meanwhile the un warns medical facilities in gaza are overwhelmed. and — the amazon rainforest experiences its worst drought since records began. scientists worry it's moving faster towards the point — where plant and animal life can no longer recover. now on bbc news, talking movies: the changing face of hollywood. crowd chatters. people were genuinely excited about the movies and about movie stars. on oscar night, it was a big deal. it was huge.

everybody went to the movies and everyone cared. that is no longer true. people are very comfortable now being outspoken about the sexism, the inequality that women have suffered through for decades. tonight, we frigging broke that glass ceiling! audience cheers. smooth jazz music. hello from los angeles. i'm tom brook, and welcome to talking movies. in today's programme, in the wake of the academy awards, we look back at the changing face of hollywood, the efforts that are being made to bring about greater diversity and inclusion. muffled speech through loudspeaker. with the oscars now over, the film industry is reflecting on how it all went. the first academy award ceremony took place in this landmark hollywood hotel in 1929. 95 years on, the oscars is facing challenges.

prickly orchestral score. wings was the very first movie to win an academy award for best picture. a silent film, a story involving world war i combat pilots in love with the same woman. the oscars ceremony that year was attended byjust 270 people at the hollywood roosevelt hotel, and it lasted just 15 minutes. # i can feel it coming in the airtonight...# i arrived in los angeles to cover the oscars for the first time in the 1980s, with the late great bbc film critic barry norman. i can see that the party is taking over here now, barry. in subsequent years, american film reviewer david ansen, who wrote for newsweek, joined barry to comment on the oscars for the bbc. the biggest voting branch in the academy is actors. this veteran hollywood—based film critic and film festival programmer is still thriving. he remembers the 19505 when the oscars were a much larger cultural phenomenon, reflecting, perhaps, america's superpower status.

the big stars would all be there, the elizabeth taylors, and kirk douglases, and burt lancasters, and they would get enormous ratings in those days. hollywood had become the world's great empire, and they were making movies that were big and, you know, on great themes, the ten commandments... you have not obeyed the lord! thunder crashes. ..around the world in 80 days. in some ways it was a kind of a flattering self portrait... ..because america was the new global empire. and the oscars reflected that? and the oscars reflected that. in the heyday of the academy awards, the oscars had such currency because it was one of the few windows giving movie fans the opportunity to gawk at their idols. there wasn't so much access to celebrity. you weren't looking at people's instagrams and twitter accounts, and seeing every single red carpet played back on youtube, and knowing

exactly who was dating who. you know, it was all controlled by the studios. and so when you got access to the stars on oscar night it was a big deal, and everybody showed up and it was a big event. and the movies were in the popular culture. everybody went to the movies and everyone cared. that is no longer true. it's been a real crisis of relevance for the academy, in part because i think the movies are less relevant. people go to the cinemas now to see big tent pole movies like avatar, top gun. there are much fewer movies that wed the oscars to popular culture. i mean, when you think about the eighties and nineties, movies like terms of endearment... wind in the hair! ..forrest gump. .. would you like a chocolate? ..these big hits that weren't franchises, people went out and saw them. and so when the academy nominations came out every year, people had seen those movies. if i get an interviewee, would you go to that instead of the package? i spent several years intermittently broadcasting live

from the red carpet. it was a thrill... uh, sorry. say that again. ..and a privilege, but fraught with technical difficulty. do you hear me? the red carpet has grown to become almost as important as the ceremony itself, a top fashion runway. my producers wanted me to ask questions like, "who are you wearing?"... versa ce. vera wang. tom ford for gucci. ..which only serve to give major fashion brands free advertising. most of the stars were accommodating, but sometimes they just didn't want to talk to me about anything. when you were a little girl growing up in australia... i'm going to... ..did you watch the oscars? i'm going to move on in. i've got my girlfriend here and... i won't take it personally. please don't. we're about to go... i hope about right now. 0k. it was also tough to keep the stars in position until a slot became available in our output so i could interview them live. 0h,jamie. jamie... ..jamie lee. jamie. hi, ned, mike... actually, one of the biggest thrills i had was working alongside

the latejoan rivers, whose unique, often abrasive, interviewing style made her a red carpet fixture. i really liked her. when you're on the red carpet, you talk to people and sometimes you say quite rude things about what they're wearing. how...? i say the truth. how do the british size up? i mean, the british nominees today. are you going to slag them off? it depends what they're wearing. ironically, the massive red carpet coverage added to the growing media saturation of celebrities at the time, eroding their specialness and their power to transfix, and making the oscars less of a draw. this is for bbc— television news in london. the great thing about the oscars is that it's live television and anything can happen, like when a streaker appeared at the ceremony in 197a. last year, my colleague, peter bowes, was broadcasting live on sunset boulevard when will smith suddenly shocked everyone who was watching the ceremony by slapping chris rock. we don't know what happened. there's a lot of conjecture right now, but i feel very sad about it. this year, i was back commenting on the proceedings

for bbc news with peter at the hollywood roosevelt hotel, site of the first oscars. well, i think we will both agree that it was actually a good award show. the conclusion was that it had been a pretty good academy awards. see you next year, hopefully. look forward to it. but i was disheartened to see that when the ratings came out, only 18 million viewers in the us tuned in to watch the ceremony, a bit higher than last year, but audiences used to be routinely in the a0 million range. that's one of the biggest changes for the oscars. it's become a diminishing american spectacle. oh, i think the academy is very concerned about the lower ratings. i mean, the tv rights to the academy awards fund the academy, you know, they're worth millions and millions of dollars, and the lower the ratings, the lower those fees are going to be. so they've got to be quite concerned. 0n the red carpet not so long ago, it was extremely rare to come across openly—gay participants like sir ian mckellen. there were very few people of colour.

i hardly ever interviewed female filmmakers because there were simply none there. but the academy has been diversifying its membership. it is a work in progress, and those it nominates are beginning to look more inclusive, more like the real world. and that could perhaps help the academy awards regain its cultural relevance. uplifting jazz music as much as there has been change within the academy, the membership is still largely white, older and male, but there are efforts underway to bring about diversity through initiatives and education. here at the academy museum, there's an impressive exhibition that shows off the historic contribution that black americans have made to cinema, and it's quite an eye—opener. i first came to the academy museum just prior to its opening in 2021. it's a striking new addition to la's cultural landscape, a definite destination for movie lovers. while it has popular mementos like the ruby slippersjudy garland

wore in the wizard of oz and bruce the shark from the blockbusterjaws, it has a mission to educate. with this in mind is the exhibition, regeneration: black cinema 1898—1971, celebrating black participation in the american film industry. the museum's president and director, jacqueline stewart, explained the significance of what was on view, including a special tribute to hattie mcdaniel, who was the first african american to win an academy award in 1940. well, i think hattie mcdaniel is one of the most important figures in the history of american cinema. she is the first african american to be nominated for, and to win, a competitive oscar for her role as mammy in gone with the wind. oh, now, miss scarlett, you come on and be good and eat just a little, honey. no! and that's a film that was really contentious. many african americans were upset about the revival of this romantic vision of slavery and the role that she played as a mammy, as a servant.

but she saw it as a role of great dignity. she played the role incredibly well and was rewarded for it, and i think it's important for people to recognise the sacrifices and the hard work that she really, really demonstrated during this early period. hattie mcdaniel. audience applauds while mcdaniel may have broken barriers, in collecting her award she was forced to sit at the back of the ballroom during the ceremony, away from her castmates, because she was black. she gave a very dignified speech. i sincerely hope i shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. the exhibition also features numerous works from over the decades, including props, posters, and footage of race films, films that had a black cast and were made mostly between 1915 and the 19505 for african american audiences. in many ways, it's a pre—history to what many people think is the start of black cinema in the early 19705. there were these blaxploitation films. i don't know if you

rememberthe5e, shaft... what kind of money are we talking about? ..super fly. my pleasure. we wanted to demonstrate to people that there are 80 years of filmmaking that preceded that moment. did it surprise you, as you put the exhibition together, about how much work had been done by black people in cinema going back decades? mm. i think it's a real revelation to our visitors. when you can bring people through that history with the use of posters and photographs, and costumes and props, it really makes you feel the presence of these artists in the space. i think it's an exhibition that honours the5e filmmakers and really does something to bring their work to life. ifound the exhibition had a big impact on me, opening my eyes to a huge body of work, cinema created by black americans, by some very talented individuals. i have to admit, sometimes i'm brought to tears in that exhibition, because these are people who never would have been recognised in this way during their lifetimes,

and we bring it together in such an epic way. and people hear their voices, and they see the quality of their acting, and they see the documentation of all the labour that they contributed to their craft. and in a way, it's heartbreaking that they made such a huge contribution in their lives and really were put down for it almost, weren't they? mm. it's heartbreaking on one level, but these are people who understood that they were part of a larger movement, and they were doing this work not just for themselves, but for future generations. and you hear these actors, the5e performers, express that sentiment all the time. women were enrolled at the start of the studio system, but they are something of a rarity behind the camera. untilthe me something of a rarity behind the camera. until the me too movement

which forced the film industry time of movement. which forced the film industry not only to confront allegations of sexual abuse, but also of gender inequality. so what's changed since then? with women in the film industry, there has been change, but it's often a story of two steps forward, one step back. a best adapted screenplay oscar for sarah polley... can you move this thing... indistinct ..the writer—director of women talking... we know that we are bruised, and infected, and pregnant, and terrified! ..a film that gave a solitary voice to female filmmakers at this year's academy awards. produced by frances mcdormand and with a nearly—all—female cast, the film is a story of the rape of women within an isolated religious community... we will be ex—communicated, forced to leave the colony in disgrace, if we do not forgive these men. ..and the summit its women hold to decide on action. i was just talking about... i would rather stand my groundl and shoot each man in the heart and bury him in a pit than flee! sadly, i think this film

will always be timely. there's never been a moment where women haven't been having to fight for basic things, or defend basic things that were hard—won. we have been preyed upon like animals. maybe we should respond like animals. with its exploration of sexual violence, it could be described as another po5t—metoo—era film. the arrest of hollywood producer harvey wein5tein in 2017, for sexual offences, precipitated the call for change within the industry. crowd cheers actre55 geena davis, a long—time campaigner for gender equality, says the biggest difference is that women are indeed talking about the injustices and inequality they've suffered. thank you. it's made it ok to talk about, finally. you know, that people are very comfortable now being out5poken about the sexism, the inequality, the unequal pay, the unsafe working environments that women have suffered through for decades. while in the modern era, the number of female directors

in hollywood has never edged much beyond the 10% figure, the drive for inclusion came with big gains. chloe zhao became the first woman of colour, and only the second female ever, to get a best director oscar in 2021 for her film nomadland. then sian heder�*5 film coda, about the hearing child of deaf parents, scooped last year's best picture oscar. audience cheers despite the commitment that's been made to get more women behind the camera, this year's 05car5 really seemed like a bit of a setback because none of the directing nominees were women. we are dahomey! warriors yell and drum amongst the female—directed films critics say were overlooked was the woman king by gina prince—bythewood and starring viola davis, the story of historical female warrior5... ..till by chinonye chukwu, the true story of a mother's struggle forju5tice after the murder of her son... this was my boy, emmett till.

..and she said by maria schrader, the story of how female journalists at the new york times uncovered harvey wein5tein'5 abu5e5. if that can happen to hollywood actresses, who else is it happening to? now, according to the director of a global think tank studying inequality on screen, we're looking at a downturn in women behind the camera. when we look at the top 100 grossing films every year, we saw an uptick right before the pandemic. for the first time since we've been doing this work, female directors were in the double digits. right? they broke that 10% marker. that number now has started to come down. and when we talk about directors in general, we're really talking about white women, because if we think about women of colour, they rarely, if ever, get a bat behind the camera. when it comes to behind the camera in film, not a5 progre55ive as one might hope. photographers call out but there are encouraging 5igns

that we are in a new era for women in hollywood. two women in their sixties won 05car5 this year for their acting in an industry notorious for its ageism. but it's visible success, like this best adapted screenplay oscar for women talking, that matters most in this industry. and now it's hoped all the talking will lead to more action. beautiful. we got it. thank you. talking about sex is something that hollywood's had to get a lot better at since the time's up and metoo movements. but it's also had implications on film 5et5 when sex scenes are part of the storyline. it's led to a newjob in hollywood that many had barely even heard of five years ago. in los angeles, the intimacy coordinator has become part of the changing face of the industry. lady chatterley�*s lover by dh lawrence is famous for its sex scenes. we have to be quick.

the latest screen adaptation of the love affair between an aristocrat and her gamekeeper had an intimacy coordinator to make sure tho5e scenes looked realistic but were choreographed. so what is the day—to—day role of an intimacy coordinator? i met amanda blumenthal to find out. she's worked acro55 hollywood on productions including the affair... sometimes i worry you're just a really great dream. ..the white lotus. .. so romantic. ..being the ricardos, and euphoria. every time i feel good, i i think it will last forever. the job of an intimacy coordinator is to create a safer environment on set for performers whenever they're doing scenes with intimate content, whether that's nudity, simulated sex, scenes where they're exposed, such as medical scenes, childbirth scenes, while also helping the director to realise their creative vision. just how sensitive a topic sex scenes are is illustrated by franco zeffirelli's 1968 film romeo and juliet. i've more care to stay

than will to go. olivia hussey and leonard whiting, who played the teenage lovers, and were 15 and 16 respectively at the time of filming, are suing paramount pictures. they allege they were coerced into doing the scene nude after they'd originally agreed to wear flesh—coloured body suits. they claim that zeffirelli told them the film would fail if they didn't perform the scene nude. paramount hasn't commented on the case. has the industry changed beyond all recognition over the last few years? it's a completely different industry now, ithink, you know, than it was in the sixties or the eighties, or even the nineties or the early 20005. there was a lot of behaviour that was allowed to happen and people would just look the other way. it was considered normal. intimacy coordination is the by—product of the #metoo movement, of time's up, of all of those movements that really came to a head in 2017. and i think without those movements,

we wouldn't be where we are today, because i think it really put a spotlight on the abuse and the problems that were happening in the industry. so how does that work on a day—to—day basis on set? we have a lot of prep work that has to happen so that we make sure everyone is on the same page, everyone has agreed and consented to what's going to be happening, what's going to be shown. from there, we're present on set during the shoot itself, were part of what's called a closed set. so during a closed set we make sure that there's the absolute minimum number of people. and we also check in with the performers every once in a while just to make sure they're doing 0k. well, shall we sit down for a while? there's a little bench up there. sean bean, who played opposite joely richardson in a previous lady chatterley adaptation in the 19905, recently declared that coordinators spoiled the spontaneity of sex scenes... why on earth should i be afraid of being here alone with you? ..but richardson advocates the option of having one. in the old days it was like, "0k,

get on with it," and i think that what we've learned about the business, it's really great that that is there. similarly, when people do feel safe and they believe that their voice is heard, then you perhaps don't need an intimacy coordinator. so it's, like, great to have it all in place so everyone's protected. few actors would say intimate scenes are comfortable to shoot, but hollywood is making progress in making sure they feel safer. jazz music well, that brings our special edition of talking movies to a close, in which we've been looking at the changing face of hollywood. emma, it's really interesting, in a way, looking at the reporting that i did and you've done, in terms of screen representation, you do get that there is positive progress being made. look at the oscars and all the asian film talent doing well, but there's still a long way to go in the industry, isn't there?

there is, but it has been really seismic over the last few years, if you think about the profound effects of oscarssowhite, metoo, time's up, you know, so change is happening. maybe it's a bit slow, but we are getting there. well, at least we're going in the right direction. and we're going to leave you with one of my favourite songs about hollywood from one of my favourite british musicians, ray davies of the kinks, and the title of the song is celluloid heroes. # well, you can see all the stars # as you walk down hollywood boulevard # some that you recognise, # some that you've hardly even heard of#lalalala#lalalalalala la la # i wish my life was a non—stop hollywood movie show # a fantasy world of celluloid

# villains and heroes... # it's the final week of 2023, lets see what the weather has in store. it has been incredibly mild christmas, temperatures exceeding 15 celsius all as a result of a mild south—westerly air stream and that conveyor belt of cloud which brought rain on christmas day. the early hours of boxing day looked clear across the uk, those weather fronts shifted towards the east and the morning temperature not particularly low, 4 degrees in newcastle, in plymouth. there could be some morning showers in the north of england on boxing day but after that it is a case of sunny skies pretty

much for all of us at least for the bulk of the day. here is scotland, there will be some showers in the northern isles, but by the time you get to the central highlands, the central lowlands, northern ireland and areas towards the south it is a case of clear blue skies. clouds will increase and it will turn hazy across wales, midlands and the south—west. by lunch time we are expecting rain in cornwall. it will be wet implement eventually and that rain will push northwards and eastwards through the course of the day. it will stay dry across the day, certainly in scotland for the bulk of the day. that takes us into mid week, wednesday, a big area of low pressure sweeping the uk, a lot of isobars, strong winds and a rough day. if you are travelling on wednesday keep track of the latest forecast because it could be very

tricky on the roads. here it is, temporarily will have snow across the pennines, certainly across the highlands, above 200 metres the possibility of 10—15 centimetres of snow. southern coasts and north sea coasts are really rough day for many of us. thus temperatures, 5 degrees in glasgow but in the south we are talking about double digits. again, it is wednesday and into thursday that it it is wednesday and into thursday thatitis it is wednesday and into thursday that it is mad whether in place across the uk. heavy rain in the western areas, snow across northern hills and mountains and gale force around the many coasts. low pressure bringing that unsettled weather is still with us on thursday, a rash of showers with sunny spells and very gusty winds with the risk of gales. temperatures around 12 in the south, further north colder with wintry showers are possible across the highlands. that takes us into

friday, a large area of low pressure, you can see it's still dominating the weather across the northern half of europe, pretty much more weather fronts sweeping the uk, the isobars are closely packed which means the wins will remain strong and though showers will be pushed along the that gale force wind. a little colder on friday and possibly into saturday, those amateurs will drop to single figures for most of us. here is the outlook for the weekend and into 2024, you can see a lot of rain there and staying on the mild side. an unsettled picture, a brief lull during the course of saturday. goodbye.

live from london, this is bbc news. a ukrainian missile damages a russian warship docked in occupied crimea — the attack is praised by president zelensky. the us hits three targets in iraq hours after an air strike by iranian—backed forces on an american air base. israel carries out fresh attacks on gaza, where it says it's intensifying its campaign against hamas — the un warns medical facilities are overwhelmed.

hello, i'm christian fraser. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has said he is "grateful" to his air force for a missile attack that badly damaged a russian warship in the black sea. the novocherkassk was hit during an attack on the port of feodosiya in russian—occupied crimea. local officials say at least one person was killed. ukraine said the ship was destroyed. president zelensky wrote on telegram, "the occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in ukraine." the uk's defence secretary also commented on the incident. he wrote on x that... and he goes on to say that...