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Mercedes Arias and Delfina Vidal Frago take a romantic view of history in more ways than one in “Tito, Margot and Me,” a curious look at the love story between world-renowned British ballerina Margot Fonteyn and Panamanian politician Roberto “Tito” Arias. Recently selected by the latter country as its official Oscar entry for international feature, the documentary is bound to be better appreciated at home, where well-known historical details need not be explained for locals. Yet the doc holds broader interest in exploring a relationship of great consequence, not only for the individuals involved, but in international affairs.

It isn’t a coincidence that one of the co-directors shares a family name with Arias. Despite being his niece, Mercedes recalls only meeting her uncle Tito once. A subject of mystery within her own family as he was for much of Panama, Tito Arias may have graced tabloids around the world as Fonteyn’s other half,...

Ana de Armas is out for blood in “Ballerina,” the upcoming spinoff to Lionsgate’s successful “John Wick” franchise. And she’s got a question for Keanu Reeves.

“How do I start doing what you do?” she asks the legendary hit man. “Looks like you already have,” Reeves notes wryly.

The trailer that Lionsgate shared during its presentation to theater owners and executives at CinemaCon on Wednesday was heavy on ass-kicking, with de Armas’ assassin making short work of several assailants, torching a truck with a flamethrower, leaping from moving vehicles and engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat in a burning building. Think de Armas’ bone-crunching sequence in “No Time to Die” stretched over feature length with a much, much higher body count. She also dances, sticking a landing like Margot Fonteyn when not wielding firearms.

The movie unfolds between the events of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” and “John Wick: Chapter 4.

Step into the enchanting world of dance with the legendary Dame Darcey Bussell as she takes center stage in “Darcey Bussell on The Magic of Dance.” Set to grace the screens at 11:10 Pm on Monday, January 1, 2024, on BBC Four, this special episode is a journey into the BBC’s dance archives, featuring the timeless gem, The Magic of Dance, originally transmitted in 1979 and hosted by the iconic Margot Fonteyn.

Dame Darcey, herself a renowned ballet dancer, guides viewers through her favorite moments of the series, unveiling the magic of dance through the lens of celebrated performances. From the cool tap masterclass with Sammy Davis Jr. to the exquisite routine by the Latvian virtuoso Mikhail Baryshnikov, and a glimpse into the innovative world of modern dance with Isadora Duncan, the episode promises a captivating exploration of the art form’s rich history. For dance enthusiasts and novices alike, “Darcey Bussell...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

The 88 submissions for the best international feature award at the 2023 Oscars have been announced, and Screen has profiled all the entries below.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is set to be announced on December 21 with the final five nominees announced on January 24, 2024 The 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The 88 submissions are down from last year when 92 films were in contentions. Four countries submitted this year but have not appeared on the final list - Cuba with Fernando Perez...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

Directors Mercedes Arias and Delfina Vidal have reconvened to relay the fascinating tale of Panamanian politico Tito Arias – the director’s first cousin once removed – and his wife, renowned ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn.

The directors, who previously achieved success with “Caja 25,” debuted the feature-length documentary “Tito, Margot and Me” globally at last week’s Iff Panama, the film being chosen as the closing-night selection.

The project takes its time, with Arias helming interviews with family members and those close to the pair.

Written by Arias, Vidal and Joaneska Gröss (“La Matamoros”), the film uses found family footage, letters, old photographs and accounts from Fonteyn’s autobiography to cast an illuminating light on familial bonds, political duress and true love. Emotive dance sequences featuring ballerinas Maruja Herrera and Valentino Zucchetti assure a flawless segue between scenes.

“Tito, Margot and Me,” produced by Luis Pacheco’s Panama City-based Jaguar Films (“Causa Justa...

French auteur filmmaker Claire Denis returns to Panama to open the 11th Panama Int’l Film Festival Dec. 2 with her Cannes Grand Prix winner “Stars at Noon.”

While set in Nicaragua, the drama shot primarily in Panama last year and is associate produced by Hypatia Films, run by Pituka Ortega Heilbron and Marcela Heilbron, which provided production services. Fest – the Iff Panama as it is also known – closes Dec. 4 with “Tito, Margot y Yo,” an intriguing documentary about the 20th century’s greatest ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn, and her marriage to Panamanian politician, Tito Arias.

Some changes are afoot at the festival where, starting this year, Bernardo Ordás Guardia takes over festival duties from Ortega Heilbron who is now chair of the festival board and foundation. Ortega Heilbron plans to devote more time to directing and producing although she will continue to be involved with programming, guests and expanding the festival’s reach.

Bing Crosby, David Hockney and Dame Margot Fonteyn are among the interviewees to have been discovered within old Desert Island Disc tapes.

As the interviews predated the BBC recording archives, the recordings had previously been lost, but now an audio collector has found them.

Richard Harrison from Lowestoft in Suffolk discovered the 90 lost tapes, telling the BBC that finding the missing archives was a “great feeling”.

Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme broadcast which is also now released in a podcast format. It has been airing since January 1942 when it was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme.

The 90 recordings feature interviews from the 1960s and 1970s and include a host of stars from actor Dirk Bogarde to actor and dancer Sophie Tucker.

Harrison is a member of the Radio Circle, a group who take a keen interest in discovering lost radio. Harrison collects old tapes from car...

The story of “The White Crow,” Ralph Fiennes’ latest directorial effort, is as topical as anything currently sitting on the desk of a studio head. It tells of a rebellious artist grappling with his sexuality during turbulent political times rife with tensions between the United States and an agitated Russia. But though the upcoming film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release Stateside on April 26, may be weirdly timely, it is actually set nearly 60 years ago and depicts the true tale of late ballet sensation Rudolf Nureyev.

Known for performances that were sinewy and sensual, Nureyev inflamed Cold War tensions when he became one of the first megastars to defect from the Soviet Union in 1961. Once in the United States, the ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer became a household name, partnering with Margot Fonteyn in acclaimed productions of “Giselle” and “Swan Lake,” appearing on “The Muppet Show” and playing Rudolph Valentino...

Exclusive: Adèle Exarchopoulos and dancers Oleg Ivenko and Sergei Polunin will star in The White Crow; HanWay to handle world sales.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos, Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good Bye Lenin!) and dancers Sergei Polunin and Oleg Ivenko are to star in Ralph Fiennes’ Rudolf Nureyev drama The White Crow.

After an extensive search the production has settled on Russian dancer Ivenko to play iconic dancer Nureyev in the feature, which Fiennes will look to shoot on location in St Petersburg and Paris, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier, in summer 2017.

David Hare’s (The Hours) script, based on the biography Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh, charts the iconic dancer’s famed defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.

The script’s finale is set at Le Bourget airport in Paris and traces the dramatic day of the...

Exclusive: Adèle Exarchopoulos and dancers Oleg Ivenko and Sergei Polunin will star in The White Crow; HanWay to handle world sales.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos, Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good Bye Lenin!) and dancers Sergei Polunin and Oleg Ivenko are to star in Ralph Fiennes’ Rudolf Nureyev biopic The White Crow.

After an extensive search the production has settled on Russian dancer Ivenko to play Nureyev in the feature, which Fiennes will look to shoot on location in St Petersburg and Paris, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier, in summer 2017.

David Hare’s (The Hours) script, based on the biography Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh, charts the iconic dancer’s famed defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.

The script’s finale is set at Le Bourget airport in Paris and traces the dramatic day of the defection.

The...

Current Empire Legend Ralph Fiennes’ directing career is ticking along nicely and the actor-turned-filmmaker already has his viewfinder-adjacent eye on a potential next film. It’s a knockabout teen sex farce that finds three best friends who... Sorry, that’s not really his style, is it? He’s attached to make a film about legendary Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.The Hours’ David Hare – who also wrote The Reader, in which Fiennes appeared, is at work on the script for the director and his regular producing collaborator Gabrielle Tana. According to Screen International, it’s not a traditional cradle-to-grave biopic but instead will focus on a specific incident in the dancer’s life, who defected from the Soviet Union in 1961, evading the Kgb’s attempts to stop him. The team has the rights to Julie Kavangh’s biography Nureyev: The Life. His celebrated dance career saw him sharing the Royal...

Exclusive: David Hare script to be produced by Philomena producer and BBC Films.

Ralph Fiennes is to direct a feature drama about iconic Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.

The as-yet-untitled drama is being written by acclaimed British playwright and screenwriter David Hare, who collaborated with Fiennes on 2008 Oscar-winner The Reader, which was Hare’s last feature.

Philomena producer Gabrielle Tana – who previously collaborated with Fiennes on The Invisible Woman, Coriolanus and The Duchess - is on board to produce the feature, which is being developed with BBC Films and is set to be co-produced by former Pathe executive Francois Ivernel.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, the film is understood not to be a biopic but instead charts a specific incident in the life of the celebrated dancer who defected from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.

The volatile former Royal Ballet star, whose stage partners...

Exclusive: David Hare script to be produced by Philomena producer and BBC Films.

Ralph Fiennes is to direct a feature drama about iconic Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev.

The as-yet-untitled drama is being written by acclaimed British playwright and screenwriter David Hare, who collaborated with Fiennes on 2008 Oscar-winner The Reader, which was Hare’s last feature.

Philomena producer Gabrielle Tana – who previously collaborated with Fiennes on The Invisible Woman, Coriolanus and The Duchess - is on board to produce the feature, which is being developed with BBC Films and is set to be co-produced by former Pathe executive Francois Ivernel.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, the film is understood not to be a biopic but instead charts a specific incident in the life of the celebrated dancer who defected from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.

The volatile former Royal Ballet star, whose stage partners...

Although we didn’t visit the So Dior exhibition at Harrods personally, we were lucky enough to have a photographer swing by and snap some pics for us. Sad to have missed this one as the gowns in particular are exquisite.

So Dior ran from 16th March to 14th April inside definitive department store Harrods. It was billed as a retrospective of Christian Dior’s contribution to fashion and perfumery constructed on three floors with a pop-up shop and cafe. A Dior takeover might be more accurate.

Elegant Princess Margaret personified everything Christian Dior loved about England. Harrods was reputedly his favourite store.

Dior initially trained as an architect before pursuing a career in cutting, working alongside Robert Piquet and Lucien Lelong. An assuming man, he only had ten years to make an impact on the fashion world before dying of a heart attack aged 52. But what an impact. His...

On the day the actor bids farewell to her character in the last episode of Shameless, she will open in a very different role in Eugene O'Neill's marathon, Strange Interlude, at the National

Anne-Marie Duff holds out her hand – a shy shake. She is wearing what looks like a child's white vest, jeans and no jewellery. There is nothing to give her away, apart from her face. Even her feet are bare – maroon nail varnish excepted. It is a sunny day – warm upstairs at the Jerwood rehearsal space in south London – and we have two reasons to meet. She is about to star in Strange Interlude at the National, a Eugene O'Neill marathon. And the final episode of Channel 4's Shameless (now in its 11th series) is about to be aired, featuring Fiona – peroxide hair and tarty Gypsy earrings to the fore – taking a last stand. Anne-Marie's range is incredible: Elizabeth I,...

Photographer celebrated for his informal portraits of artists, actors and musicians

David Farrell, who has died aged 93, was known primarily for his photographic portraits of the most prominent artists, actors, authors and, particularly, musicians of his time. These ranged from classical performers such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar and Jacqueline du Pré to Louis Armstrong, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He would take his portable darkroom with him to filming locations, where he photographed Albert Finney, Julie Christie, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson, among others. His main body of work dates from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, by which time he was working primarily in cinema, but he continued with his photography well into the digital age.

Taking Henri Cartier-Bresson's "humanitarian" photography as his model, Farrell specialised in taking portraits in informal situations – he preferred to photograph artists at home or in the studio, rather than in...

'The most important lesson life has taught me? Never trust a man who doesn't like Elvis'

Anne-Marie Duff, 41, was born in London. She was cast as Fiona in the original series of Channel 4's Shameless in 2004, and has since played Elizabeth 1 and Margot Fonteyn, and appeared in the recent BBC series Parade's End. Her films include The Magdalene Sisters, and Nowhere Boy. In 2007, she played Saint Joan at the National Theatre, a role that won her Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for best actress. She is currently in Berenice at the Donmar. She is married to the actor James McAvoy, and has a son.

What is your greatest fear?

Losing the people I love most. That and swings – it's a pathetic phobia.

What is your earliest memory?

The colour yellow, sunshine and a dinner table.

Which living person do you most admire and why?

All the Paralympic athletes.

As Divas no Brasil / Divas in Brazil In As Divas no Brasil / Divas in Brazil, Brazilian author Evânio Alves narrates numerous little-known stories — some tragic, some humorous, some downright bizarre — about international film, music, stage, and even opera and ballet (female) stars during their visit to the South American nation. According to Alves, the reasons for the divas' visits to Brazil have been varied. For instance, Madonna's reasons for dropping by have been professional (record-breaking shows a few years ago), personal (she was dating Brazilian model Jesus Luz), and socially conscious (as a representative of the Ngo "Success for Kids"). Eleonora Duse and Vivien Leigh performed The Lady of the Camellias on the Rio de Janeiro stage; the former in the mid-1880s, the latter in the early 1960s. Margot Fonteyn danced at Rio's Teatro Municipal, while Marlene Dietrich performed a cabaret act that, as attested by images found in Divas in Brazil,...

When Gillian Lynne was 13, her mother was killed in a car crash. Remarkably, she turned a terrible loss into the catalyst for a hugely successful career in theatre, film and TV– and it was all inspired by her mother

Gillian Lynne's childhood ended when she was 13, on what should have been a carefree summer's day. She had spent it playing with four friends in a garden in Kent; the children were together because their parents, a group of four couples, had gone away together for the weekend, and the grandparents of two of the children were looking after all five. "We were up a tree, having a wonderful time," recalls Gillian, "when we saw our friends' grandparents walking across the grass towards us. That seemed odd, because they didn't usually come out into the garden like that. And then I noticed how strange they looked; and then they asked us all to come inside,...

Actor known for her roles in The Ipcress File and Crossroads

The actor Sue Lloyd, who has died aged 72, exuded glamour and sophistication on screen in the 1960s, before finding renewed fame two decades later as Barbara Hunter in 714 episodes of the TV soap opera Crossroads. But it took two attempts by the serial's producers to persuade her to join a programme that was roundly abused by the critics.

"My initial reaction was to be a bit sniffy about it," Lloyd recalled in her 1998 autobiography, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. "The soap was renowned for its wobbly scenery, bizarre storylines and regular slaughtering by the critics. Why would I, just back from filming [Revenge of] The Pink Panther with Peter Sellers in the south of France and about to embark on the comedy The Upchat Line with John Alderton, want to get involved in a project like that?...

Read our top-rated entries to the Guardian's annual competition to find the best young talent in arts writing

Overall Winner

Visual art, under 14

Freddie Holker, 12 – Homage to Lucian Freud, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Disgusting. That's what I'm thinking; that's my gut instinct. It's reminiscent of the swimming-pool changing rooms back at school, where I'm scared to look at anything in case it offends someone. This is the Homage to Lucian Freud, one of Britain's best modern artists, who died on 20 July 2011. Seventeen paintings by Freud are displayed. I'm standing in an eerily plain room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art 3,000 miles away from where I'm comfortable.

The only painting I can easily look at is, funnily enough, Naked Man, Back View. The only one that doesn't contain full-frontal nudity offers full dorsal nudity. It shows a fat man plonked on a footstool. His sitting position pushing out roll...

Choreographer and dancer who created stunning roles for his wife, Zizi Jeanmaire

When Roland Petit's Les Ballets des Champs Elysées opened its first London season in 1946, the company brought to the British dance scene an explosion of chic and excitement which had long been missing. Not only was the standard of male dancing from Petit and his fellow dancer Jean Babilée better than anything for many years, the enthusiasm of the young company was a contrast to the restrained correctness of the Sadler's Wells dancers. Les Forains, a piece about a troupe of strolling entertainers, distinguished by beautiful decors and costumes by Christian Bérard, was the triumph of what the critic Richard Buckle described as "an evening of wonderful surprises".

Petit, who has died from leukaemia aged 87, was capable of tailoring a role so that it perfectly reflected the abilities of the dancer on whom it was made, often...

Our critics pick the season's highlights: From Lady Gaga to Harry Potter, Coppélia to Tony Cragg, this summer has something for all

May

4 Film The Tree of Life

The much-delayed fifth feature from director Terrence Malick, snapped up by Icon for UK release ahead of its Cannes showing, is a multi-generational drama featuring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn – and, reportedly, dinosaurs.

5 Classical From the House of the Dead

Opera North's production of Janáek's final work, directed by John Fulljames and conducted by Richard Farnes. Stars Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts, Alan Oke and Roderick Williams. Leeds and touring

Dance By Singing Light/Romance Inverse

National Dance Company of Wales bring Stephen Petronio and Itzik Galili's arresting double bill to Dance City in Newcastle, with the former set to the poetry of Dylan Thomas.

6 Theatre Shrek

Nigel Lindsay plays the lime-coloured, lovelorn ogre, with Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona and Nigel Harman as Lord Farquaad,...

Zoe Williams on the people hitting the headlines in the past seven days

Sheikh down

Sarah Ferguson

I don't want to be a bore, but we could really simplify these royal scandals, where a lady of the outer circle promises a fake Mr Moneypants some top-notch Windsor face-time for a fiver and a packet of limited-edition Quavers. The palace should issue some figures on how often a sheikh, or a tycoon, or a Texan, has approached a royal with an offer of money for access, and actually meant it. If it's all the time – if this was the fifth time in a week Fergie (pictured) had been offered £27,000 in used notes, then fine, fair enough, she got caught in a sting and it could happen to anyone.

But I suspect it's never. I suspect Fergie is never approached by "businessmen". I suspect sheikhs never call meetings with Sophie Windsor, or...

Melbourne, Feb 18 – Actor James McAvoy says he is “intimidated” by his wife Anne-Marie Duff because she is such an ‘incredible’ actress.

McAvoy, 30, who shares the screen with his 39-year-old spouse in the flick ‘The Last Station’, confesses he greatly admires her acting skills.

“I’ve always been intimidated by how good an actress she is – and no less now. Especially after watching the last two things she did – playing Margot Fonteyn in the BBC production ‘Margot’ and playing.

Penélope Cruz and Anne Hathaway may be rivals in two biopics

Two British screenplays are competing for the chance to be the first to tell the compelling life story of the opera star Maria Callas on film.

This summer, as guests attending the Cannes film festival gathered for cocktails on the terrace of the exclusive Martinez hotel to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pier Paolo Pasolini's acclaimed film Medea, with Callas in the non-singing title role, the soprano's close associations with glamour and the cinema were never more evident.

On display at the hotel was a selection of jewellery from Callas's private collection, including her white diamond "La Traviata" necklace, showcased alongside unseen photographs of the singer with stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. But what the guests at the Martinez did not know was that, just along the Croisette, producers were busy with...

The concluding part of the BBC Four drama series, 'Women We Loved' will see Irish actress Anne-Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy, The Magdalene Sisters) portraying the prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn. The 90 minute drama, produced by Mammoth Screen for BBC4, looks to bring to the screen the glamorous and turbulent life of Britain's foremost international ballet star, Dame Margot Fonteyn. Margot, who danced until she was 60 years of age, was born Peggy Hookham in Surrey in 1919 and this drama investigates her life thereafter complete with dysfunctional marriage, love affairs, arrests and her on-stage (and possible off-stage) partnership with Rudolf Nureyev, played by Michiel Huisman (The Young Victoia).

The BBC is producing three major one-off films about the careers of British icons Margot Fonteyn, Gracie Fields and Enid Blyton. The films will premiere this autumn on BBC Four as part of a special drama season. "These films are sympathetic but frank dramatisations of women in the spotlight and how their backstage lives play out," said BBC Four controller Richard Klein. "Once again, BBC Four is championing strong dramas that seek to give insight into some of Britain's most famous artists, reflecting complex (more)...