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Films That Changed the World

Mr Bates vs the Post Office has caused legal changes where years of campaigning failed. Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones explore if movies and television can change the world.

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore whether films and TV can change the world.

First up, Ellen talks to the award-winning independent filmmaker Eliza Hittman, whose critically acclaimed 2020 drama, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, charts the odyssey of 17 year-old Autumn, played by newcomer Sidney Flanigan from her home town in rural Pennsylvania, to her nearest accessible abortion clinic in New York City. Ellen also meets Caren Spruch, National Director for Arts and Entertainment Engagement at US-based organisation Planned Parenthood. They discuss her activism towards shaping TV and film storylines around abortion.

Mark ponders how two film makers have addressed homelessness in their work - rising star Lorna Tucker who's deeply personal documentary Someone’s Daughter, Someone’s Son has recently brought homelessness back into the spotlight, and film legend Ken Loach who shares how his 1966 ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV play Cathy Come Home came to be and alerted the public and politicians alike to the country’s growing housing crisis.

Producer: Mae-Li Evans
A Prospect Street production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4

Available now

43 minutes

Last on

Tue 14 May 2024 11:00

Broadcasts

  • Fri 10 May 2024 19:15
  • Tue 14 May 2024 11:00

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