The Film Programme

The Spanish director Pedro Almodovar talks to Francine Stock about his raunchy new comedy I'm So Excited in which a plane with a technical fault circles the skies, hoping to find an airport to land in. According to Almodovar, it's a metaphor for the political and financial difficulties facing Spain. Adam Leon explains why he wanted to show the grittier, real New York in his new feature Gimme The Loot about young graffiti artists. And how he deals with questions over how a white director can make a convincing film about a predominantly black scene. The actor Tom Courtenay, seen most recently in Quartet, looks back at Billy Liar, 50 years on. Directed by John Schlesinger, and co-starring Julie Christie, the film portrays Billy, a dreamer working in an undertakers and planning escape. And with The Reluctant Fundamentalist due for release next week, the young British actor Riz Ahmed tells the story of his big break and how he was discovered by the director Michael Winterbottom. Producer: Elaine Lester.