and secondaries in england. it comes as the uk records more than 50,000 cases for the fifth day in a row. we need to get the cases lower than they were at christmas. india begins a nation—wide mock drill to test its preparedness for mass immunisation against covid—19. french police shut down an illegal rave that had been under way since new year's eve, with more than 2,500 partygoers. now on bbc news, talking movies looks back at what has been one of the most tumultuous years in the history of the film industry.

hello and welcome to this special review of 2020 edition of talking movies. i'm tom brook. i don't have to tell you that 2020 was an extremely difficult year. a worldwide pandemic, economic meltdowns and, here in the united states, an extremely vitriolic presidential election campaign. obviously the movie industry was affected. amid all the mayhem, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that some excellent cinema did emerge during the year. instead of giving you our customary list of the top ten films of the year, we asked movie critics and movie journalists around the world to tell us what was for them the best film of the year. so i'm going to kick things off and tell you that for me, the best movie of the year was a documentary that revolved

around a very beautiful pig. gunda is a great observational documentary. set on a farmyard for much of its 90 minutes, the camera is trained mostly on gunda, a pig, and her many piglets. it's a film that manages to show animals as they really are, not with any imposed human—created personality. their beauty is breathtaking, as is the calmness of their daily routines which, for me, was so refreshing to witness in the midst of our pandemic stresses. gunda is also brilliant cinema. it's shot in pristine black and white, it has no narration and great natural sound. it made me think quite differently about farm animals and how i want to treat them in the future. it connected me to them emotionally. cinema can talk directly to your heart and then after this can go to your brain. first you have to feel something and then you have to understand something, and that is opposite. normally if you are making

things go to your brain, give you information, and probably you feel something. this is why i'm trying to come back to the source of cinema, how it was born. well, the amazing gunda was definitely my pick for best movie of the year. but what about my fellow film journalists and film critics around the world? let's get the global verdict. my favourite film of 2020 is a south korean film called house of hummingbird. this movie observed a young ordinary person's life in seoul 1994. it works as a universal coming—of—age tale packed with small but powerful moments. and this is surely one of the best south korean films during the last several years. to be frank with you, i put it a bit higher over parasite. my favourite movie of the year is identifying features, a mexican movie called

sin senas particulares in spanish. it's based on real cases, portrays a dark atmosphere around the drug cartels, violence in mexico, but it's a movie that portrays all this with sensitivity and even elegance. my favourite film of this year is a movie called servants. it is set in the czechoslovakia of the early 80s, just a few years before the collapse of the communist regime, and it's about two young seminarians facing the pressure and brutality of the infamous state security, striving to overpower the catholic church. i like this movie for the precise and very well advised compositions, where every position of every character or object in the frame is thought of in every detail. remember this face? she was one of spotlight magazine's 30 under 30 playwrights to watch. we watched, but where'd she go?

my favourite film of 2020 was the 40—year—old version. it's a netflix film by first—time film—maker radha blank. she plays a playwright nearing her 40th birthday and she's trying to figure out what to do. she pivots to rap and hip—hop which no—one wants to believe in, no—one thinks is a great idea, but she embarks on this journey. it's hilarious, it's about trying new things and following your dreams, it's just a beautiful film. my favourite movie of 2020 is the personal history of david copperfield. armando iannucci's adaptation of the novel by charles dickens. as a book, it's a big bullet stopper, charting the rise and fall and rise of the title character. iannucci very playfully truncates what really captures the spirit of the book and the author's sense of humour and all the things we love about dickens.

and dev patel leads a marvellous colour—blind cast in a movie that's consistently delightful and very, very funny indeed. this is a donkey free zone, move it! a remarkable woman, very kind... every day for most of this year, i have been riding my bike around new york city, including though times square where i'm standing right now. very often i go past cinemas and there's one near where i live which has been closed since march. in fact, many in the city have enclosed since that time. it pains me, it looks like it's dying. recently it was boarded up. emma jones reports on whether cinema, as we've known it, is now over. i know you want to fight... there was nothing big about the screen in 2020 because its biggest films are mainly on hold. profits were puny in comparison to the billion—dollar bonanzas of 2019. from bollywood to hollywood,

cinemas stayed closed for months. christopher nolan's tenet was a brave attempt at a summer blockbuster reopening but its $350 million box office disappointed as other big hitters from disney's mulan, about a young chinese female warrior, to pixar‘s latest feel good offering soul, went straight to streaming. spend your precious hours doing what will bring out the real you. other potential box office hits are being held by nervous film companies. the time a movie as eagerly awaited as bond's no time to die should be released in april 2021, some cinemas may be beyond resuscitation. come on, bond... hamish, your company was the first to release a film back in uk cinemas after lockdown. russell crowe's unhinged. but has the problem generally been that there's been a shortage of content that will tempt audiences back to cinemas? we're really talking about these famous very few blockbusters that have moved back and i can understand

that — if a film cost $250 million to make, and these are huge projects that need to make their money across the world, it's a huge endeavour. but the nuance to the story is that there are plenty of other films besides those, smaller films, but very good films, that could have been released when cinemas were open and during that period i think the supply chain did fail cinemas. there's an obvious beneficiary to forced entertainment at home. and that's the streaming services. warner bros will release wonder woman 1984 and all its 2021 films in cinemas and on a streaming service in the us. robert. sylvie? tessa thompson stars in romantic drama sylvie's love, released on amazon. it was incredible to screen this film at sundance and i think there's real beauty and value to people being able to watch it at home.

it's not helped that the spectacle of film has been missing. the european film awards, usually the last awards ceremony of the year, is normally a glamorous affair. in 2020, it was online and film—makers pointed out the industry was sickly long before the pandemic struck. films became, frankly, not courageous enough or not original enough, or not provocative enough, or not attractive enough. so the main thing is we have to make better films. those seeking hope for the big screen point to asia where cinemas are functioning and independent productions are enjoying a boom as hollywood is absent. china overtook the us in 2020 as the world's biggest movie market. the eight hundred, about a group of chinese warriors holding out against the japanese army, is likely to be 2020's highest grossing film of the year making half a billion dollars. some film—makers hope the tide will turn, including iranian director marjane satrapi —

she accepted a career award from the evolution majorca international film festival in october. how else, but over zoom, as she couldn't travel. so after months of living life digitally, do you think there's going to be less enchantment with it as time goes on and the situation improves? you know, people, they would love to watch the film in the house, but at one point, you are sick of being in your pyjama and getting fat more and more every day and watching the same things. you need to go out, make experience with others, because this is a common experience. it's something that you share. in other signs of hope, covid secure film production has resumed, such as this production in iceland. while the site of drive—in cinemas all over the world has become normal. it's the magic that supports more than 20,000 jobs across the country. but as the industry launches campaigns like this one to remind governments of the jobs film provides, as well as the magic

of the big screen, even harry potter would find it hard to transform the current situation. in america, one of the most disturbing events of 2020 was the death of george floyd — an african—american man — while he was being restrained by a white police officer in minneapolis. it sparked outrage around the world and it prompted many individuals and institutions to reflect on how they may contribute to racism. for the movie industry, it was definitely a moment of reckoning. black and brown people have so much to contribute to the culture, now we need more agency. white people tend to think that they're kind of a blank slate. chanting: black lives matter! black lives matter! start packing miss scarlet‘s things, mammy.

i'll go write the necessary letters. atla nta. savannah will be better for you, you'd just get in trouble in atlanta. what trouble are you talking about? you know what trouble i's talkin' about. i was talkin' about mr ashley wilkes. you'd be coming to atlanta when he gets his leave and you sat now waiting for him, just like a spider. the studio response to george floyd was a reckoning with many of the gaps in terms of the way that projects were being greenlit, the kind of talent that was being supported, the lack of awareness for black talent in the entertainment industry is something that has been a continual problem and this was another factor that helped bring it to light. black and brown people over index, you know, we buy more tickets, we spend more money so we need to see more content that speaks to us. and the other thing is this,

you know, there's a lot of back stories that white people want to tell, right? which is fair, artists can talk about anything, but, if you're going to do that, you better make sure that people behind the scenes are black. it'sjust so, so important. i think it's always much more valid to have storytellers come from the community about that the story's being told by. i think that if i'm telling a story of the black community, i have the ability to dive deep into that story but white people tend to think they're kind of a blank slate and they can make a film about whatever they want and that's ok, and don't think about the fact that's a form of cultural racism.

there's movement afoot throughout the industry, from black folks, from white folks, from brown folks, saying, how do we take this moment and really make it count? if these were normal times, then we'd be in the midst of awards season but all that has changed, because the oscars has been shifted from february to april and that isn't totally 100% certain. but this year's race has greater diversity but very little predictability, as emma jones reports. it's on, and hopefully it won't be online. by april 2021, it's reported that academy award organisers hope that the usa and the rest of the world will get an 0scars red carpet experience. although it's more likely to look like this, as the venice film

festival in september showed, with masks, a socially distanced carpet and a half—full theatre. and how will campaigning season work without the usual parties, lunches and photo calls? take a contender like florian zeller‘s the father. where's anne? sorry? anne, where is she? i'm here. the movie has anthony hopkins and olivia coleman starring in an acclaimed story about a man with dementia. how does it feel promoting a film from your office? it's not exactly what i was expecting, but you have to expect nothing precise because it's always surprising. now i hear that the film is well received by people that have seen it, and it's such a joy but i'm not expecting more than the joy from my office. the academy has diversified in 2020, more than 800 new members, 45% of them women and 36% aren't white. plus from 2024, a movie that wishes

to qualify for best picture has to measurably promote diversity in front of and behind the camera. i'm very proud of the academy for stepping up because, you know, because hollywood is a liberal kind of place, i think people were taking it for granted that, because we were liberal, there would be more fairness and equity, but in fact it was not true at all, and so i think you have to take big decisions and they were way overdue. but these are not revolutionary changes. from moonlight to crash, an investigation by the washington post found 73% of best picture winners over the last 15 years would still be eligible. the overall demographic of the academy is still 84% white, 68% male. it's very hard for those on the outside to understand the magnitude of this change

on the inside, and i would rather us move too slowly and take the criticism that we're moving slow than to move too fast and we don't give ourself enough of our foundation to socialise these standards and for people to really start thinking about how to meet them. i have to warn you about the conditions on earth. what's likely to be revolutionary about the 2021 oscars is not the kinds of films getting picked, but who funded them. netflix has serious contenders including goerge clooneys' sci—fi the midnight sky, david fincher‘s black and white take on the making of citizen kane — mank, and spike lee's da five bloods. welcome back to vietnam. the streamer also has the international distribution rights for tom hanks' news of the world. however, the favourite for best picture is nomadland, directed by chloe zhao, starring frances mcdormand, which started its campaign on the traditional festival route. are we basically talking about nomadland versus

netflix at the oscars? i think really it is nomadland versus netflix, and actually i think nomadland is going to win out, not because anything other than the fact that it is by far the best film, in the same way that parasite was the best film last year. we're really seeing the cream rise to the top, no matter where it comes from nomadland might be able to beat the big power studio which netflix has become. the unpredictability of this pandemic means april feels a long way away. with so much focus on small screen stars recently, could the oscars shrink in relevancy and prestige in 2021? or will it be a welcome injection of glamour, announcing that film is back in business? 2020 was definitely a year of loss as the epidemic took its toll around the world, but one notable heartbreaking loss in the film industry came about not through covid—i9 but colon cancer, which took the life

of chadwick boseman, an extremely gifted young actor. kizzy cox has been taking stock of his career. his death was a gut punch in an already bruising year, as boseman had made a huge impact in a short time. his big break came in 2013 with the movie 42, playing jackie robinson, the first black player in major league baseball. from there, he went on to portray other black icons on screen, like the godfather of soul, james brown, and thurgood marshall, the first black supreme courtjustice. but when boseman became black panther, he went from star to superstar. the novelty of a black superhero made nine—year—old rachel cooper's eyes light up. my favourite one was obviously chadwick boseman because there aren't a lot of black comics and if he's one of them, then it's going to be one of my favourites.

when black panther premiered in 2018, black film—goers flocked to movie theatres like this one, many of them dressed up in africa—inspired outfits. it was all to revel in the opportunity to see black people as royalty and africa as a vibrant and powerful place. boseman led the film as king t'challa, the dignified superhero. fans and the people who knew him best say that is boseman's legacy, embodying roles that exemplified black excellence. black pantherjust entered the lives of children and adults everywhere ‘cause it was the first time we could actually see ourselves represented in a positive way that didn't have to just be at the end with racism as a pillar of our narrative drawing. now, him not being here, knowing that he was sick during it, he left the entire black community a gift that no matter what, for your craft, for what you love to do, your passion, you do it no matter what.

and his legacy resonates around the world. for nyota parker, a south african, it was remarkable seeing boseman lead a heroic film based in africa. i think what was really special about it was the symbolism, i really like that they incorporated so many small details that meant a lot to us as africans so i really appreciated that. boseman's star continues to shine. his finalfilm, ma rainey‘s black bottom, was unveiled in december and its performers received critical acclaim. david thinks he may become one of the few actors to receive an oscar posthumously. he could well be nominated for his 2020 roles in ma rainey‘s black bottom and spike lee's picture da 5 bloods. i don't want to say it's definite but it looks really good right now. it would be the first black posthumous nominee for acting, could be the first double nominee because he could be nominated for lee, for ma rainey,

and supporting for da five bloods, and after seeing ma rainey, everything that he had in his acting arsenal, he throws it all on the screen and it is a performance for the ages. whether boseman wins the oscar or not, he made his mark playing towering historicalfigures and inspirationalfictional ones, all while battling a terminal illness. boseman's proved that he was a hero with or without his black panther suit. well, that brings this special talking movies review of 2020 edition to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the show. please remember, you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies and you can find us on facebook and twitter. so from me tom brook and the rest of the talking movies team, here's to better times ahead and let's hope we all get to see some excellent cinema in 2021. we're going to leave you with the official music video for the trial of the chicago 7,

one of the better films of 2020. # hear my voice, # hear my dreams. # let us make a world # in which i believe. # hear my voice #. good afternoon. it looks as if the cold weather is with us for a few days yet, which means that the showers, when they come along, are falling as snow. mostly over the hills, but at lower levels as well. and ice becomes more of an issue, of course, after dark and when the surfaces are below freezing. and this could well be quite damp the surfaces where we have seen the frequent showers today — across northern and eastern

scotland, northern england, wales, the midlands, southern and western parts of england, too. but we will start to pick up some showers elsewhere, as well, because temperatures have barely risen 3—4 degrees above freezing by day. 0bviously, by night, they will plunge below freezing quite quickly once again. and the showers just keep coming onto those surfaces, and so damp surfaces with temperatures below freezing means ice is a real risk. and it will be another harsh frost under the clearer skies across north—western areas overnight. the frost a little less harsh further south, but nevertheless still a frost, still a cold start as we move into sunday. slight difference is that high pressure builds towards the north on sunday, so we pick up more of a north—easterly as opposed to the more northerly wind we have had today so there will be a difference in the distribution of the showers. one or two may actually get across to western scotland, some getting across the higher ground in northern england, and more potentially for east anglia and the south—east — of rain and sleet mostly but some snow certainly possible over the hills because it is another cold day after a cold start.

with more of a wind, quite a bracing wind starting to pick up through sunday and monday. so although temperatures will reach 3—5 degrees above freezing, it will feel colder, particularly in the south, with those winds. further north and west, more sunshine under that area of high pressure, but equally a hard frost, some patchy fog. as i say, that set—up stays with us through monday and tuesday. that strong east, north—easterly wind with us. in fact, something a little more prolonged, potentially, rain and sleet—wise across southern and eastern areas, the channel islands as well on monday. again, with the intensity, it could bring the snow down to relatively low levels. there will be a scattering of snow showers or wintry showers elsewhere coming in off the north sea. so, the better, drier, brighter weather will be further north and west, but it is going to feel cold even in that sunshine and notably so with that brisk wind in eastern and southern areas. but perhaps something a little bit more unsettled wednesday and thursday. that is one we are watching. as ever, the warnings

are on the website.

good evening. there's growing pressure on the government to keep all schools in england closed for the next two weeks to help slow the spread of coronavirus. headteachers are now taking legal action against the department for education, to force ministers to reveal why they think it's safe to allow primaries outside london and parts of the south east to reopen on monday. teaching unions say moving lessons online is "the only sensible and credible option". here's our education correspondent, dan johnson.

children and teachers were amongst