The Screen Podcast

In the first episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team previews the market and festival. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s deputy editor Louise Tutt and UK and international reporter Ben Dalton to discuss the opening of the Cannes market and why buyers and sellers are arriving earlier every year. The trio also delves into Thierry Fremaux’s press conference which tackled politics, gender parity, and Oscar rule changes. The Screen Podcast will be running daily episodes during the festival, dropping each morning at 7:30am CET.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, Italian-UK producer Carlo Cresto-Dina advocates for protecting the role of film producers, who he says are essential for managing “complex creative processes.” Cresto-Dina, founder of the Italy- and UK-based Tempesta, is best known for producing Alice Rohrwacher’s features: Corpo Celeste. The Wonders, Happy as Lazzaro and La Chimera. His other credits include Cathy Brady’s Wildfire, Margherita Vicario’s Gloria!, Michela Cescon’s Blue Eyes, and Leonardo Di Costanzo’s Ariaferma. He is also an experienced co-producer. In the full podcast interview, Cresto-Dina also talks about how to “sniff” new talent - like helping Rohrwacher get her debut feature Corpo Celeste off the ground even before she had directed shorts. The Screen Podcast is hosted by Wendy Mitchell and produced by Ellie Calnan. New episodes are out every Thursday.

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, our team go in-depth on the Cannes parallel sections that were unveiled earlier this week. Screen’s France correspondent and Cannes expert Rebecca Leffler joins host Wendy Mitchell to offer her insight into the Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight selections, having spoken to the heads of both sections this year. Our team also discuss Thierry Fremaux’s official selection, and what this says about the French film industry, and Leffler shares some of her Cannes survival tips.

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, Norwegian author and screenwriter Jo Nesbø discusses his Netflix series Detective Hole. Host Wendy Mitchell talks to Nesbo about how he transformed his novel into a nine-episode series and why star Tobias Santelmann almost lost out on the lead role. Nesbo also discussed his previously adapted novel The Snowman, which was made into a feature film by other writers and received poor reviews from the critics. Finally, the writer explained why the ‘Nordic Noir’ label does not bother him and whether the market for thriller series has become oversaturated. The Screen Podcast is hosted by Wendy Mitchell and produced by Ellie Calnan. New episodes every Thursday.

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team breaks down the Oscars ceremony and chats to two of the filmmakers who found themselves in a rare tie for an Academy Award. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay, who attended the ceremony, and box office and awards editor Charles Gant, to break down the 98th Academy Awards. They discuss what worked at the ceremony and what fell flat, who got the biggest cheers, and the food that was served at the afterparty. Then, Mitchell talks to Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh who directed Two People Exchanging Saliva - one of the two films to win the Oscar for best live-action short this year, which was just the seventh tied award ever in the history of the Oscars. They explain how it felt to experience the strange situation in real time, and having a “moment with Jay-Z” at his afterparty.

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, we analyse three huge film industry stories from the past week: the future of the Berlin film festival and its director Tricia Tuttle, Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, and the continued fallout from the Bafta Film Awards ceremony. Screen’s contributing editor Wendy Mitchell is joined by editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and deputy editor Louise Tutt to analyse the developments. Starting with the Berlinale, they look at the outpouring of industry support for Tricia and whether open letters are helpful. The team discusses the continued fallout from the Tourettes incident at the Baftas, and what questions need to be asked by the comprehensive review launched by the arts charity. Finally, the podcast team gives their initial reaction to David Ellison and Paramount Skydance winning the battle for Warner Bros Discovery after Netflix dropped out, and what could happen next. The Screen Podcast is produced and edited by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team looks back on Sunday’s controversial Bafta ceremony and the subsequent fallout. Breaking down the evening are Screen’s contributing editor Wendy Mitchell, editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and awards editor Charles Gant, who were all at the ceremony. They look at how the events unfolded on the night - when Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson involuntarily shouted a racial slur whilst Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting - and the serious questions that both Bafta and the BBC need to answer after this was broadcast on UK television. The trio also discusses some of the other highlights and lowlights from the ceremony, including the emotional speeches from Sinners’ Wunmi Mosaku and I Swear casting director Lauren Evans, and the strange decision for Sam Mendes to speak first when Hamnet won the British film prize. Finally and on a lighter note, there is a recap of the post-ceremony party circuit. Which party had the best canapes, and what famous actor was wearing a bathrobe? The Screen Podcast is produced and edited by Ellie Calnan, with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, film financiers Alexandra Lebret of the Together Fund and Andrea Scarso of IPR.VC share their insights. Lebret is managing director of Paris-based film and TV focused investment fund, the Together Fund, in partnership with Paris based investment firm Axio Capital. The Fund has so far raised €58m to invest in European independent film and television production companies and recently made its first investment into top Belgium-based producer Caviar. Scarso is managing partner at IPR.VC, a fund management company that raises money from traditional capital markets and invests specifically in the creative sector. IPR.VC has partnered with the likes of Red Bull Studios, XYZ Films, mk2, and A24, with Scarso also serving as an executive producer on Marty Supreme. The Screen Podcast is produced and edited by Ellie Calnan with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

The team delves into the 2026 Bafta and Oscar nominations. First, Screen editor Matt Mueller, deputy editor Louise Tutt and awards and box office editor Charles Gant discuss the key differences in nominations across the two awards bodies. They also explore what impact Bafta’s new jury interventions in best British film and documentary have had on this year’s results. The Screen Podcast is produced and edited by Ellie Calnan with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director.

The team picks out the talking points from the Bafta longlists and last Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony. First, Screen’s contributing editor Wendy Mitchell, editor Matt Mueller, deputy editor Louise Tutt and awards and box office editor Charles Gant go in-depth on why the Bafta longlists are really shortlists, whether it is a bad thing that smaller arthouse titles were mostly shut out of the major categories, and what impact they might have on Oscar voting. The team also looks at the Golden Globes results and how much relevance they have for the rest of the awards season. Plus, they explore date shifts for the European Film Awards and the Bafta nominations, the latter of which will come after the Oscar nominations for the first time in 25 years. ccb06d30-fc46-11f0-b621-63da90a66d7c

In this extra edition of The Screen Podcast, we go in-depth on the Warner Bros sale with M&A expert Kim Chua, who sheds light on the views of shareholders and potential regulatory hurdles. Chua, a partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants, was speaking to Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay. They discuss the different motivations behind the rival bids from Netflix and Paramount Skydance, and why many shareholders might see the Netflix bid as “more risky”.

In this bonus episode of The Screen Podcast, we speak to director Imran Hamdulay and star Keenan Arrison about crime thriller The Heart Is A Muscle, which has been selected by South Africa as its Oscars submission. Hamdulay, making his feature directing debut, told Screen’s senior US critic Tim Grierson how he tried to portray the poverty-stricken Cape Flats region of Cape Town in a more nuanced way than other films, even turning to the area’s local gang leaders for help.