Arts

After years of exile from Germany through the Second World War, in 1954 the German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote a simple poem called Vergnügungen or a list of pleasures. 'The Pleasures of… Audio

An Indian artist who painted a portrait of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on an almond for her birthday today says he's going for a world record nut job. Aman Gulati says he's already painted the… Video, Audio

Māori artist Jimmy James Kouratoras is one of a selection of Kiwi artists representing New Zealand at the 8th Beijing International Art Biennial, an event for contemporary artists from around the… Audio, Gallery

Film and TV reviewer Sarah McMullan looks at the new Netflix documentary on Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, The Great Hack. She'll also talk about whether the second season of Big Little Lies… Audio

Comedy and the classics are not usually two things that go together, you know, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Trojan War. But classical scholar turned stand up comedian Natalie Haynes loves these complex… Audio

Dan Slevin talks to the star of Rory’s Way, Brian Cox. Video

A new documentary playing at the NZ Film Festival called The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash is a sensitive and compelling portrait of the man and the artist. As film-maker Thom Zimny tells Kirsten… Audio

The Modern Maori Quartet is one of three New Zealand acts handpicked for a showcase season in New York early next year at the historic off-Broadway SoHo Playhouse. The other two are the slam poetry… Audio, Gallery

Weng Wai Chan's debut novel Lizard's Tale is a World War Two spy story with a difference. Set in Singapore in 1940, its heroes are young people, and it's told from a non Western point of view. Audio, Gallery

On his 50th birthday, Wellington artist Bryce Galloway decided it was high time to have a mid-life crisis. He got his first tattoo, and then posted a "bandmates wanted" flyer, with a view to… Audio, Gallery

Photographer Peter Peryer has shared his life story, and his wry reflections on his chosen art form with documentary maker Shirley Horrocks. Neither realised that the film that came out of it would be… Audio, Gallery

If there's one person who doesn't need to be convinced about the importance of sound in films, it's the presenter of a radio programme about movies! Sound and pictures have been two halves of the… Audio, Gallery

Back in the dawn of New Zealand comedy, say the mid Seventies, very few people were making a living out of it. Fred Dagg, aka John Clarke, was a sensation on TV and as a live act. And Roger Hall had… Audio, Gallery

 Edmund Hillary and Hirini Melbourne were both born this week, Hillary in 1919 and Melbourne in 1939. 

 Public Service Broadcasting uses film of Hillary's epic climb for a musical exploration of… Video

Bafta-winning television director Anthony Phillipson has brought the Apollo 11 moon landing to life with a new feature-length drama documentary 8 Days: To The Moon and Back.  Audio

A round-the-world bow-making journey with Gary Leahy (LittleVision) Gallery

Artist Joseph Michael is best known for his full-scale 360° projection of an iceberg onto the Auckland War Museum in 2017. Audio, Gallery

Justin Pemberton started his career directing music videos and music television, before setting up his own documentary production company in his 20s with fellow filmmakers. Audio

Free Theatre Christchurch is an experimental performance company established by staff and students at Canterbury University in 1979 under the guidance of recent German arrival Peter Falkenberg. Audio, Gallery