The Curzon Film Podcast

In this episode, we talk about the film that has smashed even Avengers Endgame 's box office record, Lulu Wang's The Farewell . Plus, we talk to the director all about her film. First up though, is For Sama . When the Arab Spring came to Syria in 2012, Waad al-Kateab picked up her camera and began filming the revolution. For five years, under Assad’s brutal assault, she kept filming. For Sama captures that journey, as she marries her partner Hamza al-Kateab, and gives birth to her daughter Sama. The film becomes a justification to their daughter of why they remained in a war zone, capturing not just the daily assaults Hamza faces as a frontline doctor, but also the joys, passions and quiet moments of their friends and family. In The Farewell, Billi (Awkwafina) is called back from New York to her native China because her beloved grandmother is facing her last days. Yet, in accordance with tradition, this news is kept from the matriarch herself. Keeping up the pretence of a family wedding while reconnecting and grieving, we follow Billi on a funny, deeply moving exploration of the meaning of home and family. Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Kelly Powell, Steven Ryder and Sam Howlett. Follow the team on Social Media:

In this episode we get in to the Gray matters of space travel with James Gray, director of galactic sized interstellar therapy session Ad Astra. Plus, we roll out for a royal visit to Downton Abbey . In Ad Astra , astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos. It's 1927, the jazz age is in full swing, and Downton Abbey is anticipating a visit from none other than the King and Queen. Inhabitants, relatives and servants swing into action but can the silver be polished in time? This is a lavish and cinematic version of Julian Fellowes’s country house drama but can it bring a satisfying conclusion to the much loved saga? Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and Steph Watts Follow the team on Social Media:

This week we go from small-town Cornwall to small-town Maine, looking at the highly acclaimed British film Bait and the sequel to the biggest horror film of all time It Chapter Two, as well as speaking to the films' director Andy Muschietti. Bait looks at the effects of gentrification in a small fishing town in Cornwall. Shot in dramatic black-and-white on a 16mm camera, this is an impressive debut from director Mark Jenkin. It Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the events of the first film. The Losers Club are now all grown up, but the resurgence of Pennywise AKA It brings them back to Derry to face the monster from their childhood.   For information regarding your data privacy, visit

In this episode we snag a couple of souvenir guests in the form of director Joanna Hogg and music supervisor Ilona Cheshire, who give us their unique insights in to one of the most acclaimed films of 2019 The Souvenir is about Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne), a young film student struggling to find a firm direction in life when she meets the unwavering and decisive Tom Burke’s Anthony. The two  take to one another and an intense romance blossoms, however, as the relationship develops it becomes clear that Anthony is not being honest about all aspects of himself... Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Sam Howlett and Caitlin Quinlan. Follow the team on Twitter:

In this episode we discuss the devilish double bill that is Penny Lane's satanic temple documentary Hail Satan? and Pedro Almodóvar's sumptuous, melancholic reverie Pain and Glory Penny Lane’s film Hail Satan? May not be as demonic as the title suggests. It’s a documentary about the satanists steadfastly working to preserve the separation of church and state. In three years their members rose from just three, to over 100,000, including by the end, the film’s director. Director Salvador Mallo (played by Antonio Banderas) is called to revisit one of his early career triumphs. But the new restoration of his film also restores his connection with estranged friends, and shakes loose old memories. The film moves back and forth between recollections of his mother (played by Penélope Cruz), his early sexual awakening and his current, heroin lined state of listlessness Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Jake Cunningham and Steph Watts Follow the team on Social Media: