Cinema in One Take
Cinema in One Take is a podcast hosted by film experts Kaleem Aftab and Emma Jones, offering sharp discussions on the latest international movie news. Covering everything from Hollywood to Bollywood and Nollywood, each episode dives into new releases, industry shifts, and the stories behind the headlines. The show brings a global perspective to cinema, appealing to world cinema lovers.
Episodes
La Bola Negra: Spain Today, the Oscars Tomorrow? Plus, the Bolsonaro Effect on Brazilian Cinema
Can a film change a country’s conversation, and then conquer the Oscars? This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab discuss La Bola Negra, the Cannes prize winner and Spanish box-office hit sparking fresh interest in poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, as well as the country’s painful Civil War history. After becoming a phenomenal hit in Spain, could this intertwined story
Tom Cruise’s Digger, Documentaries for Free & I Play Rocky.
Can Tom Cruise dig his way out of scathing reviews and into another Oscar nomination? In this week’s episode of Cinema in One Take, Kaleem Aftab and Emma Jones weigh up Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger: a star-studded satire with plenty of ambition, but a twist that leaves them both unconvinced.
Plus, as the documentary NAZA prepares to stream for free, could giving political documentaries awa
Oscar Watch: Andrew Scott vs John Malkovich, La Bola Negra plus New Sense and Sensibility
In this week's Cinema in One Take, Kaleem Aftab is excited about Elsinore after its critical acclaim at Toronto, and convinced Andrew Scott will win an Oscar. Emma Jones has another Best Actor contender in mind: John Malkovich from Wild Horse Nine.
They also disagree over the TIFF audience prize winner La Bola Negra, before Kaleem reviews the Oasis reunion documentary Don’t Look Back in Anger an
Venice Winners, Woman Unknown, NAZA & Elon Musk
Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab discuss the big winners from Venice, including Golden Lion winner by Mai El-Toukhy, Woman Unknown, and its newly crowned Best Actress, Mathilde Arcel.
In this week's episode of Cinema in One Take, they explore the film’s gripping portrait of the treatment of women accused of sleeping with the enemy in WW2, as well as the Special Jury Prize winner NAZA, Yuval Abraham and
Together in Venice: Wild Horse Nine’s Oscar Buzz, Bunker & Place to Be
Journalists Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab finally record together in person for a special mini-edition of Cinema in One Take from the Venice Film Festival.
They discuss Martin McDonagh’s awards contender Wild Horse Nine, Florian Zeller’s divisive marital drama Bunker, starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and Ellen Burstyn and Taika Waititi’s unlikely friendship in Kornél Mundruczó’s Place to B
Trainspotting at 30, De Gaulle's Film Triumph & Why Documentaries Could Steal Venice
Thirty years after Trainspotting introduced a generation to the worst toilet in Scotland, does Danny Boyle’s era-defining film still hold up — or do we simply miss being young?
Kaleem recalls seeing it at one of its earliest Edinburgh screenings (for £1!) and winning a 25-word review competition, while Emma argues that civilisation peaked in the 1990s and has been deteriorating ever since.
They al
Hollywood’s Child-Star Problem & Why Barbie 2 May Never Happen
This week, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab look at Hollywood’s troubling history with child stars following the death of Hayden Panettiere at just 36. Why has the industry struggled for decades to protect young performers — and how much can we really connect the pressures of childhood fame with what happens later in life?
They also discuss new developments in the real-life case behind Kaouther Ben Han
The Big Screen Is Back! But Can Independent Film Survive?
Cinema is having a blockbuster summer. The Odyssey and Spider-Man are smashing records, surprise hits such as Backrooms and Obsession are pulling younger audiences into cinemas, and the box office comeback we've been predicting finally seems to have arrived.
So why is it still so difficult to make money from independent film? After producer Marco Perego — behind some of this year's most acclaimed
What Does the Venice Line-Up Say About the Future of Film Festivals? Plus Musk V Nolan
The Venice 2026 line-up is here—and, as with Cannes, a pattern seems to be emerging. Are Hollywood studios moving away from the world's biggest film festivals?
Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab give their first reaction to the Venice Official Selection, which includes Danny Boyle's Ink, Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, Florian Zeller's Bunker, Primetime starring Robert Pattinson, and Lee Chang-dong's
The Odyssey Review | Is Christopher Nolan's Epic His Greatest Film Yet?
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is finally here, and Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab are, for once, in agreement about something: that it's a masterpiece.
In this week's episode of Cinema in One Take, we review Nolan's ambitious adaptation of Homer's epic, discussing why it works so brilliantly as both an intimate character study and a spectacular cinematic experience. We debate whether it's Nolan's g
Are Nolan and Cameron the Last Bankable Directors? Plus Toy Story 5, Venice & Welsh Cinema
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has broken BFI IMAX ticket sales records a month before release or before any reviews, raising a fascinating question: are Nolan and Avatar's James Cameron the last truly bankable directors in cinema?
This week, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab debate Nolan's unique relationship with audiences, and how many other directors could inspire those sales. Or is the box office
Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day and the Nadav Lapid Controversy
Steven Spielberg's long-awaited new alien epic Disclosure Day has finally landed. Is it his best film in 20 years, or a frustrating missed opportunity? Cinema in One Take's Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab disagree about what Hollywood's legendary director has created.
They also discuss the controversy surrounding Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid and his withdrawal from FIDMarseille after calls for a boyc
Backrooms, Martin Scorsese and YouTube's Hollywood Takeover
What happens when YouTubers start making some of the biggest films in the world?
This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab dive into the extraordinary success of Backrooms and Obsession, two breakout hits from directors who built huge audiences online before stepping behind the camera. What took Hollywood so long to recognise the talent pipeline?
They also tackle the Tribeca-pre
Fjord Wins the Palme d’Or: Inside the Cannes 2026 Awards
Our final Cannes Film Festival wrap-up is here!
In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones reports back from the Croisette after a whirlwind fortnight at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, while Kaleem Aftab joins to unpack the winners, surprises, controversies and biggest talking points from this year’s Palme d’Or race.
They discuss why Christian Mungiu’s Fjord emerged as the festival’s major
Cannes 2026: The Palme d’Or Race Is Wide Open
The Palme d’Or race at the Cannes Film Festival is becoming more unpredictable by the day as the festival enters its final stages. Emma Jones speaks to Kaleem Aftab from Cannes, to talk about the icy family drama Fjord starring Sebastian Stan, the politically charged Russian thriller Minotaur, and the visually stunning World War I love story Coward.
They also explore one of the festival’s biggest
The Mood at Cannes 2026: Monsters, Mafia and Missing Movie Stars
AI children. Korean monsters. Missing Hollywood stars. And Jacob Elordi as Bond?
In this Cannes dispatch, Emma Jones reports from the Film Festival as she and Kaleem Aftab break down some of the festival’s biggest premieres — from Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box to Na Hong-jin’s bonkers sci-fi feature Hope, James Gray’s mafia thriller Paper Tiger, and Léa Seydoux’s acclaimed turn in Gentle Mo
Is Cannes Less Glamorous? Plus Fatherland, Farhadi & Festival Fatigue
Emma Jones joins Kaleem Aftab from the Cannes Film Festival to unpack the films, politics, and glamour (as well as the growing exhaustion) at Cannes 2026.
They discuss the strong early reaction to Pavel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, why critics are divided over Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, Sandra Hüller’s latest performance, Isabelle Huppert in Parisian meta-fiction mode, and whether Cannes critic
The First Days of Cannes, the Fight for Cinema Culture and Concert Films
Day one at Cannes and already the big question is: what kind of festival is Cannes becoming?
Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab break down an opening night dominated by Jane Fonda, nostalgia, political carefulness, and the idea that Hollywood studios no longer need the Cannes Croisette to launch a film.
They discuss the first Competition reactions, why subtler world cinema may be have a moment with Koji
AI Panic, Cannes Jury Predictions and a 'Sexy Film About Trees'
This week Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab discuss the growing controversy around AI in filmmaking as Kaleem’s produced feature 'Memory of Princess Mumbi', made with generative AI, begins its international release following an award-winning festival run.
From generative AI and visual effects to the Oscars’ new guidance on AI eligibility, they ask where the ethical lines around artificial intellig
What The Devil Wears Prada 2 Gets Right About Journalism Now
In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab use The Devil Wears Prada 2 to ask what’s happened to journalism in the age of clicks, algorithms, and tech power?
Arguing the film is often more about journalism than fashion, they explore how cultural journalism is being reshaped, from shrinking editorial budgets to influencers and platform-driven taste.
Plus why style still matt
'Michael': Critics Hate It. Fans Love It — And We Get Why
Critics hate it. Fans seem set to love it.
Michael, the biopic of Michael Jackson, has been met with some of the harshest reviews in recent memory, but it could still become one of the biggest musical biopics ever made.
In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab are joined by journalist and critic Patrick Heidmann, to ask a simple question: if the reviews are so negative… w
Cinemas Have an Ads Problem — And Will Cannes Have a Star Problem?
Are cinemas putting audiences off before the film even begins?
This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab respond to Sony’s Tom Rothman, who has urged cinemas to shorten the bloated pre-show of ads and trailers before films start, and ask whether the pre-cinema experience itself is part of the problem of getting audiences in?
Then it’s to Cannes 2026, where the line up for other
Cannes 2026: Less Hollywood, More War — What’s Changed?
The Cannes Film Festival 2026 line-up is here, and it feels like something is shifting. Fewer Hollywood titles, a surge in war stories, and a Competition shaped by global auteurs, with Japanese and Spanish films featuring prominently this year.
Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab unpack the key themes, including a growing global crossover between Europe and Asia, both in casting and direction, and a notab
Amélie at 25: Do We Still Believe in Movie Magic? ( Plus AI Actors & 'The Drama')
On this week’s Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab explore what audiences really want from cinema — from AI-generated performances to timeless movie magic.
They begin with the rise of AI in film, from the failure (for now) of virtual influencer Tilly Norwood to the ethics of recreating Val Kilmer on screen, and ask whether audiences are ready for artificial stars.
Then, as French class
The Drama about the Drama and and the Cost of Visibility
A film very few people have seen is already causing outrage.
On this week’s Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab dive into the backlash surrounding The Drama after a leaked plot twist set the internet off. Is the twist genuinely in poor taste, and has it also provided exactly the kind of controversy modern film marketing thrives on?
They also discuss the darker side of visibility, as ac
Project Hail Mary’s $140m Stellar Opening: Are Original Blockbusters Back?
Ryan Gosling heads into space (with exceptional knitwear) in Project Hail Mary — a rare original sci-fi that’s already shaping up to be one of 2026’s biggest hits.
Film experts Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab ask whether Hollywood might finally be rediscovering its appetite for risk. Is this a genuine shift away from franchise dominance — or just a one-off?
And they look beyond Hollywood to the glo
Oscars 2026: Michael B. Jordan’s moment, PTA’s long-awaited win… and burgers at In-N-Out
In this Oscar special episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones joins from Los Angeles hours after the ceremony while Kaleem Aftab watches from across the Atlantic — and together they unpack one of the more intriguing Academy Awards in recent years.
From Paul Thomas Anderson finally winning Best Picture and Best Director for One Battle After Another to the electrifying reaction when Michael B. J
Timothée Chalamet’s Oscars Gaffe, The Bride! Debate & Why Best Actress Nominees Are Getting Older
With the Oscars fast approaching, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab dive into the strange theatre of awards-season campaigning — where one off-the-cuff comment can suddenly dominate the conversation.
This week they unpack Timothée Chalamet’s opera and ballet gaffe, and ask whether Oscar races are increasingly decided by narrative, momentum and campaign drama rather than the performances themselves.
Emma
Claes Bang on 'The Great Arch', Berlin Festival Turmoil & Why European Cinema Matters
Danish actor Claes Bang ( The Square, Dracula, Bad Sisters) joins Cinema in One Take to discuss his new French film The Great Arch, by Stephane Demoustier, playing the uncompromising architect behind one of Paris’s most striking landmarks.
Speaking with hosts Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab, Bang reflects on portraying a fiercely principled creative figure, what the AI future holds for cinema, and why
Cinema in One Take — Oscars Fatigue, a César Surprise, Berlinale Politics and Welsh language cinema
With Oscars 2026 approaching, film critics Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab ask whether awards season has simply become too long. From the Golden Globes to the Academy Awards, they debate whether audiences still watch the Oscars — and why this year’s race feels unusually unpredictable.
They also head to the César Awards, where American director Richard Linklater won Best Director for Nouvelle Vague,
When Film Awards Are Not About Film
In this week's Cinema in One Take, Kaleem Aftab and Emma Jones digest what happened at the BAFTA Film Awards, when a racial slur was aired by the BBC broadcast of the event.
They also discuss the Berlin Film Festival winners, and that ceremony was overshadowed (as was the entire festival) by political controversy.
Who'd want to run a film festival and what happened to these events being about the
The Myth of Neutrality at the Berlinale 2026
On the latest Cinema in One Take. Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab look back at the political controversy that dominated this year's Berlinale festival, over remarks Jury President Wim Wenders made during the opening press conference.
Emma picks out 'Rose' starring Sandra Huller, as her favourite of the Berlin Competition films, and runs through a few more of her highlights, while the pair pay tribute
Live from Berlin Film Festival: German Cinema and Afghan Rom Coms
In this week's Cinema in One Take, It's the start of the Berlin International Film Festival and Emma and Kaleem raise the topic of a new levy on streaming profits in Germany that have to be reinvested in film and TV. A great idea for German culture, or just ignoring what audiences actually want?
Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat opens the festival with a rom-com set in Kabul as the country falls ag
Kristen Stewart Directing Debut, Colour Inclusive Casting and Riz Ahmed's Hamlet
This week Kaleem and Emma explore Kristen Stewart's excellent directing debut The Chronology of Water, starring Imogen Poots, and her recent words to the press that at some point she might quit the USA, because she "can't work freely there."
They ask why (Mark Ruffalo aside) there's a deafening silence from Hollywood in the middle of awards season during a turbulent time in the USA.
They explore a
Big in Japan, I Love Boosters and Breathless, Richard Linklater-style
Cinema in One Take's Kaleem Aftab and Emma Jones discuss what's behind the surge in Japan's box office. They also disagree over Richard Linklater's new film 'Nouvelle Vague', about the making of Jean-Luc Godard's movie 'Breathless' And as Sundance comes to an end in Park City, Utah, they mark the end of an era with some of their best Sundance films and memories.
Oscar and EFA Saints, "Sinners' and 'Sentimental Value'
Kaleem and Emma sit down to discuss the Oscar nominations right after they happened and to celebrate Sinners (16 nominations, Kaleem's favourite film) and Norway's Sentimental Value (9 nominations) - which also dominated this week's European Film Awards in Berlin. Plus, Matt Damon's words to Joe Rogan on how Netflix films are being watched (hint: with distraction!) and a recommendation for Greenla
The Globes and a Golden Year for Cinema in 2026 (maybe)
It's 2026 ! And to kick off January, hosts Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab dive into the the state of international cinema as they start the year.
They discuss the surprising resilience of cinema and how optimistic they both are about the big screen, despite press claims of its decline, highlighting the impressive box office performance of 2025.
They also wrangle over the Golden Globes... including
Kaleem vs the Critics on 'Christmas Karma'. Plus: Emerald Hues and Emma's Beatle Blues
Kaleem Aftab and Emma Jones dive into the great festive divide: Gurinder Chadha's Christmas Karma. While critics have gleefully sharpened their candy-cane daggers, Kaleem stands tall as the film’s most enthusiastic champion — and he’s ready to explain why this mocked musical deserves a second look.
They also share their verdicts on potentially the biggest movie of 2025, Wicked for Good, and explo
Wuthering Hypes: The Power of a Trailer
This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab unpack the headline-grabbing trailer drops — Wuthering Heights, the MJ biopic and a new Devil Wears Prada — to first looks at Mario Bros. and SS Rajamouli’s much-anticipated Mandakini, the follow-up to RRR. The pair explore why trailers continue to shape the conversation long before a film hits cinemas. Plus, Left Handed Girl, directed b
History, A House of Dynamite and Homage to Kenny Dalglish
Can we ever take a film centred around real events as actual history? Kaleem talks about Annemarie Jacir's 'Palestine 36' and whether it can be seen as a historical film.
Emma reviews Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite and the start of Netflix's season of award contenders.
And Kaleem reviews Asif Kapadia's film on renowned footballer Kenny Dalglish.
Plus, a little gem of the week: Souleymane'
One Battle After Another as Tilly Norwood arrives in Hollywood
In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma and Kaleem discuss the launch of Tilly Norwood, an AI actress.
They also analyse why Leonardo Di Caprio's new film, One Battle After Another, isn't grabbing cinema goers as much as critics. Is this vindication for Kaleem's review?
Finally, onto the release in North America, the UK and Ireland of The Smashing Machine, and an Oscar Campaign for Dwayne John
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