The Cultural Frontline

A man comes out of isolation and walks in a trance through the centre of Shanghai, marvelling at an empty shopping mall and the changes he sees around him. It sounds like a news report but it’s actually the plot of an eerie sci-fi short story written by Chinese author Chen Qiufan (also known as Stanley Chan) last year. He speaks to Tina about his new work and life imitating art in science fiction. How is COVID-19 influencing artists? The Singaporean art collective PHUNK, tells us about updating their SARS-inspired artwork ‘Control Chaos’ to reflect the current global crisis. ‘Stay apart – and keep connecting’ – that’s the philosophy behind a new daily online comedy broadcast made by the British comedians Robin Ince and Josie Long. Robin and Josie talk to Tina about creating a space to support artists and entertain audiences in the age of lockdown. Plus from home concerts with John Legend to the campaigning anthems of Bobi Wine we explore how the music world is responding to the coronavirus. Presented by Tina Daheley Image: Chen Quifan Image credit: Lin Yi'an

As countries around the world face up to the challenge of the coronavirus we hear how life and culture are changing in Milan, Italy. The Italian author and screenwriter Ilaria Bernardini, reflects on how musicians, poets, writers and even chefs, are uniting to bring hope during an uncertain time. For the Lebanese poet, Zeina Hashem Beck poetry is how she channels her creative energy, her emotions and her questions. She talks to Tina about how a sense of place and particularly the cities of Tripoli and Beirut inform her poetry. The internationally renowned designer Christian Louboutin talks about how his childhood love for the Parisian institution, the Museum of African and Oceanic Arts, inspired a life in fashion. Corruption, crime and the seedy underbelly of Warsaw. Features you wouldn’t expect to find included in a ‘love letter’ to your home city. But that’s how novelist Jakub Zulcyzck describes his book, Blinded by the Light which is being made into a TV series for HBO. Jakub Zulcyzck tells The Cultural Frontline why Warsaw is such a special city despite its darker side. Presented by Tina Daheley Image: A family making music on an Italian balcony Image credit: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

From selling slippers on the streets of Taipei as a child to running a world class dance company, we meet the new artistic director of Cloud Gate. Choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung tells us how he transformed his childhood experiences into a sensory explosion of sound, neon light and spectacular movement on stage in the latest production 13 Tongues. Two dancers on a mission to replace caricature with character. Georgina Pazcoguin and Phil Chan of the campaign group Final Bow for Yellowface tell us why they’re working to eliminate offensive stereotypes of East Asians on our stages. It’s been called Georgia's first LGBTQ+ film, has been critically acclaimed but has also attracted controversy. The actor and dancer Levan Gelbakhiani shares the story of making the new drama “And then We Danced.” Presented by Tina Daheley Image: A dancer on stage in 13 Tongues Image credit: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

As the world reacts to the guilty verdicts against the former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein we speak to directors, actors and producers about creating film in the age of #Metoo. A young woman who works for a media mogul and the degrading climate he's created at the office. That’s the subject of the latest film by the acclaimed Australian writer and director Kitty Green. She talks to Tina Daheley about the challenges and the real life inspirations behind her new drama, The Assistant. In the 92 year history of the Academy Awards there has only been one female winner of the best director Oscar; Kathryn Bigelow. This year as #OscarsSoMale trended on social media many people asked: Does Hollywood has a problem with female directors? The American director Rachel Feldman and the Bangladeshi film maker Rubaiyat Hossain, share their experiences of working in the film industry and tell us why their films tell the stories of strong women fighting for justice and equality. How do you direct love scenes in the age of #MeToo? South African actor Nthati Moshesh and film director Sara Blecher tell Megha Mohan how they are working to create a comfortable and safe environment for all actors when filming intimate scenes. Presented by Megha Mohan Image: Kitty Green on the set of the Assistant Image credit: Ty Johnson

The working class London kid who became an Oscar winning director, the artistic maverick who became a knight of the realm. Tina Daheley speaks to Sir Steve McQueen about the influences that turned him into one of Britain’s greatest living artists as a career spanning exhibition of his work opens at London’s Tate Modern gallery. Plus the visionary Iranian film-maker and artist Shirin Neshat talks about her latest work, Land of Dreams. She reveals why she has turned her lens to Trump’s America, to tell the stories of ordinary people, their hopes and dreams and how she hopes art can foster a greater understanding between the United States and Iran. Presented by Tina Daheley (Photo: Steve McQueen. Credit: Getty Images/Michael Kovac)