this is bbc news. the headlines: the us state department's called for calm after iraqi government forces seized the northern city of kirkuk and nearby oil fields from kurdish control. armoured vehicles moved into kirkuk in an advance that took less than 2a hours. it comes after the region voted in favour of independence. more than 1,000 people have taken part in a vigil in malta for a journalist murdered by a powerful car bomb. daphne caruana galizia was a leading investigative journalist. she highlighted alleged corruption by senior politicians, including malta's prime minister, who's denied any wrongdoing. wildfires in portugal are now known to have killed at least 36 people. thousands of firefighters are tackling outbreaks in central and northern areas where more than 600 separate forest fires have been reported. fires have also been causing widespread damage in north—western spain. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, with me,

zehnder badawi. as the world continues to follow the plight of the rohingya muslims in myanmar, condemnation has been hit on the burmese authorities for not doing more to protect them from attacks from buddhist militants. my guess is acclaimed swiss film director barbet schroeder, whose latest documentary is about an influential this monk in myanmar who uses strong anti— muslim rhetoric in his speeches and writings. barbet schroeder has made the subject of evil the focus of many of his documentaries and films. he has worked in hollywood and europe and has been directing films for nearly 50 years. what has he learned about the nature of evil? barbet schroeder, welcome to

hardtalk. thank you. you said in 1990 that evil is more interesting than good. are you obsessed with evil? no, i'm not obsessed. as a filmmaker, i think it is more interesting because it gives complexities to the characters. and evil is human, unfortunately. it is a part of humanity. there is no other way. i don't believe it is coming from somewhere else. all the people that i've made supporters of as part of this trilogy, i think that about them too, i want to find

out more about them and i didn't wa nt to out more about them and i didn't want tojudge out more about them and i didn't want to judge them. that was always the approach that i took. the trilogy, you are talking about the documentary made about idi amin, and is jacques verges, the french lawyer, and now wirathu, the buddhist monk. the french lawyer, that was more about terrorism, because he was very close to carlos the jackal. but, yes, the idea is not tojudge those the jackal. but, yes, the idea is not to judge those people to make them talk and to find out more about them. and eventually, you know, i don't have to say that, but still, give them enough rope to hang themselves. so did you do that, then, with wirathu, the monk in myanmar? well, he is very clever. he is very clever. he has done many interviews and when we were interviewing him he had his own crew filming us. that was a very strange

situation. an example here, of the kind of thing he said to you in your documentary, when he is talking about the rohingya muslims, "the main features of the african catfish are that they grow very fast, breathe very fast, and they are violent. they eat their own species and destroy the natural reaso is as. the muslims are exactly like that dish". yes, this was so outrageous that i decided to have it as an opening statement from him. so the audience would understand what we are dealing with. i mean, when you say it is part of the culture, that he uses this kind of language, you also showed in your documentary that there was some very outspoken buddhist monks, who said, no, this is not what we understand it is to be about, we preach tolerance and we

don't use this kind of rhetoric. —— buddhism to be about. of course, wherever you have that kind of judas, you have certain people who do not fall into that. you can observe that everywhere. where you have fanaticism, or that kind of thing. do you think that the current actions we are seeing being meted out to the rohingya muslims by some buddhist militants is because they are muslim, or is it because they are muslim, or is it because they are seen as outsiders, but failed in crawley —— that they are bengalis, that they belong to bangladesh and not to myanmar? well, he started as an anti— islamic preacher. that was his beginning, in 1997. and then he went to jailfor riots

his beginning, in 1997. and then he went to jail for riots that took place in 2003 in his hometown. then he came out ofjail in 2012. and it is only in 2012 that the rohingya muslims came into the picture. all the time before, he was calling to attention of the population the 2 million muslims, non—rohingyas, and thatis million muslims, non—rohingyas, and that is the scary thing. even after 2012, he went out preaching in the centre of the country, not against the rohingya but against muslims. and the most horrible riots were organised at the time. you show, also come in your documentary, that the persecution of the muslims, the fa ct the persecution of the muslims, the fact that 300,000 of them were displaced back in 1978, decades ago,

having been to myanmar, and studied what is going on there, why do you think that nothing is being done, nothing has been done in the decades that we know there was a problem? well, everybody mentions it, and thatis well, everybody mentions it, and that is how i heard about it. there are many universities that have written big treaties like that, about a genocide that is in progress, that is going to happen. is that how you see it? that is what those reports were saying. when i found out that in an associated with that were buddhists, i said i must go and find out. this is some ring that i cannot accept them that i cannot understand. —— something. because wood is is exactly the opposite. it is one of the treasures of humanity. that is what i wanted

to find out. as we said, this is pa rt to find out. as we said, this is part of a trilogy. in fact, this yearin part of a trilogy. in fact, this year in may, your 1974 film on the late ugandan dictator idi amin was digitally restored and rereleased. and in that film, using your own words, you made idi amin look nice, silly and extraordinary. was that the right thing to do, and man who was responsible for the deaths of 300,000 people? well, that is the problem with my system. it is that i tried to find out what is behind those people. and he was nice and silly, was he? silly, i didn't think, well but you know, maybe a little bit. nice? yes. this was a man who killed so many people. of course. but that is the whole point

of my documentary, which is to find out that someone who is a killer, who is covered with blood, can have a charm, some form of innocence, and thatis a charm, some form of innocence, and that is very unsettling. you did say, regarding idi amin, he was less guilty than somebody like finish a, the former military of chile, or any other dictator. —— like pinochet. there are certain types of people who know exactly what they are doing, like ceausescu, the former romanian dictator. bashar al-assad, 01’ romanian dictator. bashar al-assad, or many. do you mean that idi amin didn't know exactly what he was doing? is that what you are saying? iam not doing? is that what you are saying? i am not sure he knew exactly. i am sure it was part of his energy. he was like... i don't know. he was very charming to anybody in front of him. really. because, itell you what, one critic, david aaron stine,

he said when he watched a film about idi amin, "knowing that this silly crown has the power to kill, the laughter catches in our throats". —— clown. of course. that is the reaction you wanted ? clown. of course. that is the reaction you wanted? of course. the idea is that you are terrified and you are laughing at the same time. this is something very scary. yes. that was the reaction you wanted from your audiences? yes. looking at the other film in your trilogy, it was a study of acts of terrorism, seen through the eyes of the late french lawyerjacques verges who defended people like carlos the jackal, who was imprisoned for life for a acts of terror, klaus barbie, known as the butcher rob lyon, the nazi. did you work out what

motivates people to commit acts of terror in that film? well, he tried to explain, in the movie, and the movie was studying very closely the beginning of terror, the beginning of lines terror in nigeria. —— blind terror. it was a very oppressed colonial country and it was a very terrible war that was taking place there. and that is how they decided, there. and that is how they decided, the liberation movement, to start putting bombs in the cafes that had customers of white colonial french people who were living there for many years. so it was absolutely terrifying, the series of bombings. and they were done by young,

extraordinary women, one of them jacques verges became the husband of, and so it was an interesting study to find out how this all happened. so, a study of acts of terror, but one viewer, steve dollar, a critic, wrote in an article in the new yorker —— new york sun in 2008, that what he took from this film of yours. it is dangerous to approve a of terror, and there is no real difference between that and the twin towers attack of september 11. that is exact what i wanted to show in the movie. to start from something that is very, a good cause, and that can cause triumph, and a country becomes independent, and then you go on into the palestinians blowing up planes, and then you go on into the twin towers. it starts like that and it

can end up like that. so that was an interesting progression to be aware of. but that is a blanket condemnation, then, that you wanted people to have of acts of terror. because there are those who would argue that it puts the resistance fighters in algeria against their french colonial oppressors would not be the same category as those who blew up the twin towers. it is very difficult. it is very difficult, i would say... i don't know. you know, give you an example, obviously we know it was the most brutal war of independence in africa and more than a million algerians died, and even the former general, of the french secret service, paul alston is, wrote a book in which he admitted that the use of torture was tolerated if not recommended by the

french. absolutely. so they committed terrible deeds. absolutely. and yet one may come away from watching your film, with the idea is you just said that the algerian resistance fighters, even if they resorted to acts of terror, should be put in the same category as people like those who blew up the twin towers. no, they should be put in the same category as the torture of the french army. —— torturers. they were practising daily torture on the algerians. you didn't want to focus on that in your film? no, because this was something different. you know, with this body of documentary filmmaking, you have made evil, obviously, a big focus for you in your works. are you any closer, now, to understanding the nature of evil and what makes human beings commit evil deeds?

icame i came closer to the conclusion that there is a human aspect in evil that you cannot remove. that it is part of humanity. that is the conclusion. that we just have to live with it? there is nothing you can do to eradicate it? no, i don't see it, and when i see the buddhism that is actually the most beautiful religion for me, it is like a treasure of humanity for me, that was in them. and when i see that that can be averted. and i think of christian is, that was all so perverted. and at every religion can be perverted. it can surge at any point, anywhere. even in the most peaceful religions.

so even when it comes to making feature films, moving on from your documentary, you say a drama is never about good things happening to good people. but surely, sometimes it is, and that's the premise that informs so many big successful movies. people want to go and eat the popcorn and watch a feelgood movie. right. well, i can say that it isa movie. right. well, i can say that it is a feel bad movie, that is for sure. the feelgood movies are entertaining, but recently, i've seen many movies coming from hollywood that have budgets of more than $100 million that are very extraordinary because they are not the feelgood type. there is one

called mother. there is wonder woman, planet of the apes. those movies that say people say it is stupid, the big commercial american movies, but recently, all those movies, but recently, all those movies i mention, they are over $100 million budget, maybe $200 million. they are not in that category. there may be something changing, you never know. but they are based on fiction, i guess, aren't they? and your feature films, most of your milk —— films at least are based on, inspired by real people you've known or you've met or well—known figures or you've met or well—known figures or events that actually took place, like amnesia, your last film, is loosely based on your mother's story. she escapes to the island of

ibiza and has a love affair with a musician in a nightclub will stop the musician plays in a nightclub, but she doesn't meeting in a nightclub. no. he plays in a nightclub. no. he plays in a nightclub. why always have to make movies which are somehow based on reality? because that's the only thing that inspires me. to see the fiction at work in the reality. because the drama, the tragedy is a lwa ys because the drama, the tragedy is always something that comes, that works in art and i like to see those elements in the reality, because it's more interesting for me. so for example, one of your best known films, reversal of 0rtjune, which the lead actor won an oscar, based ona

the lead actor won an oscar, based on a 1980 case of the social class envelope who was put on trial for a p pa re ntly envelope who was put on trial for apparently murdering his drug dependent wife. the film is totally ambiguous, talking about evil, we have exactly somebody that is absolutely charming and brilliant and at the same time maybe he is evil and the question is there till the very end and it is part of the suspense of the movie and that is whyjeremy irons was able to do such a great performance because there was this ambiguity at every second. does it matter then if a film based on truth, on fact, does it have to stay true to what actually happened? i'm thinking of the latest movie, for example, victoria and abdul, queen victoria and the relationship she had with her indian muslim manservant, abdul. is it important, do you think, that a film like that

should be based totally on what really happened ? should be based totally on what really happened? 0r should be based totally on what really happened? or can itjust use the facts as a springboard and imagine most if the names are used, of course you had to respect the truth. you cannot start inventing. if the names are used. and we actually respected completely in that movie, reversal of fortune. every little detail was true. and it's important you think that any film it has a name like victoria and abdul should really respect the truth of what actually happened. off course. 0therwise truth of what actually happened. off course. otherwise you can invent whatever you want and use other names, yes. but you first big break in hollywood was in 1987 with the film barfly. in hollywood was in 1987 with the film ba rfly. a in hollywood was in 1987 with the film barfly. a very famous story about how you actually managed to get it funded and made. what happened was that one person decided that they were interested in the project. 0h, great. without it

negotiating. sure enough, he started to ask a million more of the producer. and i said, you can't do that. i don't have the time to go to a lawyer. so my firm will be black & decker and i threaten to cut my finger in front of his office. with a chainsaw. with a little, little thing to cut the ivory. but a little chainsaw from black & decker. and then of course it worked. so you threatened to cut off a bit of your little finger? yes. i was totally anaesthetise. i didn't feel a thing. and it would have not the problem. i don't play piano. i was not typing at the time. lucky you didn't have to do it. and the threat worked? yes. but i was really ready to do it because i wanted to do this movie more than anything. i had worked for

seven more than anything. i had worked for seve n yea rs more than anything. i had worked for seven years trying to put together this movie. and you did, and it was a great success starring faye dunaway and mickey rourke. a great success starring faye dunaway and mickey rourkem a great success starring faye dunaway and mickey rourke. it still is. it is a cult. but talking about hollywood culture and the kind of films that are made, there you were, european swiss film director trying to break into hollywood. is it very difficult, and is a very different now? it's changing, it is changing. that is what i love. but the cinema is taking new shapes, there is new waves of distribution, there is new ways of building. everything is changing, and is changing more and more, and more rapidly, and i don't belong to the group that says it was to be for. i am always trying to find out under what is the side that is better that could be better. that could be more interesting. but, you know, which ended in films are made

by european film talent as being less brash and less appealing to the mass media than the hollywood block busters and so on. i don't know. i think for example i can see a future where all those interesting movies are financed by something like amazon or netflix or all those new forms of financing, and they may exist through that instead of their system that was there before. exist through that instead of their system that was there beforem exist through that instead of their system that was there before. it can ta ke system that was there before. it can take different shapes. finally, i do what you have planned in the works, but do you think that your body of work is really too pessimistic mr mark machu consider doing a comedy or something in the future?|j mark machu consider doing a comedy or something in the future? i think that the reversal of the —— reversal of fortune is my first attempt of comedy, maybe a comedy of manners. but definitely comedy is one of the

ha rd est but definitely comedy is one of the hardest things to really do well in an interesting way that lasts, and ifi an interesting way that lasts, and if i can do it, definitely. an interesting way that lasts, and ifi can do it, definitely. would you describe yourself as a pessimist? happy. a very happy pessimist. a joyous pessimist? happy. a very happy pessimist. ajoyous pessimist. barbet schroeder, thank you very much for coming on hardtalk. well, it's certainly been a very dramatic period on the weather front and the remnants of hurricane 0phelia still barrelling across the uk. but the worst of the winds affected the south of ireland.

our friends there experienced winds gusting up to nearly 100 miles an hour, but even here in the uk, we had winds in excess of 70, 80 and even 90 mph. here's the ex—hurricane, what's left over. still very powerful winds. the core of that storm with some of the gale—force winds blowing through the irish sea will still be moving across northern ireland, scotland and northern england during the course of tuesday morning. that nasty low is still with us over the next few hours before it pulls out into the north sea and eventually the remnants of that into norway. travel disruption is still very much a possibility first thing on tuesday morning. particularly around the pennines, the north—east of england through the lowlands of scotland. we could get gusts of around 60 or 70 mph. there will be some rain around. this is the scene around 5am. to the south, a different story, winds are much, much lighter. this is where the severe

gales are going to be. through the morning, very quickly the winds will ease in northern ireland. for most of us, in terms of the weather overall, it's not a bad day. certainly by the time we get to the afternoon, just a scattering of showers here and there. wales and the midlands getting some sunshine. hazy sunshine in east anglia and the south—east and we still have some rain. this little rogue weather front may bring some rain towards cornwall, devon and the west country. that will push northwards. some of us mid—week will have some rain, from wales to northern england, the east coast to the north—west. to the south, maybe just a couple of showers. i think on balance, be prepared for a wettish day in the north of the country on wednesday. still mild in the south mid—week. 18 degrees in london. fresher there in the north of the country. the summery, stormy start first thing on tuesday and then quieter mid—week, and then it could turn stormy again. a reminder of some of those

spectacular orange skies we have seen across the uk thanks to hurricane 0phelia drawing up some smoke particles from spain and portugal, from the wildfires there. also, we've had some saharan dust in the atmosphere as well. here's a picture of the bbc as well, earlier on. bye— bye. this is bbc news. i'm tim willcox. our top stories: the us calls for calm after iraqi government forces seize control of the oil—rich northern city of kirkuk. thousands take part in a vigil in malta for a leading investigative journalist murdered by a car bomb. three days of national mourning in portugal after at least 36 people are killed in deadly forest fires. hello, i'm sally bundall quit the

business stories. —— with. drama in the high skies: european planemaker airbus takes a majority stake in bombardier‘s c seriesjets. is this enough to dodge us sanctions? video—streaming pioneer netflix has done it again: more people