arts24

In this edition of arts24, "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra" returns to French cinemas in a contemporary reinterpretation starring Deva Cassel and Romain Duris. We take a closer look.

Booker Prize-winning author Ian McEwan sits down with Olivia Salazar-Winspear to discuss the 22nd century society he created in "What We Can Know", as his latest novel is translated into French. While his characters grapple with the aftermath of the great "derangement", in a world where many of the 21st century's capital cities have been submerged, we discuss our upcoming reckoning with the climate crisis. 

Four very different films arrive in French cinemas this week, and arts24 critic Emma Jones has seen them all. Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine" reunites him with an A-list cast. John Malkovich, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at Venice, plays a dying CIA agent in 1973 Chile, alongside Sam Rockwell. Emma calls it her favourite McDonagh film since "In Bruges" and a must see.

Canadian electroclash artist Peaches has been delighting, amusing and shocking music lovers and festivalgoers for the past three decades. Her shows are also a safe space for all genders and sexualities, although less so if you are averse to crowd surfing, extravagant pubic wigs and body-augmenting costumes.

In this arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim brings us a roundup of the big music releases and news of the week, from US rapper Macklemore's charity stadium shows to raise money for Palestine, to the return of R'n'B crooner John Legend with his 11th album "Muse" – his first collaboration with close friend Pharrell Williams. 

Every year the art and design fair AKAA, or "Also Known as Africa", brings dozens of African and Afro-descendant artists to the French capital. As the 11th edition gets underway, we welcome Nigerian painter Midegbeyan Ojisua and South African artist Olivié Keck.

Film critic Emma Jones and Dheepthika Laurent discuss the week's film releases. Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård play an odd couple in the fantasy romance "Wicker" about love, society and the patriarchy. 

Saudi artists Reem Ali and Bashaer Hawsawi are showing installations that explore the domestic space, feminine spheres and the emotionally charged meaning of the table, in a group show presented by the Villa Hegra as part of the Asia Now art fair in Paris. 

His monumental installations excavate Ghana's past and build firm foundations for the country’s artistic future. Ibrahim Mahama has represented his country at the Venice Biennale and established three cultural hubs in northern Ghana, nurturing creative communities for generations to come. 

TV critic Dheepthika Laurent takes us through this month's TV highlights, starting with the long-awaited return of "Lupin", Netflix's most-watched French series. Omar Sy is back as the gentleman thief, but this time someone appears to be stealing in his name. Can France's favourite master of disguise clear his name?

This week on arts24, our French film critic Manon Kerjean covers thrillers, history, legend and animation. "Karma" reunites exes Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard on screen for a thriller about a woman fleeing her past and the cult she escaped. "Moulin" follows Resistance hero Jean Moulin's final days in captivity, while "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra" returns for a modern retelling, but do critics buy it? We also discuss "Iron Boy", Louis Clichy's animated coming-of-age story inspired by his own childhood.

In this interview with FRANCE 24's Culture editor Eve Jackson, saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin looks back at her distinguished career. From trying to sneak into Prince's Las Vegas shows to catching the attention of Stevie Wonder, the six-time Grammy-nominated musician has carved out a career working with some of the biggest names in music, from Missy Elliott and Jay-Z to Alicia Keys. In 2023, her album "Phoenix", recorded after a near-fatal car accident, earned three Grammy nominations and marked a turning point in her career.

Franco-Syrian five-piece SARAB, or mirage in Arabic, make what can be described as poetic punk rock, blending guitar-heavy riffs with classical Arabic sounds and socially conscious lyrics. They're on tour with their latest album "Mit Warde – Cent Roses", a record dedicated to the victims of war around the world, from Gaza to Syria. We also speak to Tom McFarland from British neo-soul band Jungle, who are on tour with their radiant fifth album "Sunshine".

British and Irish cinema have been in the spotlight at the Breton resort of Dinard for more than three decades, with films like "The Full Monty" and "Billy Elliot" getting their starts at the town's annual film festival. FRANCE 24's Culture editor Eve Jackson brings us the latest from this year’s edition, from its line-up to the financial woes that could spell the end of the festival.

Hailed for her "bold and inventive" work, "in playful dialogue with the classical tradition", the Canadian poet, translator and essayist Anne Carson has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. We take a look at her hybrid, lyrical body of work, and the ancient Greek and Latin texts that have inspired her writing. We also discuss the significance of the prize itself, as the Nobel Academy tries to move beyond past accusations of euro-centrism and sexism.

Fifteen years after "The Social Network", Aaron Sorkin is taking on Facebook again. His new film, "The Social Reckoning", looks at what the platform has become and the role it plays in division, extremism and misinformation in America, themes that have fuelled his long-running public feud with Mark Zuckerberg. It tells the true story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Oscar-nominated actress Mikey Madison ("Anora"), who leaked thousands of internal documents to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White ("The Bear").

This week on arts24, film critic Manon Kerjean takes us through some of the latest French cinema releases, starting with a new adaptation of Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables". Vincent Lindon plays Jean Valjean, opposite Tahar Rahim as Inspector Javert in a three-hour epic that brings a thriller-like tension to the classic story. 

Paris is once again the centre of planet fashion, as the spring-summer 2027 collections take over the catwalks. Simon Moritz takes us through the big hitters, starting with Matthieu Blazy’s exploration of the different women who made up Gabrielle Chanel, as he goes from strength to strength at the prestigious fashion house. We also discuss the comings and goings at YSL, Balenciaga and Dior, and meet Lithuanian designer Juozas Statkevicius as he puts his national heritage in the spotlight.

This week, Marjorie Hache has the pleasure of sitting down with Sudan's Sulaf, who is releasing her debut album "Aba", a poetic exploration of traditional Sudanese music with a contemporary twist and which she recorded in Paris where she has been living in exile since 2022.

They could have filled a stadium or two for this golden anniversary, but U2 decided to go back to their roots and mark 50 years as a band with a few low-key gigs in their hometown of Dublin. We take a closer look.

Moroccan-British artist and photographer Hassan Hajjaj has photographed some of the biggest names in music and pop culture – from Madonna, Billie Eilish and Alicia Keys to Cardi B and Lee "Scratch" Perry. Now, 40 of his vibrant "Rock Stars" are on show at Paris's Philharmonie. Hajjaj tells us how he creates his instantly recognisable portraits, blends Moroccan heritage with London street culture – and what happens when a global superstar steps in front of his camera.

This week on arts24's film show, an unrecognisable Tom Cruise takes a career gamble in "Digger", Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new satire, in which he plays an oil billionaire whose company initiates a world-ending ecological disaster. Critics are divided, but is an Oscar nomination possible? Also in cinemas this week, Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson star in the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation, "Verity".

In this edition of arts24, Jennifer Ben Brahim meets founding member and lead guitarist of Interpol, Daniel Kessler. They are one of New York's defining bands, keeping the spirit of indie sleaze alive for nearly three decades. The post-punk rockers first drew attention with "Turn on the Bright Lights", laying the foundations for their icy, atmospheric sound and instantly recognisable guitar lines. They're back with their eighth album, "This Mirror Weighs a Ton", a reflection on the troubling times we're living through, from surveillance to the rise of AI.

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with Jack Cochrane and Callum Wilson from Scottish indie four-piece The Snuts. They burst onto the music scene as the first Scottish band in over a decade to top the UK album charts. After years on the road and living in Glasgow, the band decided to move back to their home region of West Lothian. The return to their roots inspired the creation of their fourth album "Joy in Short Moments", a bittersweet record about success, failure, parenthood and loss.

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, its founding promises, identity and place in the world are being fiercely debated. As the Festival America in Vincennes gets underway, we're putting that question to two acclaimed novelists: New Yorker Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of "Long Island Compromise", and Lebanese-American writer Rabih Alameddine, whose novel "The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)" won the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction.