Culture

Halle Bailey knew that, as a Black woman, her presence would add extra significance to her role in The Little Mermaid. What she didn’t expect was the way in which her and Ariel's journeys would run parallel.

Every issue, we compile the rising stars to watch. From actors to musicians, designers to writers, these are the up-and-coming names you need to know.

The groundbreaking Pakistani film about a relationship between a trans dancer and a married man was censored, banned and then unbanned. The filmmaker discusses its turbulent journey to critical acclaim.

My Media Diet: The social media-savvy film buff has befriended the likes of Jenna Ortega and Dylan O’Brien.

The podcast’s hosts Eliza McLamb and Julia Hava have cemented themselves as prophets of high-low criticism and internet hot takes.

Satisfy your fascination with what may (or may not) be out there with our pick of the best alien flicks.

Call Sheet: The only woman (so far) to survive creepy Joe’s obsession in You, the actor behind Marianne pulls back the curtain on her career.

Skip the cheese, thanks. These films will make you think deep and fall hard.

To celebrate slowthai’s video for Feel Good, we’ve rounded up some of the best teen bedrooms in film and TV.

The German epic, an unlikely awards season sensation, is led from the front by the 27-year-old newcomer. The Austrian actor describes his months on the frontline and defends the film’s visceral violence. “Why watch a war movie that isn't too brutal? It's absurd.”

It may seem that the industry has changed for the better, but fewer minorities and women directed movies in 2022. Coupled with this year's disappointing snub of Black women at the Oscars, it’s pretty obvious that Hollywood still has a long way to go.

This week, the team is joined by Empire's Amon Warmann to discuss Oscar predictions and the biggest snubs of the season.

The "bi-coastal elite" podcast attracts hundreds of thousands listeners and big name guests. Now, the flippant American duo are selling out shows overseas. Not bad for two blokes who've never had proper jobs.

Director Hugh Mulhern's AI experiment challenges reductive notions of Irish identity. His work has been called “hiberno-futurism” – make of that what you will.

Call Sheet: The actor is astonishing in the awards-laden indie film about an Eighties teacher trapped by institutional homophobia.

My Media Diet: We quizzed one of TikTok’s funniest comics about his weird and wonderful internet obsessions.

The 28-year-old Aussie has bagged a spot on Tracey Emin’s first-ever artist residency in Margate thanks to her paintings of pantry classics.

Call Sheet: The young New Yorker is in awe of co-star Brendan Fraser’s Oscar-nominated performance. Having been acting since he was three weeks old, he knows what he’s talking about.

Quan, Tár, Fraser, Coolidge, mic drop. The success story this awards season is of actors and directors battling back from the brink. Here’s to the silver screen’s own revival spiral.

Oscar-nominated doc All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a potent portrayal of loss and addiction, following the artist’s fight against deadly inequality, corporate greed and big pharma, writes Amelia Abraham.

After leaving Merthyr Tydfil, photographer Aran Harris felt at odds with his sense of home. In Hiraeth, he sees his Welsh roots in a whole new light.

Call Sheet: LaBelle was an unknown Canadian teenager when he was cast as a young Steven Spielberg in The Fabelmans. Almost as much pressure as that time he choked in a Riverdale audition…