He's an established producer, having worked on everything from Slumdog Millionaire to Zero Dark Thirty and Life of Pi. But now Tabrez Noorani has turned his hand to directing, taking on a harrowing tale of human trafficking that tells the story of two sisters - one sold by her debt-ridden father, and the other who travels from India to LA in a bid to rescue her. And ends up falling into the hands of traffickers herself. The movie sees the director reunite with actor Freida Pinto, who he first worked with on Slumdog Millionaire. Showcase's Miranda Atty sat down with Tabrez Noorani in London, to find out what it was like tackling such a heartbreaking and controversial topic.

#TabrezNoorani #LoveSonia #Showcase

It is estimated that 8 million tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean every year, and part of that includes something not a lot of people pay much attention to - drinking straws. In the United States alone, more than 500 million are used and thrown away every single day. To draw attention to the growing plastic crisis, one artist decided to show how small decisions like refusing to use plastic straws can have a big impact on the environment.

To talk more about the growing plastic crisis, the artist behind the project, Benjamin Von Wong, joins Showcase from San Francisco. He is an engineer-turned photographer famous for his hyper-realistic style.

#Strawpocalypse #PlasticStraws #Showcase

In this episode of Showcase:

Palestine Underground,

Makimakkuk and Al Nather, artists,

Shortcuts,

35th Sundance Film Festival,

Nick Allen, editor at RogerEbert.com,

Velvet Buzzsaw,

DAU

#PalestineUnderground #Sundance #VelvetBuzzsaw

Palestine Underground is a film that follows Palestinian music collectives, DJs, producers and rappers, and tells the story of how nightlife culture allows them to break down geopolitical borders, reconnect with their people, and celebrate their Arab identity on the dance floor.

Two people who appear in the film, Palestinian trip-hop, folk music, and hip-hop artist Majdal Nijim, also known as Makimakkuk and Al Nather, a flotist, percussionist, vocalist and producer based in Ramallah join Showcase in the studio.

#underground #PalestineUnderground #music

The Sundance Film Festival is responsible in shaping the careers of some of the most important names in cinema. Like socially-conscious director Ava Du Vernay and serious film buff and auteur Quentin Tarantino. The biggest global showcase for independent filmmakers just wrapped up its 35th edition. And this year the program was full of bold exposés, as well as gender and racial-conscious productions, bringing the folks in Utah a strong mix of politically charged films and documentaries.

To talk us through the highlights of this edition of Sundance, Nick Allen joins Showcase from Chicago. He is a film critic and editor at movie review website RogerEbert.com

#Sundance #Cinema #Showcase

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Digital streaming service Netflix seems to forever be at the centre of some kind of controversy - big or small. Although it pulled out of the Cannes Film Festival due to movie competition rule changes, the company received an Oscar nod with the in-house production Roma. And now, despite its vast resources and global distribution system, Netflix is trying to penetrate the fortress of independent cinema at the Sundance Film Festival with a new production by former indie director Dan Gilroy.

#VelvetBuzzsaw #Netflix #Showcase

These days, keeping the mystery surrounding magic tricks a secret is almost impossible. In the digital age, a few clicks can reveal how a trick is done, taking away that sense of awe that's behind even the most basic of illusions. But there exists a place, deep in the heart of New York City, that has never stopped believing in and helping create that sense of wonder. It's been there nearly one hundred years and has been keeping secrets ever since. Welcome to Tannen's.

#Tannens #Magic #Showcase

In this episode of Showcase:

Palestine Underground,

Jessica Kelly, director,

Imperial Capitals at the Hermitage,

India Art Fair with Avantika Bhuyan, art and culture journalist,

The Museum of Failure,

Basra's Fairouz Book Café,

Franz Schubert

#PalestineUnderground #ImperialCapitals #ArtFair

It was right after the time of the Renaissance that Europe enjoyed a sudden and newfound interest in classical Greek culture. It was expressed in architecture, literature, philosophy, and theatre but most importantly in painting. Now, this transition from Renaissance to Neo-Classicist painting is on display in an exhibition at The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg - showcasing famous paintings by Botticelli, Tintoretto, Rubens and Van Dyck, which were included in the collection of the Russian and Austrian imperial families.

#Botticelli #Tintoretto #Showcase

In this episode of Showcase:

100 years of Bauhaus,

Bauhaus effect on cinema,

Aylin Orek retrospective,

Global art news,

Black is the New Black,

Stanley Kubrick and Dr. Strangelove

#Bauhaus #cinema #culture