this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour which is straight after this programme. yes, i've been talking to some of this year's awards contenders. hello from new york. i'm tom brook, and welcome to our talking movies awards lookahead 2025. the wildfires in los angeles have caused massive pain and agony. they've dislocated the entertainment industry, including awards season. the oscar nominations announcement was delayed, but now all has been revealed and we have a very strong field of academy awards nominees for 2025.

the spanish—language musical crime film emilia perez, with 13 nominations, emerged as the oscars frontrunner. this film also made history with karla sofia gascon, who portrays the key character in the movie, becoming the first openly trans actor to be nominated for an academy award. indeed, many of the nominated performances in films this year had a progressive or political edge. the almost four—hour historical drama the brutalist, starring adrien brody, critiqued the promise of the american dream. it got ten nominations, as did the blockbuster musicalfantasy wicked, an adaptation of a stage musical inspired by the wizard of oz. a complete unknown, in which timothee chalamet portrays the iconic singer songwriter bob dylan in his early years, picked up an impressive eight nominations. who wrote this? he did. and the vatican thriller conclave, also all about politicking, got eight nominations, as well. welcome back, mr zakharov.

the much—liked sex worker cinderella story, anora, got six nominations, including for best picture, directing, for two of its performances and for its screenplay. we'll be hearing from the actors and film—makers at the forefront of some of these top oscar—nominated films, which the movie—going public in new york at least, has most definitely been embracing. i think the brutalist is a banger. it's like the most fun four hours i've had in a long time. i love anora. anora is great. i would like to see anora win an oscar. i thought that the screenplay was great, the acting was terrific, the directing. it was unusual and exciting. i'd like to see emilia perez get the highest honours. i recently saw i'm still here, the brazilian film that is going to be the international film for the oscars, and it was incredible. it floored me. fernanda torres is... what a force. just here in- the centre, please. thank you. we all have our favourites. for me, it's the

oscar—nominated the brutalist, with its powerful cast. it has the feel of being an epic, but it was actually made with a very modest budget. it's a picture which has quite a lot to say. it's a critique of the promise of the american dream, a promise that some americans say they now find to be quite hollow. emma jones went to meet its leading man, adrien brody, and its director. these are yours? yes? as uncompromising as the 20th—century architecture that inspires the story, the brutalist takes a sledgehammer to the idea of the american dream. adrien brody plays a fictitious hungarian architect, laszlo toth, a jew who survives the holocaust and seeks a new life in the usa, laterjoined by his wife erzsebet, played by felicityjones. he takes to backbreaking labour to survive until seemingly finding a benefactor in entrepreneur harrison lee van buren, played by guy pearce.

you'll be given a place here on the property to live and work. i think that residing here will allow you the time and the space to conceive of it properly. the film's american director, brady corbet, has described it as a story about someone who flees fascism only to encounter capitalism. why was that such an idea, i suppose, that fascinated you? because the american myth is something that, you know, is not that frequently undressed, especially in this sort of coming—to—america fable that we have seen rehashed sort of again and again. adrien brody is the son of hungarian immigrants to the us and already has one oscar, for 2002's the pianist, where he played a polish musician hiding from the nazis. don't let them get you alive. he's now the frontrunner for another acting oscar because of a performance weighted with the genius

and pain of laszlo toth, destined to be a supplicant in white protestant american society, discovering that no generosity from a patron is without price. you have no excuse any more. i'm sorry. i got a little carried away there. will you please pass that back? there was a lot that i could relate to personally. my own mother and grandparents�* struggles of fleeing the hardships of war and immigrating to the united states in the �*50s, and the artistic yearnings to leave behind something of great significance with my work. there is a disconnect between the hopes and dreams of one fleeing oppression and hardship and arriving at a land with the fable of what is attainable. they do not want us here. who do you mean? the people here, they do not want us here. do you both find it interesting in terms of, that this is, you know, quite a negative depiction of

the american dream? oh, yeah. of course. i mean, it's a fallacy that you can, you can make iti with, with no support. for every one sort of lucky winner, there are 100 who don't get anywhere near that. so i feel like, yes, it's a negative depiction, but it's a pretty true depiction i think, as well. this is serious cinema. more than 200 minutes long, although it never feels laborious and has an interval. it was shot in analogue on 70mm film and made injust over a month for under $10 million. with four recent golden globe awards, it's now a serious contender for best picture and best director oscar. astonishing for a 36—year—old film—maker who's only made two other feature films. one of them, 2015's childhood of a leader, starring robert pattinson, looked at the roots of an imaginary fascist dictator.

corbet is the architect of a position many directors would envy — his story, his way, and still finding his audience. directing films, it's a freelance job, and there's no... there's nojob security and there are no guarantees. and, you know, especially if you want to continue to push the envelope and make very, very progressive films, you know, they're not going to please everybody all the time. but great works of art, you know, are... they're frequently divisive. and we have to have the courage to make things that, you know, people may or may not like. the brutalist movement was inspired by the trauma many architects felt from two world wars. despite the film's length, many regard it as a masterpiece. the story of a man who is brutalised by horror in europe, only to encounter brutality again in the land of opportunity. the talented cast of the vatican thriller conclave

have been out on the award circuit in recent weeks, and they must be very pleased that in the wake of bafta and oscar nominations, they are now a strong contender. conclave is a very classy film, it's very well written and it has great performances. my favourite being that from ralph fiennes, who plays a cardinal presiding over the election of a new pope. the pope is dead. the throne is vacant. conclave is a film chronicling political intrigue at the vatican, as we observe the fictional cardinal lawrence, played by british actor ralph fiennes, managing the election of a pope. he finds himself at the centre of intense politicking. this is a conclave, aldo, it's not a war. it is a war. and you have - to commit to a side. ralph fiennes was drawn to the work, which is based on a robert harris bestseller, because of the nature of the man he plays.

the character of lawrence, a bit uncertain about his faith, he makes a speech about doubt and that the great enemy is certainty, and that doubt is the foundation of mystery, and therefore for faith. and i was very compelled by that speech. that speech was the catalyst that made me want to do it. i think it's quite a healthy provocation. conclave has been a real crowd—pleaser. audiences have appreciated its elegant, well written screenplay and strong performances from an illustrious cast that includes renowned actor isabella rossellini, who plays a ratherformidable nun. well, good afternoon, sister. i would like to speak to the nun who dropped her tray just now. she's safe with me. i'm dealing with the situation. i'm sure you are, sister agnes, but i must see her myself. i hardly think a dropped tray should concern a dean of the college of cardinals. even so... the welfare of the sister

is my responsibility. and this conclave is mine. it may be a thriller, a work of fiction, but isabella rossellini thinks the movie touches on issues of the real world. it talks about, should we be liberal? should we be conservative? what is the role of women in the... yes, it is within the catholic church, but that also is a debate that we have in our society. and so, you can see many parallels. ralph fiennes has been nominated for an oscar twice before, in the 1990s, for roles in schindler's list and the english patient. he got nominated again this yearfor his acting in conclave. how important is it for you to get awards recognition or oscars recognition? does it mean a lot to you? i think getting awards recognition helps the movie business have traction. the real reward for the actor is getting the job. but i think if you are, if the awards come to any actor or director, any film, of course you celebrate because i think it injects a kind of enthusiasm into cinema.

and particularly what's great about this is, of course, there's awards talk, but more importantly was the life of the film in cinemas. it stayed in cinemas for quite some time, which was fantastic. there's no shortage of stars in this year's oscar—nominated pictures. selena gomez, who appears in the movie emilia perez, was mobbed at one of the film's premieres. this high—energy musical crime film has been a realfavourite with audiences and critics. alan moloney brings us more. emilia perez follows the story of a disillusioned mexican lawyer, played by avatar�*s zoe saldana. she is recruited by a cartel boss who wants to fake his death and transition from a man to a woman named emilia perez. the film follows the fallout from these events several years later.

directed by french film—maker jacques audiard, it varies wildly in tone and genre. one minute a thrilling crime drama, the next a domestic comedy with the characters intermittently breaking into operatic song. the four women at the heart of the story were awarded a joint best actress award at last year's cannes film festival, and have been on the awards trail ever since. the role of emilia perez, as well as that of the male cartel boss, is played by spanish transgender actor karla sofia gascon. the film has thrust a spotlight on trans issues, and with this historic nomination, expect her to be a highly visible figure this award season. now i'm feeling that i have a lot of responsibility, not only for the minority that maybe is more close to me. you know, i think i have a lot of responsibility to represent a lot of people in this world

that need to live in freedom and in peace and in respect. despite her presence and assistance through the shoot, the film has received criticism from some in the trans community. it was a little bit mired in trying to subvert tropes that are often associated with portraying the trans experience. and i do not think it is entirely successful in doing that. from my experience as a trans man, i think this film just doesn't quite feel like we are showing the sort of humanity that has not often been afforded to us by hollywood. it has also been criticised for what some say is an inauthentic portrayal of mexico, as well as audiard's decision to use non—mexican actors and shoot the film in france. despite this, recent golden globe—winner and best supporting actress favourite zoe saldana feels that great care was taken

in terms of the issues portrayed within the film. we touch on trans issues and mexican disappeared, and so forth, which are very, very kind of big issues. and how important was it to get those things right for you and the cast, and jacques, as well? i think that we're living through really sensitive times where communities are very vocal about being represented accurately. um, and i vacillate with respecting that, which is primarily my goal, but also allowing space for gentle film—makers or storytellers to have a very special approach to it and giving space for them to sort of do it, even if they're not a part of that community, because sometimes they may have the best story to tell. the film has been a big hit with critics, but eclipsed

somewhat in the musical stakes by wicked. but saldana is proud of what the movie has achieved, and grateful for any awards success that might come its way. what fills my heart with gratitude is to know that this niche of a niche of a niche film continues to reach so many people, and that people are deeply moved by it the same way it moved me. i wasn't expecting this. i was wishing for it, and i guess sometimes they can come true. so if it delivers us to that stage in march, then so be it. coming up in talking movies, more from our the realities of the real world often intrude into the oscars race, and this is the case this year with the film no other land, which has been nominated for best documentary feature. it's already won several awards at film festivals

around the world. it's a story that documents palestinian grievance, and it comes from a joint palestinian—israeli film collective. no other land chronicles the efforts of the israeli military to demolish homes and evict palestinians in the occupied west bank. it's made by an israeli palestinian film collective. two men in that collective, yuval abraham, an israeli journalist, and basel adra, a palestinian lawyer who's lived on the land since childhood, are key figures in the documentary. basel adra told me what was in the film. real scenes from our daily life under occupation, like the houses' destructions by israeli bulldozers and people's stories like when their home got demolished, how they, how they handle it. and people lose their life also for trying to have some of their life requirements. there is little political rhetoric in this film. it's a story of individual villagers suffering, but it is not politically neutral. in the documentary,

the israeli military comes across as a brutal, heartless occupying force. that was the aim of the israeli—palestinian film collective that put the documentary together. we are a collective, so it's the israelis and the palestinians, and we filmed it over five years together. so we really, you know, we really captured this process of forced transfer. we also filmed ourselves. so the story... like, the story is also about our own activism and our own sort of, uh, coexistence and work. thank you for your brilliant film. - the documentary has won praise for its film—making. critics and film programmers have been impressed, particularly because it portrays a bond between a palestinian and an israeli. no other land has been lauded at several top film festivals, where it's often elicited a strong emotional response. it was very painful and difficult to watch. um, it was hard to sit through, to be honest. but some festival—goers thought the documentary was a little imbalanced. i worry a little when i see

a story like this, especially when i think that the criticism against israel after the october events, in my opinion, has been a little bit, uh, biased and a little bit ignorant of history. so, at times, i would worry a little that, that itjust fuels a one—sided view of a problem that is complex. now that no other land has received an oscar nomination, its global profile will grow, giving the film—making collective that made it a big boost and maybe helping the documentary to finally get an all—important distribution deal in the us to bring it to a wider audience. i fell in love recently with this image. the face of a black cat, which is the central character in the animated film

from latvia called flow. it's a beautiful story of the black cat confronting apocalyptic times. and in latvia, its oscar—nomination recognition made history. historic because no latvian film has ever before been nominated for an oscar. flow earned nominations for best animated feature and best international film. this critically praised film, which has no dialogue, is set in a world of animals where humans are not present. it's the handiwork of a latvian film—maker. flow is an animated film about a cat who is afraid of water, and there's a big flood that destroys the cat's home, and it ends up in a small boat with a group of other animals, and they don't really get along. and what's unique about flow is that they don't speak. this is real animals behaving like animals. when i was in high school, i had a cat, and i made a short film about this cat,

and that's the inspiration. but then, when i made this feature version, i wanted to expand the story and include more animals. there's a dog inspired by my own dog, so it's really a story about a character who has to learn how to work together and collaborate. audiences have found much in this animation to savour. it's not hand—drawn, classic 1940s walt disney—style animation. it looks like what it is, which is an inexpensive computer software program. the directorjust used it, it was an open—source software, a bit of a breath of fresh air compared to other loud and histrionic animated films that make a lot of money. although the director worked with an orchestra for the score, the production was very modest. this is not a studio film, yet in terms of awards recognition, the picture has outdone some hollywood heavyweight animated movies. is there anything about the film that makes it distinctively latvian? well, um, this main character is a cat who's very, uh, like,

independent and wants to do things its own way. and it can be a little bit introverted, at least in the beginning of the story. and i think latvians are a bit stubborn like that. they're independent and like, uh, and it's also just my story. so at the core, it's a personalstory, but, yeah, the cat's home, i think, where the story begins, it could be set in latvia, but then it goes on this crazy global adventure. to its credit, flow doesn't have a neat, happy ending. it's a more complex story, but it's an inspiring work. and whatever happens in the awards sweepstakes, flow has already made its mark. a small animation from latvia with no dialogue, in which many have found great beauty and hope. well, that brings our talking movies awards lookahead 2025 programme to a close.

so from me, tom brook and the rest of the talking movies team here in new york, it's goodbye. as we leave you with one of the more popular numbers from the oscar—nominated musical crime film, emilia perez.

hello. saturday was a day where the clean—up could begin from that incredibly powerful storm eowyn that battered parts of the uk and the republic of ireland on friday. a much calmer end to the day saturday. we had a fine sunset across southern areas. it was quite cold across northern portions of the uk on saturday, cold enough for some snow in the showers across high ground. now, eowyn is continuing to disintegrate just to the west of norway, but this is our next weather system that's coming in off the atlantic. and this is another named storm. it's been named by the spanish authorities as storm herminia, and it's going to be bringing wet and windy weather over the next few days, with rainfall totals building up, particularly across parts of wales, the midlands, and south west england, where we could see some localised flooding concerns as we head into the early part of the new week. now, at the moment we've got a little trough pushing eastwards, bringing rain, a bit of sleet and hill snow, mostly above 200 metres elevation across northern england and scotland,

could be a few centimetres actually in scotland and a risk of some icy surfaces wherever we see a frost. so, into sunday morning, actually most of us having a fairly decent start to the day. there will still be some showers and blustery conditions for conditions for northern scotland, and it won't be long before we see the rain and winds pick up across england, wales, and northern ireland. gusts through the irish sea coast reaching around 60 to 70 miles an hour. winds that strong could topple one or two trees, bringing some localised disruption, but it won't be on the same scale of disruption that eowyn brought on friday. that really was an exceptional system. monday, the same area of low pressure is with us. we've still got further outbreaks of rain and the wind is still blowing at the same kind of levels around coastal areas.

it will be, i suppose, a fairly mild kind of day, but probably not feeling so, given the strength of those winds. by tuesday, a lot of the rain will start to work a little bit further northwards, affecting parts of scotland by this stage. but the worst of the weather should clear through from wales and south west england. still a few showers left over, still breezy, but the worst of the wind, the worst of the rain should start to push away. temperatures ranging from around seven to ten degrees, so a few degrees above average for the time of year. now, looking later in the new week, it looks like the weather should tend to settle down as the week goes by and into the following weekend, it might be dry for most of us.

live from washington, this is bbc news. amid jubilation over the latest hostage and prisoner release, a precarious moment for the gaza ceasefire deal as israel accuses hamas of breaching its terms. 13 soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in the democratic republic of congo are killed in clashes with m23 rebels. and as the trump administration freezes us aid to most countries, we look at those most impacted — like violence—torn haiti. hello, i'm carl nasman. we start with scenes ofjubilation in israel and the west bank after four female israeli soldiers held hostage by hamas were released in exchange for around 200 palestinian prisoners detained by israel. the release of naama levy, liri albag, daniella gilboa and karina ariev is the second exchange to take place as part of the gaza ceasefire deal.