The Film Programme

Francine Stock talks to Harmony Korine about his new and most commercial film to date, Spring Breakers, starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens. It explores what happens to a group of teenage girls who break away from the drudgery of studies for that North American ritual, Spring Break. Elhum Shakerifar talks about her role as director of the UK's Women's film festival, Birds Eye View, which this year is celebrating female Arab filmmakers, including Palestine, Egypt Algeria, Lebanon and Syria. She discusses the challenges that Haifaa Al Mansour had in filming Wadjda on location in Saudi Arabia; she had to direct some sequences from a van via walkie talkie due to prohibitions on women in public spaces. Wadjda is a moving film about a ten year old girl whose goal in life is to buy a bicycle. Neil Brand discusses film composer Alex North's ground breaking score to the 1952 film Viva Zapata. Directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn the film told the story of revolutionar