Friday 7 October
Philomena
8:30pm, SBSWatch now at SBS On Demand
M
UK, 2013
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan
What's it about?Unlikely duo Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan head up Stephen Frears's Oscar-nominated drama about an Irish woman's 50-year search for the son she was forced to give up for adoption as a Catholic teenager. Dench is Philomena, punished by the convent as a teenager after falling pregnant, and Coogan is Martin Sexmith, the investigative journalist who takes up her cause. Moving, sometimes angry, and surprisingly funny, it's a journey that lifts the spirit - and proves Dench and Coogan to be a winning combination.
Philomena: Stephen Frears interview
Philomena: Steve Coogan interview
Friday 14 October
12 Years A Slave
8:30pm, SBSWatch now at SBS On Demand
MA15+
USA, 2013
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt
What's it about?Inspired by the harrowing true story, Steve McQueen's visceral drama merged the director's uncompromising visual style with powerful, emotional performances - and took home the Oscar for Best Picture in the process. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup, a free man from upstate New York who is abducted and sold into slavery in the Deep South, where he struggles to stay alive and retain his dignity in the face of untold cruelty.
12 Years a Slave: Interview with Steve McQueen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender
'12 Years a Slave:' an American story unearthed by British filmmaker
Friday 21 October
Grace of Monaco
8:30pm, SBSAvailable after broadcast at SBS On Demand
M
France, USA, 2014
Genre: Biography, Drama
Language: French
Director: Olivier Dahan
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Paz Vega
What's it about?Nicole Kidman takes a gallant swing at portraying one the 20th century's most celebrated style icons - Hollywood superstar turned continental royal Grace Kelly. Set in 1962, six years after her wedding to European Prince Rainer III, Olivier Dahan's glossy biopic examines the former screen siren as she strives to reconcile her past and present, a yearning to return to the movies with her newfound role as mother and monarch.
Friday 28 October
Margin Call
8:30pm, SBSAvailable after broadcast at SBS On Demand
MA15+
USA, 2011
Genre: Thriller
Language:English
Director: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Simon Baker, Demi Moore
What's it about?A riveting big money thriller set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, Margin Call catches the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. Zachary Quinto plays an entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, and a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.
Why You Should Watch: Margin Call
