The Curzon Film Podcast

Quentin Tarantino’s joins us on the podcast this week, day tripping back to 1969 with his new film

This week the cinema is jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. We're talking to Gurinder Chadha (director of Bend it Like Beckham ) about her Springsteen infused brit-musical Blinded By The Light, plus we ask whether new Willem Dafoe film Opus Zero is an Opus Hero, or whether it lives up to its name... It's 1987, and it's not easy being British Pakistani in a commuter town living through the tatters of Thatcher's Britain. But salvation arrives in the unlikely shape of Bruce Springsteen, whose tales of ragged working class glory ignite a new confidence in Javed. Taking Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir and digging deep into the cross-cultural connections between Bury Park, Luton and Asbury Park, New Jersey, Blinded By The Light is a feel good British story powered by the bulletproof music of The Boss. Paul, a composer, arrives in a remote Mexican village where his father has passed away. As his attention shifts to the fate of a missing woman, Paul must come to terms with the memory of his father and the uncertainty of his future. Discussing the films this week are Jake Cunningham, Ella Kemp and Sam Howlett. Follow the team on Social Media:

In this episode we delve in to the intimate pairing setting hearts racing across the globe: Hobbs and Shaw, plus we talk to Ritesh Batra - director of The Lunchbox - about his new film Photograph. The latest from writer-director Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox), Photograph is a charming tale of unlikely romance set against the vibrant backdrop of contemporary Mumbai. Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is a struggling street photographer who takes tourist portraits at the Gateway of India. When he meets Miloni (Sanya Malhotra), a shy stranger from an affluent family, he convinces her to pose as his fiancée after his overbearing grandmother decides to pay him a visit. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham take an offramp from the juggernaut Fast & Furious convoy for this stand alone tale featuring two of the series favourite characters. Rogue outsider Shaw (Statham) and US agent Hobbs (Johnson) are forced put their deep loathing for each other aside to fight back against Idris Elba’s Brixton, a genetically enhanced super villain. Discussing the films this week are podcast regulars Sam Howlett, Ed Frost, Kelly Powell and Jake Cunningham Follow the team on Twitter: @SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett @jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham @ks_powell - Kelly Powell Produced by Jake Cunningham Edited by Mark Towers For information regarding your data privacy, visit

In the middle of the biggest heat wave the UK has seen in a long time, we discuss what we think are the hottest films of 2019. From the roundly praised Burning to the love it or hate it Under the Silver Lake , via a hulk-smashing superhero team-up and the mystical birds of Colombia, here are the best films of 2019 so far... Discussing the films this week are podcast regulars Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell and Jake Cunningham, with special guest appearances from Curzon staff members Ed Frost, Fern Beattie, Caitlin Smith and Ulysse Kelbert. Follow the team on Twitter: @SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett @jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham @ks_powell - Kelly Powell Produced by Jake Cunningham Edited by Mark Towers For information regarding your data privacy, visit

In this episode we tackle the king of the jungle and the queen of the cinema, as Agnès Varda circles her life with Varda by Agnès and Jon Favreau brings a new pride to Disney. Assembling a brilliant voice cast – featuring Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, John Oliver, Chiwetel Ejiofor and James Earl Jones – expect to see the brilliant songs, winning humour and heart-breaking tragedy anew. Following The Jungle Book , Jon Favreau once again shows he can marshal an incredible digital spectacle, while also deftly honouring a beloved childhood favourite. With visuals that rival ‘Planet Earth’, this is a superb reimagining of an African legend. Agnès Varda takes a seat on a theatre stage. This professional photographer, installation artist and pioneer of the Nouvelle Vague is an institution of French cinema but a fierce opponent of any kind of institutional thinking. Varda By Agnès follows the filmmaker and artist as she uses excerpts from her work to illustrate – more associatively than chronologically – her artistic vision and ideas. Her lively, anecdote-rich and clever talk charts her shift from analogue to digital. Discussing the film this week are Sam Howlett, Kelly Powell, Beth Webb and Jake Cunningham Follow the team on Twitter: @SamHowlett_1 - Sam Howlett @jakehcunningham - Jake Cunningham @ks_powell - Kelly Powell @BethKWebb - Beth Webb Produced by Jake Cunningham Edited by Mark Towers For information regarding your data privacy, visit