wed 19/02/2025

Interviews with leading figures from the arts

theartsdesk Q&A: Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof on 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' - 'It became a question of self-respect'

Nick Hasted

Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof is now an Oscar-nominated refugee, in a bittersweet harvest for his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

10 Questions for Mark Gatiss, writer-director of 'A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone'

Justine Elias

There are no white-sheeted ghosts in this year’s A Ghost Story for Christmas. The BBC’s annual adaptations of MR James’s best-known stories have been a holiday favourite since the 1970s.

theartsdesk Q&A: filmmakers Guy Maddin, Evan...

Nick Hasted

Somewhere in Germany, G7 conference leaders including German Chancellor Ortmann (Cate Blanchett) and US President Wolcott (Charles Dance) repair to a...

theartsdesk Q&A: filmmaker Payal Kapadia on...

Pamela Jahn

Payal Kapadia’s lyrical fiction feature debut All We Imagine as Light, which received the Grand Prix at Cannes in May, is now accruing end-of-year...

Interview: rising star Chloe Savage on the Arctic...

Rachel Halliburton

How old were you when you first had an image of the Arctic? When you first had that image, what was it that most resonated? Was it its remoteness,...

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

Interview: Roy Haynes, Jazz Drumming Giant (1925-2024)

Nick Hasted

The jazz legend reminisces, from Satchmo to Metheny

theartsdesk Q&A: director Jacques Audiard on his Mexican trans gangster musical 'Emilia Pérez'

Pamela Jahn

The French filmmaker concocted an extravagant genre mash-up to confront the tragedy of Mexico's 'disappeared'

theartsdesk Q&A: Anna Bogutskaya on her new book about the past decade of horror cinema

Harry Thorfinn-George

In time for Halloween, the author discusses 'Feeding the Monster' - and why she thinks horror cinema has entered a new phase

theartsdesk Q&A: Alice Lowe on 'Timestalker' and what women rue through the ages

Justine Elias

The writer, director, and star inserts herself into the history of love

theartsdesk Q&A: young pianist Ignas Maknickas on appearing at the Roman River Festival and beyond

Rachel Halliburton

A rising talent who first performed with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra aged 9

The Third Man rides again - 75th anniversary of Carol Reed's noir classic

Adam Sweeting

Script supervisor Angela Allen on Orson Welles and filming in a war-ravaged Vienna

theartsdesk Q&A: conductor Dalia Stasevska on her new album of contemporary orchestral music

Bernard Hughes

Finnish-Ukrainian conductor looks to bring the music of today to new audiences

theartsdesk Q&A: David Morrissey on (among other things) the return of 'Sherwood' and 'Daddy Issues'

Adam Sweeting

Liverpool-born actor reflects on a journey from Everyman Theatre to film and TV stardom

theartsdesk Q&A: violinist Braimah and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, guitarist Plínio Fernandes, on their two Fantasia Proms

David Nice

String siblings and old friend reunite with Tom Fetherstonhaugh's inspiring orchestra

10 Questions for DJ-producer Dave Clarke

Thomas H Green

The techno don talks new music, Brexit, cars, Gustav Holst and much more

theartsdesk Q&A: Lucie Shorthouse is flying high with 'We Are Lady Parts' and 'Rebus'

Adam Sweeting

An actor's progress from Cambridge Footlights to 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie', a female Muslim punk band and crime-fighting in Edinburgh

theartsdesk Q&A: Viggo Mortensen on 'The Dead Don't Hurt', Westerns and the dangers of patriotism

Nick Hasted

The star considers romance in Durango, co-star Vicky Krieps, his outsider childhood and taste for adventure

theartsdesk Q&A: Matthew Modine on 'Hard Miles', 40 years in showbusiness and safer cycling

Adam Sweeting

An eventful journey from 'Full Metal Jacket' to 'Oppenheimer' and 'Stranger Things'

'I think of her as a proto-punk': documentarist Svetlana Zill on Anita Pallenberg

Nick Hasted

The co-director considers her revelatory account of the Stones' muse of mayhem

theartsdesk Q&A: Eddie Marsan and the American Revolution, posh boys and East End gangsters

Adam Sweeting

Versatile actor on playing John Adams opposite Michael Douglas in Apple TV+’s ‘Franklin'

theartsdesk Q&A: Marco Bellocchio - the last maestro

Nick Hasted

Italian cinema's vigorous grand old man discusses Kidnapped, conversion, anarchy and faith in cinema

10 Questions for folk singer-songwriter Olivia Chaney - 'deeply personal songs that open out to the universal'

Tim Cumming

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter on 'Circus of Desire', her strongest album to date

theartsdesk Q&A: Singer Dee C Lee

Thomas H Green

The vocalist chats through music, life, love, heartbreak and glorious Eighties times with The Style Council and WHAM!

theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Karl Wallinger

Graeme Thomson

RIP Karl Wallinger: a 2012 interview with the World Party wizard on aneurysms, Robbie Williams, drugs and fame

theartsdesk Q&A: Wim Wenders on 'Perfect Days'

Graham Fuller

The German director explains why he made a drama about a Tokyo toilet cleaner

10 Questions for 'The Settlers' film director Felipe Gálvez Haberle

Graham Fuller

Why he made a Western to condemn the Chileans responsible for the Selk'nam genocide

Scala!!! interview with documentary co-directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall

Saskia Baron

How the Scala became London's most infamous repertory cinema

theartsdesk Q&A: Steven Wilson on Porcupine Tree, 'The Harmony Codex' and electro-dominance

Graham Fuller

Travelling not arriving drives the reluctant prog star onto fresh musical terrains

32 Sounds: Interview with innovative documentarian Sam Green about his audio and visual feast

Saskia Baron

Rare chance to catch a unique documentary that explores the listening world

latest in today

Help to give theartsdesk a future!

It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.

It followed some...

East Is South, Hampstead Theatre review - bewildering and un...

Our humanity is defined not only by our use of language, but also by our sense of the spiritual. Whether you are a believer or not, it’s hard to...

Hacks, Season 3, NOW review - acerbic showbiz comedy keeps u...

Dying is easy, comedy is hard, according to the Georgian actor Edmund Kean. Luckily, everybody involved with the much-awarded Hacks...

Album: Basia Bulat - Basia's Palace

Canadian singer Basia Bulat has tried on various musical hats...

Josienne Clarke, Across the Evening Sky, Kings Place review...

On the first date of a 17-concert tour that had its preview at Celtic Connections in January, Across the Evening Sky begins with the...

Shon Faye: Love in Exile review - the greatest feeling

As Valentine’s Day crests around us, and lonely hearts come out of their winter hibernation, what better time to publish writer and journalist...

Blu-ray: Golem

In Jewish folklore, a golem is an inanimate clay figure, brought to life when a magic word is placed inside its mouth....

Mary, Queen of Scots, English National Opera review - heroic...

Genius doesn't always tally with equal opportunities, to paraphrase Doris Lessing. Opera houses have a duty to put on new works by women composers...

Unicorn, Garrick Theatre review - wordy and emotionless desi...

Since when has new writing become so passionless? Mike Bartlett is one of the country’s premiere playwrights and his new play, Unicorn,...

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.