this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 3pm: three cabinet ministers to bring humanitarian aid face a call to resign into the country from after going public with a warning neighbouring colombia. they're prepared to delay brexit rather than leave here's the scene in the venezuelan the eu without a deal. border town of urena. if ministers or cabinet ministers cannot support the government's polling stations are closing position, then they have to resign. in nigeria, where millions of people have been voting in presidential and parliamentary elections. police fire tear gas on opposition activists in venezuela as they attempt to bring the singer r kelly is due humanitarian aid into the country to appear in court in chicago from neighbouring colombia. on a series of sexual abuse charges. polling stations close in nigeria, in rugby, wales go for where millions of people have been a record 12th win in a row, voting in presidential as they face england later, and parliamentary elections. in the six nations in cardiff. the singer r kelly is due to appear in court in chicago on a series of sexual abuse charges. in rugby, wales go for now on bbc news — with the oscars a record 12th win in a row ceremony on sunday night — talking movies takes a look at the films and stars with a chance of taking home an award.

hello from hollywood, i'm tom brook and welcome to this special edition of talking movies, previewing the 91st annual academy awards. the 91st annual academy awards is about to get under way, but the road to the oscars has been a bit bumpy. there has been controversy over a proposed new most popular film category, subsequently abandoned. then there were difficulties in securing a host and this year, the ceremony is proceeding without a host. then most recently, there was a plan to hand out four awards during commercial breaks, which met with howls of protests, and the academy backed down. anyway, all of that is water under the bridge and now it's on with the show.

this year, there are great expectations surrounding roma, the mexican film directed by alfonso cuaron. many expect this highly acclaimed picture to win trophies because of the artistic merits, but it may also triumph because of the big promotional campaign mounted by its backer. roma has been subject of a massive campaign by netflix to win oscars, the chief aim to bring a best picture victory to director alfonso cuaron‘s largely autobiographical portrait of his family's housemaid and his childhood home in mexico city in the early 1970s. cuaron is taking the big marketing push his stride. now, netflix like any other company behind films, they do lots of work doing promotion and marketing, and i'm very pleased about it. i'm very pleased, because roma is a very unlikely film to have this amazing support that it is having in terms of a marketing campaign.

an unlikely candidate for best picture prize because the film is no glossy hollywood production, it's in black—and—white and spanish and features no major stars. nevertheless, it's earned ten nominations to co—lead the oscar race with the british picture, the favourite. netflix has been doing all it can to win the hearts and minds of academy members. it has sent out to awards voters special stuffed black cushions, and expensive coffee table book packed with stills from the film. for best picture, netflix really wants roma to win, it would be such a jewel in their crown to be able to say they can win best picture, showing they are on the same level as traditional studios like universal and warner bros. that they can produce the same calibre of films and they think it'll help them attract and retain subscribers. it's been estimated that netflix has spent more than $25 million on its oscar campaign.

it knows winning would definitely generate a return. if you can show that you might win an oscar and we'll put a lot into helping you get that, i think it helps them you know retain and attract like the very top talent in the film industry, and that is important, especially as you have more and more competition. and more competition is coming — disney will launch a screening platform this year, as well as other media entities. with its oscar campaigning, netflix is taking on the role occupied by harvey weinstein several years ago, when he was a major force in winning oscars. i think he's a fair comparison because netflix has bought the publicity firm that harvey weinstein often used to promote his films for academy awards consideration and now that firm works exclusively for netflix, they're working on roma and some other movies for them. so, it's a fair comparison, although they have not won

yet, harvey weinstein at the weinstein company did win lots of oscars and you can say he had a special touch in winning those awards and netflix has not accomplished that yet but they are trying to. so, what will happen on the big night? well, there is a good chance that roma will pick up the trophy for best foreign language film and if it wins the best coveted picture award, that will of course delight netflix executives but make the big hollywood studios shudder over the encroaching competition. as you heard, roma with ten nominations co—leads the oscar field with a dark british period comedy the favourite, starring olivia colman, in a stand—out perormance as queen anne. this much liked picture has been a favourite from the time of its launch at the venice film festival last year. emma jones reports. the queen is an extraordinary person.

they were all staring, weren't they? i can tell even if i can't see and i heard the word fat, fat and ugly. no one but me would dare and i did not. aptly, the favourite, is the darling of this year's award season. it's the recipient of ten oscar nominations, seven baftas, including best actress and best supporting actress, plus plus a golden globe for olivia colman. all this for a film that took nine years to get made, as initially, financiers weren't sure that three female leads would appeal. yet, that was the selling point for director, yorgos lanthimos, who saw many layers below an overtly comedic historical role. he liked the idea of a strong female presence. i was very impressed to realise that there was a real story of these three women that at some point in time had such power. and the fact that it was an intimate story about them and at the same time, their story and their relationship could actually affect the fate

of a whole country and the fate of a war, felt like a very rich subject to explore. at the centre of the story of a love and power triangle between three women is queen anne. much of the appeal of the favourite rests in olivia colman‘s performance, drenched in comedy and pathos. did you just look at me? did you? look at me. look at me! how dare you?! close your eyes! she goes through the whole gamut of emotions, but yeah, a really tragic character. i mean, the loss of 17 children, none of whom survived, to carry that with you every moment of every day, you can see how she is, she's all over the shop. i've sent for some lobsters, i thought we could race them and then eat them. it hasn't made the box office of a braveheart or gladiator, but as a historical film, it has certainly had awards appeal. however, part of the film's winning formula is perhaps it doesn't feel historical.

costumes from the favourite are currently on display at london's kensington palace, where queen anne actually lived. however, the success of the film might be more down to its emphasis on the contemporary, and you can see that really clearly in the costumes, including in emma stone's outfit as a maid servant, which is made out of denim. that is a fabric that definitely wasn't around in the 18th century. often, everyone's favourite scene is the dance scene, the dance sequence... historian hannah greig worked as the consultant on the film. it was already going to be something very different, a kind of drama that i had never encountered before as a historian, the script was very innovative and modern sounding. i think we've been struggling for times to capture exactly what kind of film it is. you know, some of us have been talking about it as a period drama, a period romp, a black history comedy, it is like we are reaching for a new words to try and capture exactly what kind of film it is. i think that is really exciting, i think we should feel more brave about the history stories that we can tell on screen and what

we can do with history in films. perhaps the favourite could only have it succeeded in this particular era. not only did it arrive at a time when its diversity, in terms of gender and sexuality, was likely to be embraced by contemporary cinemagoers, but the global political climate lends itself to discussion of who rules nations and the consequences. this is madness. sometimes a lady likes to have some fun. it's about the capriciousness of people in power, how capricious a world leader could or might be. how like a toddler they might be at times, how ego might get in the way of what is good for a country as a whole. i'm mentioning no names. over the years, oscar nominees with multiple nominations have come away empty—handed in the major categories, and the favourite is not favourite for best picture or a best director. but its sparkle dims other conventional costume dramas, and perhaps has changed

the genre for good. my dear friend, how good to see you return from... hell. i'm sure you shall pass through it one day. snorts. there is a big guessing game going on in hollywood right now, a guessing game as to who will walk away with the top oscar prizes. in one category at least, that of best actress, there does seem to be some agreement as to who will win. many oscar prognosticators think it will be a good night for glenn close. glenn close is up for an oscar, her career goes back a long way, her first film role in 1982, playing the feminist nurse, jenny fields, in the world according to garp, an adaptation ofjohn irving's bestselling novel. other high—profile roles followed, but none quite matched that of alex forrest, the unhinged woman in fatal attraction — a defining movie of the 1980s.

it only takes a phone call! then, there were leading roles in films like dangerous liaisons, directed by stephen frears. she takes chances as an actress. her portrayal of the cross—dressing character albert nobbs in 2011 brought her praise and a leading actress nomination. in all, close has secured a seven oscar nominations, but never won. in her latest oscar nominated performance in the film the wife, she plays a wife who sacrifices her professional ambitions in order to support her husband, a celebrated author. tell me this isn't some great big fatjoke. it's all real, darling. breathe. we had an amazing director, and he knew where to put the camera, and he knew how to light our faces for close—ups. without him, i don't think my performance would have the impact that it has. he just knew how to shoot us. i would like to convey

to you the warm congratulations of the swedish academy. you have reinvented the very nature of storytelling... tell me about yourself, do you have an occupation? i do. tell me, what is that? i am a king maker. would getting oscar's recognition mean a lot to you? at this point in my career, yes. it would. yes. in what way? well, think about it, i've been in this business now for a0... 44 yea rs ? and to still be out there, you know, doing work that people pay attention to, that is a big dealfor me. you want to stay relevant. and you certainly don't want to bore people, let alone yourself. i think you're very relevant, thanks very much indeed for the interview. next time, don't refer to me as your son, the half baked rotter. you shouldn't need my approval to write.

—— the half baked writer. everyone needs approval, joe. 71—year—old close is favourite to win the best actress trophy. in their voting, academy members may be choosing to reward her both for her performance in the wife, and her career in general. she is the most nominated actress in academy awards history without a win. what am i supposed to do? you won't answer my calls, you change your number, i'm not going to be ignored. a few years ago, the membership of the academy was largely male, white and on the older side. in the wake of the oscar so white campaign, there has been a big effort to diversify the academy's membership, by bringing in more women, people of colour, and a younger, more international crowd. these changes have begun it to make an impact. they are altering the kinds of films that get nominated. the world is changing, and so are the oscars, eventually. three years after the oscar so white campaign first tried to drag

the academy into the 21st century, those efforts are being rewarded. this year's batch of nominees looks very different than it did just three years ago. with #metoo, with oscar so white, they've really sort of had their backs against the wall and they've had to make these efforts to get new people into the academy, to get different stories out there. it's a landmark year at the oscars on many different fronts. roma, currently the front runner to win best picture, is the first spanish—language film nominated in that category. its star, yalitza aparicio, is the first indigenous leading actorfrom the americas to be nominated. black panther is the first comic book movie to make the best picture list. more will surely follow. and spike lee, who first attracted oscars attention with a screenplay nomination in 1990 for do the right thing, finally garnered

a long overdue best director nod for his film. it's hard to imagine any of these films or artists making the cut ten years ago, when the superhero genre was nascent and films about people of colour were rarely made, let alone honoured with hollywood's top award. there are three racially themed movies nominated for best picture, and they are of varying quality and content. is that a good thing? certainly, i think that is what america is. if you look at what is happening now in our country with this administration, we are screaming at each other. at this point, no one is listening, and i think films like this show different opinions, and they are going to really showcase all the different opinions that we have across this country, and there are things that need to be said about race and segregation, prejudices that we all hold, all those different things. so it is notjust that there is more representation for marginalised groups, it is that there is a variety of representation, and that is a different kind of progress. consider that out of the 20 actors nominated in the lead

and supporting categories, seven were honoured for playing gay or lesbian characters. from rami malik as freddie mercury in bohemian rhapsody, to melissa mccarthy in can you ever forgive me? but many of these representations have provoked a debate among gay people. take the lesbian love triangle in the favourite. my feelings about the favourite are that i really question if the film is as homo positive as some people seem to feel, i feel that it is very much a movie that is suddenly homophobic in its construction. it is really very like, oh, she has to touch her leg, she has to do this. -- it is —— it is subtly homophobic. it is very, to me, it is not a good representation, but i'm in the minority on that one, a lot of my friends really can read that film and see that it is a very beautiful love story.

you have become close to abigail. she is a viper. you are jealous. for those who have traditionally been shut out of hollywood's biggest night, this year's oscars may be a watershed moment. but it is equally as important what happens after the awards have been handed out. whether yalitza aparicio hears her name called from the stage, spike lee finally gets his oscar moment, or a call for lgbtq equality is made from a victorious actor, there is no guarantee that the decision makers in hollywood will follow oscar's lead, and ensure that these awards offer more than just a token of progress. the oscars tends to be a rather inward looking affair, with the focus largely on american films and film—making talent. but, it does reserve one category for non—english—language films, and this year, there is a richness to the five nominated pictures, as tristan daly reports. some of the movies nominated for best foreign language

film share themes. both entries coming from europe deal with romance and use a changing political and social landscapes in history as a backdrop to the drama. never look away from germany tells the story of an artist's life during the third reich, and subsequently, the cold war. he tries to find his voice as an artist, first in east germany, then in the west, while fostering a relationship with the woman whose disapproving father attempts to sabotage their romance. this director had the best foreign language film award in 2007 for his film the lives of others. so this awards campaigning process is not new to him. if you have a foreign—language film, what difference does it make to win an academy award? or even get a nomination? when the lives of others was nominated, this really gave

the film a visibility. i think it is more important for foreign films in a way than it is for american films, because american films, especially if they have a well—known actor, these actors are known all over the globe, and the film will get seen it's good. a foreign—language film, not necessarily. you really need something to give it visibility. the academy award nomination, i hope it's going to be very helpful in that. another nominated multilayered love story set in europe, cold war, comes from a polish film—maker. it tells the story of a tumultuous relationship between two lovers, and it also was set in the cold war era. the remaining films in this category deal with family structures. ajapanese director brought shoplifters, a family drama about a group of shoplifters

coping with poverty. another nominated film, capernaum, comes from lebanese director nadine labaki. it tells the story of a boy from a neglectful family trying to survive the chaos of the slums of beirut. for me, it was very clear it was going to be the story of a child who was going to stand in front of the world and say, stop, no more. well there is no shortage of powerful pictures in the foreign—language film competition, most experts favour roma to win. it seems to be far ahead in the race, with cold war in second place. now it's time to stick my neck out and give you my predictions on who is going to win in the key oscar categories, so, here goes.

best documentary, that prize will go to rbg, a portrait of american supreme courtjustice, ruth. the best animated feature trophy will end up in the hands of spider—man: into the spider verse, the first animated film in the spider—man franchise. best adapted screenplay, that prize belongs to black clansmen, and best original screenplay goes to green book. best foreign language film belongs to roma, in what will be a good night for the picture. dear dolores, sometimes you remind me of a house. you know this is pathetic, right? best supporting actor goes to this actorfor his role in green book, and supporting actress goes to amy adams for her work in vice. best director goes to alphonso cuaron for roma, in film he also shot, edited and wrote. don't walk away from me, dammit! i can't do it anymore, i can't take it, i can't take the humiliation. best actress will go to glenn close, nominated seven times before without a win.

this time, she should triumph. and best actor trophy will end up in the hands of rami malek for his betrayal of freddie mercury in bohemian rhapsody. and finally, the best picture prize will go to alphonso cuaron's creation, roma. his picture will probably take four trophies overall, more than any other film. well, that brings a special oscars preview edition to a close. we hope you enjoyed the show. remember you can you enjoyed the show. remember you ca n always you enjoyed the show. remember you can always reach us online at the following website... you can also find us on facebook. from myself and

the rest of the production crew here in hollywood, it is goodbye, as we leave you with the oscar—nominated song, i'll fight, from the documentary, rbg. # i'll # ru fight, # i'll fight, for you. # i'll fight, for you. # take your side, that is what i am here to do. # i'll be here to be strong. # i'll be here to be strong. # i'll be here to be strong. # ru fight. #. it looks like next weekend, the weather will be cooler and u nsettled. weather will be cooler and unsettled. until then, it weather will be cooler and unsettled. untilthen, it is weather will be cooler and unsettled. until then, it is as you are. the warnings may start like this, just as they did this morning,

but for many of us, as we come out of that and we see some blue sky and temperatures well above normal for the time of year. satellite picture from earlier shows we did see some cloud in northern ireland and western scotland, it did produce a bit of patchy rain earlier. that has edged further east, but any rain through this zone will die away into tonight, but we are left with an area of cloud, low cloud, mist and fog, some fog patches developing elsewhere. poor visibility more widespread than recent nights, fog could be dense in places, northern scotland, south—east england seeing the clear skies, and in rural spots, temperatures will be below freezing. some frost and a chilly night. at the second part of the weekend, high—pressure in control, not too many isobars, high—pressure in control, not too many isoba rs, so high—pressure in control, not too many isobars, so they wind is light. it will take awhile to shift the low cloud, mist and fog for some of us to start the day. some of the fog may be dense in places. parts of

yorkshire may hold onto it even into the afternoon. where doesn't clear, and progress will stay down compared to elsewhere. some patchy rain in the western isles later on, brazier compared to elsewhere. temperatures perhaps a temperature or slow it down compared to recent days, best of the sunshine in england and wales, 16—17d could be yours. high pressure going into monday, this weather front is lacking close to scotland, so you will see some cloud and patchy rain. some fog patches around to start the day, clearing more readily than recent days, so away from northern scotland and the northern isles, where there is the threat of seeing some rain, for most of us, it will turn into a glorious afternoon, lifting the temperatures yet again into the warm spots towards the high teens. look at the trend as we go deeper into the week, a downward trend in temperatures,

more cloud, that is the change to u nsettled more cloud, that is the change to unsettled weather, and it will take hold next weekend. that is your forecast.