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Abderrahmane Sissako, George Clooney, Saud Alsanousi

How to age gracefully according to George Clooney, director Abderrahmane Sissako on his Oscar nominated film Timbuktu and literary postcard from author Saud Alsanousi.

George Clooney talks about ageing gracefully and taking opportunities while he still has them. We highlight some of the great independent films from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Abderrahmane Sissako talks about his Oscar nominated new film Timbuktu depicting rural life under Sharia law. Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai, who has just won the big Man International Booker Prize for Fiction, tells us why he likes to write (very) long sentences. Sierra Leone-born artist and engineer Abu Bakarr Mansaray shows us round his exhibition of futuristic machines at the Venice Biennale.

Also, legendary singer Art Garfunkel tells us about the painful process of recovering his damaged voice, ‘his identity’, as he describes it. From Kuwait we have a literary postcard from Saud Alsanousi whose recent novel looks at the lives of foreign workers in Arab cultures. And, from a show in the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s brilliant documentary archive, former astronaut Christopher Ferguson describes waking up daily in space to the cheery classic song Can’t Take my Eyes off You, as crew onboard the Nasa shuttle Endeavour.

(Photo: Abderrahmane Sissako, 2014 Les Films du Worso, Credit: Dune Vision. George Clooney Credit: Oddyo/ Disney. Saud Alsanousii, courtesy of Saud.)

50 minutes

Last on

Mon 1 Jun 2015 08:05GMT

Music and featured items

  • George Clooney

    George Clooney on ageing gracefully and taking opportunities while he still has them

    Duration: 08:26

  • Cannes Film Festival

    Phillip Bergson talks us through the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival

    Duration: 06:10

  • Abderrahmane Sissako

    Abderrahmane Sissako talks about his new film Timbuktu about rural life under Sharia law

    Duration: 05:58

  • László Krasznahorkai

    The winner of the 2015 Man International Booker Prize for Fiction

    Duration: 04:09

  • Venice Biennale

    Artist Abu Bakarr Mansaray shows us round his exhibition of futuristic machines.

    Duration: 04:19

  • Art Garfunkel

    Art Garfunkel on recovering his voice and 'identity'

    Duration: 05:30

  • Saud Alsanousi

    A literary postcard from Saud Alsanousi's book The Bamboo Stalk

    Duration: 04:33

  • Can't Take My Eyes Off You

    Former astronaut Christopher Ferguson on why that song is special to him

    Duration: 03:11

  • Maureen McGovern

    Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

  • Boys Town Gang

    Can't Take My Eyes Off You

  • Frankie Valli

    Can't Take My Eyes Off You

  • The London Pops Orchestra

    Can't Take My Eyes Off You

  • Ke Fez

    Algiers Dream

  • Carpenters

    Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft

  • Andras Farkas And Ensemble

    A Cloud Covers The Forest

  • Damon Albarn Featuring Afel Bocoum Toumani Diabate And Friends

    Spoons

  • Charli xcx

    Famous

  • James Newton Howard

    A Dark Goddamn Hole

  • City Of Prague Philharmonic & Nic Raine

    The Incredibles Overture

  • Michael Giacchino

    Primates For Life

    From Planet of the Apes Soundtrack

  • Wiley

    Scar

    Instrumental

  • London Symphony Orchestra

    Notte A Venezia

    From Antologia Di Musica Veneziana

Broadcasts

  • Sat 30 May 2015 11:05GMT
  • Mon 1 Jun 2015 08:05GMT