All posts tagged: acclaimed

Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis and acclaimed French-Iranian artist, dies aged 56 | Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis and acclaimed French-Iranian artist, dies aged 56 | Marjane Satrapi

Published by Sam Flores

Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian artist, film-maker and graphic novelist whose acclaimed memoir Persepolis helped reshape international perceptions of Iran, has died at the age of 56. In a statement provided to French news agency AFP, relatives said she had “died of sadness” after the death of her husband, the Swedish producer Mattias Ripa. Ripa died on 8 April last year. Later that month, a series of messages posted on Satrapi’s Instagram account revealed the phrase: “For I lost the love of my life.” Tributes have been paid to Satrapi from across French politics and culture following news of her death. President Emmanuel Macron said Satrapi was “a great artist who turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale,” adding: “With her childlike perspective, her irony, her tenderness, her inner demons, the author created a moving world with which readers identified.” Writing on X, Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the French National Assembly, said: “Marjane Satrapi had turned her work into an act of freedom. With Persepolis, she had given a face and a voice to the …

Vera icon Brenda Blethyn’s acclaimed film wins array of awards at BJIFF

Vera icon Brenda Blethyn’s acclaimed film wins array of awards at BJIFF

Published by Daniella Wilson

Dragonfly, starring Vera icon Brenda Blethyn, has won big at the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF). The film from writer/director Paul Andrew Williams took home three awards during the closing ceremony on Saturday (25 April): best feature film, best screenplay, and best actress. In a rare move, the best actress trophy was split between the film’s two leading stars, Blethyn and Andrea Riseborough. Dragonfly, which was released in cinemas last November, follows 35-year-old Colleen (Riseborough) as she steps in to care for her 80-something-year-old neighbour Elsie (Blethyn) after witnessing her neglect by carers. However, their bond soon begins to unravel amid interference from Elsie’s son, who’s instantly suspicious of Coleen’s motives – in part due to his pre-existing biases. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow YouTube and its required purposes. Accept and continue And it’s this exploration of the characters’ – …

Normal People director to bring acclaimed novel from One Day author to BBC

Normal People director to bring acclaimed novel from One Day author to BBC

Published by Daniella Wilson

Normal People director Lenny Abrahamson has been tapped to break our hearts with a new book adaptation. You Are Here, written by One Day creator David Nicholls, tells the love story of Michael and Marnie, two divorced people of middle age who are brought together by a mutual friend, Cleo, who is organising a group to do the long-distance Coast to Coast walking trail across northern England. Both lonely and in need of human connection, the pair join the 200-mile-long trek – and soon they’re the last two left to complete it. Facing unpredictable weather and terrain as they cross the Yorkshire Dales, Lake District and North York Moors, Michael and Marnie begin to get closer as they continue their journey. Ambika Mod and Leo Woodard in Netflix’s One Day. Netflix According to Variety, Lenny Abrahamson will be adapting the 2024 novel for the BBC, with filming set to commence in July. The BBC declined to comment when contacted by Radio Times. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We …

Inside ‘Blue Heron,’ the Most Acclaimed Film of 2026 So Far

Inside ‘Blue Heron,’ the Most Acclaimed Film of 2026 So Far

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sophy Romvari tends to keep her expectations “tempered.” From the inception of her debut feature, Blue Heron, the Canadian native stayed focused on what she could control: the experience of making her deeply autobiographical film on her own terms. She didn’t have much hopes for a splashy acquisition out of a festival bow, much less a months-long press tour from there. “I definitely had no expectation of theatrical distribution for an independent Canadian personal drama in the year of 2026. I assumed that it would go straight to streaming,” she says. “The feedback you get from the industry as a new filmmaker is just, ‘It’s a bad time. No one’s taking risks.’”  And yet here Romvari sits on a Hollywood restaurant patio, struggling to find time for bites of her chopped salad between thoughtful answers to questions about her unlikely indie sensation. Blue Heron did not, it turns out, go straight to streaming; on the contrary, it’s being carefully rolled out on big screens across North America by the selective Janus Films. Romvari’s drama is …

How two acclaimed US films reveal the failures of leftwing revolutionary politics

How two acclaimed US films reveal the failures of leftwing revolutionary politics

Published by Sam Flores

Donald Trump’s victory in November 2024 led to considerable soul-searching among those on the left of US politics. Having failed to defeat a convicted criminal they beat once before, the Democrats spent most of 2025 licking their wounds as Trump launched what they saw as a full-frontal assault on US democracy. This new year has begun with fresh outrages at home and abroad, with the administration acting with increasingly horrifying impunity. Coupled with the continued rise of rightwing populism and authoritarianism the world over, Trump 2.0 has felt like an existential crisis for the left. The country has been here before. Leftwing protest movements in the 1960s in the US contributed to great legislative change – particularly in the area of civil rights – but they were often caricatured as unpatriotic, particularly in relation to the war in Vietnam. The feeling that the country was coming apart at the hands of young, violent radicals led the conservative “silent majority” to deliver Richard Nixon’s 1968 election victory. Since then, mainstream leftwing politics in the US has …

Channel 4 adds all 7 seasons of critically acclaimed medical drama – and it’s perfect for fans of House

Channel 4 adds all 7 seasons of critically acclaimed medical drama – and it’s perfect for fans of House

Published by Daniella Wilson

Medical dramas are one of my favourite kind of shows, the life-or-death situations faced by the doctors and nurses gives you the thrill, but I also love shows that delve into the lives of the characters. I have binge-watched the likes of House, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy and Casualty, and Channel 4 has just added all seven seasons of what will turn into my next obsession, Nurse Jackie. The drama follows Jackie Peyton, played by Edie Falco, an emergency department nurse at the fictional All Saint Hospital. The character is billed as someone who is seen arguing with doctors and “abusing painkillers”, similar to Doctor Gregory House in the iconic series, which can also be streamed on Channel 4. However, while House’s addiction to Vicodin was mostly played for laughs, Jackie’s addiction is presented more seriously, with the character seen going to extreme lengths to fuel her addiction. The synopsis on Channel 4 for the show reads: “Welcome to Manhattan’s All Saints Hospital. Meet Jackie, whose unorthodox brand of emergency healthcare includes forging donor …