this is bbc news. the headlines: several tornadoes have killed at least 23 people in the us state of mississippi. the authorities said the twisters left a trail of damage for more than 150 kilometres. trees and power lines were torn down, and tens of thousands of power outages reported. continued tensions in france — there were violent scenes in sant—soline in the west of the country — where security forces clashed with protesters wanting to stop the construction of a reservoir for the agricultural industry. indian opposition leader rahool gandhi says his disqualification from parliament is politically motivated

you're watching bbc news. now it's time fortalking movies: the changing face of hollywood. 10 seconds... 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! cheering and applause. 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. with the oscars now over, the film industry is reflecting on how it all went. the first academy awards ceremony took place in this landmark hollywood hotel in 1929. 95 years on, the oscars is facing challenges. 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's taking over here now, barry... in subsequent years, american film reviewer david andsen, who wrote for newsweek, joined barry to comment on the oscars for the bbc. the biggest voting branch in the academy as actors. this veteran hollywood—based film critic and film festival programmer is still thriving. he remembers the 1950s 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 kurt 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... ..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 that 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 0scar night, it was a big deal. 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 tempo movies like avatar, top gun. there are much fewer movies that wed the oscars to popular culture. i mean, when you think about the '805 and '905, movies like terms of endearment, forrest gump, 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 you 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... ah, sorry, say that again? ..and a privilege, but fraught with technical difficulty. can you hear me? do you hear me? the red carpet had 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 served to give majorfashion 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, did you watch the oscars? i'm going to move on. 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. 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 lee... 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. 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 covered 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. 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 that we will both agree that it was actually a good awards 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, 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 film—makers 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. as much as there has been changed within the academy, the membership is still largely white, older and male. but there are efforts under way 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 landscape, a definite destination for movie lovers. while it has popular mementos like 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�*s 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. 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. applause.

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 cast mates 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 1950s for african—american audiences. in many ways, it's a prehistory to what many people think is the start of black cinema in the early 1970s. there were these �*blax—ploitation' films — i don't know if you remember this — shaft... ..super fly... we wanted to demonstrate to people that there are 80 years of film—making 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 these film—makers 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've 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, these performers express that sentiment all the time. women were involved in hollywood at the very start of the studio system. but overall, they've been something of a rarity behind the camera. until, that is, the #metoo and #timesup movements, 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. 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 film—makers 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 excommunicated, forced to leave the colony in disgrace, if we do not forgive these men. ..and the summit its women hold to talk to decide on action. i was just talking about the... i would rather stand my ground and shoot each man in the heart and bury them in a pit than flee. sadly, i think this film l would always be timely. there's never been a moment - where women haven't been having to fight for basic things or defend basic thingsl that were hard—won. we have been preyed upon by animals. maybe we should respond like animals. with its exploration of sexual violence, it could be described as another post #metoo era film.

the arrest of hollywood producer harvey weinstein in 2017 for sexual offences precipitated the call for change within the industry. cheering and applause. actress 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 audio cuts out. it's made it ok talk about finally, you know, that people are very comfortable now being outspoken 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 0scar in 2021 for her film nomadland.

then sian heder�*s film coda, about the hearing child of deaf parents, scooped last year's best picture oscar. cheering. despite the commitment that's been made to get more women behind the camera, this year's oscars really seemed like a bit of a setback because none of the directing nominees were women. we are dahomey! amongst the female—directed critics say were overlooked was the woman king by gina prince—bythewood and starring viola davis, the story of historical female warriors. till, by chinonye chukwu, the true story of a mother's struggle forjustice 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 weinstein's abuses. 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 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 of colour, they rarely, if ever, get a bat behind the camera. when it comes to behind the camera in film, not as progressive as one might hope. but there are encouraging signs that we are in a new era for women in hollywood — two women in their 60s won oscars this year for their acting in an industry notorious for its ageism. but its 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 #timesup and #metoo movements, but it's also had implications on film sets when sex scenes are part of a story line. it's led to a newjob in hollywood that many had barely even heard of five years ago. in los angeles, the intimacy co—ordinator has become part of the changing face of the industry. lady chatterley�*s lover by dh lawrence was 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 co—ordinator to make sure those scenes looked realistic but were choreographed. so, what is the day—to—day role of an intimacy co—ordinator? i met amanda blumenthal to find out. she's worked across 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 think it will last forever. the job of an intimacy co—ordinator 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 have 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 bodysuits.

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, i think, you know, than it was in the �*60s or �*80s or even the �*90s or early 2000s. there's a lot of behaviour that was allowed to happen and people would just looking the other way. it was considered normal. intimacy co—ordination is the by—product of the #metoo movement, of #timesup, of all of those movements that really came to a head in 2017 and i think — 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 that 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 set itself — we're part of what is called a closed set. so, during a 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 awhile just to make sure they're doing 0k. 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 1990s, recently declared that co—ordinators spoil the spontaneity of sex scenes. why on earth should be a 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 their voice is heard, then you perhaps don't need

an intimacy co—ordinator, so — 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. 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 done 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 of 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, #timesup, 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. # you can see all the stars as you walk down hollywood boulevard. # some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of. # la la la. # la la la la la la—la. # i wish my life was a non—stop hollywood movie show. # a fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes.

hello. an area of low pressure starts to pull away but under this area of low pressure we will see cloud and rain across the southern half of the uk. that will move eastwards leaving a legacy of cloud across much of england, wales and northern ireland. wintry showers across northern scotland, maybe north—east england and we will all notice the difference in the temperature. a cold of feeling day. perhaps 11 or 12 for south—west england. there is wintry showers piling into the east through the evening but increasingly clear skies of a cold, frosty and in places icy start to monday and through the week ahead it will turn increasingly wet and windy but becoming on monday, high—pressure as the dominant feature. light winds,

plenty of sunshine to the morning after that cold, frosty start. this frontal system brings snow into the northern isles. for many a dry, sunny but cold feeling day. winds will be light but not for much longer because we'll be looking to the atlantic for our next frontal system pushing into monday night and into tuesday. 0n system pushing into monday night and into tuesday. on tuesday across mild eastern areas it will start quiet but cloudy. the rain will soon be piling in from the west and for a time we could see some snow over the hills of scotland. eastern areas may not see that rain until later in the afternoon but most of us will see a speu afternoon but most of us will see a spell of rain and potentially heavy rain a time on tuesday. temperatures

starting to rise but given the cloud and rain it will feel on the cold side. on wednesday notice the highs of buys come closer together so the winds will be strengthening. another system to feel with. teaching in western areas. heavy rain across northern ireland. the further east you are you may not see that rain until later in the afternoon but with south—westerly winds the temperatures will be starting to rise, feeling milder midweek. low pressure is in charge wednesday and thursday. quite a windy day on thursday. quite a windy day on thursday. notice how tightly packed there was highs of buys r. and i have sunshine and showers. showers could well be heavy, potentially even thundery but it will be potentially a milder days are where

we have the sunshine we could see temperatures up to 17, maybe even 18 celsius which is well above average for this time of year. come friday, another atlantic system to feel with bringing spells of a north end eastwards. we might not see quite so much rain across scotland but eventually some of that rain will push through as we head to the afternoon and the temperatures are starting to come down very slightly. what happens as we head to the weekend? this area of high pressure is too far away but is low pressure as we head to the weekend. stronger winds and heavy air spells of rain. to sum it up, cold, frosty, sunny start to the new week but things will turn increasingly wet and windy as the week wears on. rain for most of us on most days but for a time there is temperatures feeling very mild. that is all from me. goodbye.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories... at least 23 people have died as violent storms triggered by a tornado rip through the southern us state of mississippi. i'll be speaking live to a storm chaser in mississippi who witnessed the tornado. also on the programme. growing tension in france — riots today in the west after unrest in the capital. indian opposition leader rahool gandhi says his disqualification from parliament is politically motivated. and a once in a decade flyby, as an asteroid passes between the earth and the moon.