Alejandro Amenábar (”The Others“), one of my favorite international directors of late, is at the helm once again for the first time after is Oscar winning “The Sea Inside”. His new film, “Agora”, starts principal photography today in Malta, and will last 15 weeks. The plot - and here I must convey some fear - is set in Roman occupied Egypt of the 4th century AD. But interestingly for me, Amenábar utilizes several Israeli and Palestinian actors: Ashraf Barhoum (”The Kingdom”), Yousef Sweid (”The Bubble”), Sami Samir (”Munich”) and Oshri Cohen (”Beaufort”).

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I found this link via GreenCine: you can hear BBC Radio 4’s Film Programme in full online. This edition which discusses “No Country For Old Men” with the Coen Brothers, at their most verbal, and Javier Bardem, is the best of the bunch. Latest editions include a chat with SFX Godfather Ray Harryhausen, and Mike Figgis and Robert Benton discuss “Bonnie and Clyde”, on it’s 40th anniversary. Great stuff.

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