visited all fifteen former USSR republics since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022. He is currently based between London and Central Asia. joelucbarnes.com X/Instagram/LinkedIn: @joelucbarnes

About 'Farewell to Russia'

This is a witty and incisive political story that asks: what is the legacy of the USSR, and what does it mean in a world where Russia is increasingly dominant? Snow, concrete, the KGB: that’s the cliché of the Soviet Union. But its collapse in 1991 sparked a story at once messier and more compelling than any stereotype. Thirty-five years on, Moscow may brim with champagne bars and blacked-out Mercedes – but what became of the other fourteen states that emerged from the ashes? In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Joe Luc Barnes crossed the former USSR to find out, from the gleaming towers of Azerbaijan to the former gulags of Kazakhstan, tech-hungry Estonia to the minarets of Uzbekistan. Along the way, he finds epic mountains, cobblestoned old towns and storied Silk Road cities – not to mention Georgian wine, Armenian brandy and vodka in industrial supply. Travelling thousands of miles, he gathers a chorus of voices: nomads in mountain yurts, TikTok-fuelled activists, small-town taxi drivers and many who still look uneasily over their shoulder for the secret police. With insight, empathy and a healthy dose of mordant wit, he asks what has happened – and why – to the people and their hopes and dreams since the great promise of independence. By turns hilarious, angry and heart-stopping, this is a darkly comic, deeply human portrait of a region the West still misunderstands – and a warning of what happens when empires break but the habits of empire refuse to die. Covers: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine – and, of course, Russia. “This book is the product of years on the road, countless conversations, and a determination to look beyond Russia and Soviet stereotypes. While it doesn’t gloss over its traumas – eight of these countries fought wars since 1991 – the book tries to approach the region with a lighter touch, celebrating the generosity, resilience, and absurd humour that I found almost everywhere. In a time of war, it seeks to shine fresh light on Russia’s rocky relationship with its former colonies, while showcasing the human stories springing from one of history’s seismic shifts. But above all, the aim is to make these nations more accessible and tempt the more adventurous reader to visit.” Joe Luc Barnes

Music as usual by the fabulous - The Croutons.

Watch the film here:

Spirits Of The Dead 1968 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveMusic, as usual, by the fabulous Croutons

In this episode I am joined by Ola from Ola's Kool Kitchen to talk about Hal Ashby's 'Harold and Maude'.

A wide ranging conversation that takes in comparison to The Graduate, Ola’s history with the movie, Hal Ashby’s life, film making in the 70s and lots more..., there's even a poem in the outro.

Music by The Croutons

Ola's links:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/olaskoolkitchen.bsky.socia

lInternetArchive:https://archive.org/details/@ola_apos_s_kool_kitchen

Heart This https://hearthis.at/olaskoolkitchen/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MariolaSFiedorczuk

Times of Central Asia: https://timesca.com/our-people/ola-fiedorczuk/

K. Krombie joins me in the virtual studio to talk about her choice of John Schlesinger's 1969 film Midnight Cowboy.

Krombie is an author, journalist, editor and tour operator in New York, a city she became obsessed with at 7 years old when she first saw this film.

'Death in New York':

Death in New York, New York: K. Krombie: 9781467149655: Paperback – Arcadia Publishing

'Death in New York' on Amazon:

Death in New York: History and Culture of Burials, Undertakers & Executions: Amazon.co.uk: Krombie, Khira: 9781467149655: Books

Purefinder New York
Dark History Walking Tours in NYC:

Unusual NYC History Walking Tours | Purefinder New York

“Each tour peels back the layers of city mythology to reveal what actually happened, using public records, archival research and a tone that gently reminds you this was never the land of moral high ground.”‍ ‍

– Time Out New York

At The Times of Central Asia:

K Krombie - The Times Of Central AsiaAt Muck Rack:

K. Krombie's Profile | The Times of Central Asia Journalist | Muck Rack

A bit of a rambling episode about Love is the Devil. A film about a period in the life of Francis Bacon and his relationship with George Dyer.

Music by The Croutons as (nearly) always.

Bacon interviews:

https://youtu.be/uMPmwO_l4Uw?si=NVYPhsaWtiAHn47g

https://youtu.be/Fiqi-rA3WRI?si=RpMlRiHoM1pzYn7q

https://youtu.be/iyepHcAe8lM?si=eBcwkez5wEHSGbWb

Dispatches from your correspondent at the wonderful NOLI film festival May 2026.

In the projection booth with me for this episode is Steve from The Bristol Cult Film Society and he brought along Times Square (1980).

This film was new to me and I loved it.

The Bristol Cult Film Society Podcast on youtube-

The Bristol Cult Film Society Podcast! - YouTube

On Spotify-

https://open.spotify.com/show/19K9TO47ygxsHWBw5RJB5D?si=09b7cac0074742a1

The Facebook group:

Bristol Cult Film Society | Facebook

Theme by The Croutons and we play out with a little of the Manic Street Preachers cover of 'Damn Dog Now' from the soundtrack.

In this episode I am joined by Silvana Maimone to discuss Pan's Labyrinth (2006).

We discuss the power and importance of creativity, especially in difficult times, imagination as resistance, the joys of films that aren't American and lots more including Guillermo Del Toro's fabulous 'Pan's Labyrinth'.

Thank you to Silvana for her time and insight.

Some words from the director:

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUGrnRXid7P/

Here is a link to the TED talk mentioned in the episode:

Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson | TED