Despite Sudan once being at the forefront of African cinema, only eight feature films have been made in the last 70 years. Now a new generation of film-makers has emerged, winning acclaim from audiences and awards at film festivals around the world. You Will Die at Twenty, about a young Sudanese boy, was written and directed by Amjad Abu Alala and became the country’s first Oscar entry. Suzannah Mirghani’s short film Al-Sit follows the 15-year-old Nafisa facing an arranged marriage. They tell us why it was important for them to make their films in Sudan, telling Sudanese stories and of the issues they faced. In April 2019 President Al Bashir was overthrown and then in October last year there was a military coup in Sudan. People have been protesting on the streets and this remains a fragile time for the country. Professor of African and African Diaspora Art History at Cornell University in New York and head of the Africa Institute in the UAE, Salah M Hassan, gives us an overview of the situation and its impact on artistic and cultural life. Artist Reem Aljeally is known for her colourful acrylic works, which unusually for Sudanese artists, sensually depict the female form. As a self-taught artist and with few places to display work, she started the Muse Multi Studios and Beit Al Nissa in Khartoum to encourage other young people, especially women, to take up art and be creative.Since the revolution of 2019 music has started to flourish again in Sudan, including traditional instruments such as the Oud and the 78-stringed qanan. One organisation that is helping young people learn to play, perform and even make these instruments is Beit Al Oud. With one of their videos going viral, qanan player Wafa Mustafa explains why they hope it will be the start of a new era in Sudanese music on the world stage.Presenter: Leila Latif Producer: Andrea KiddPhoto: A still from You Will Die at Twenty. Credit: New Wave Films)

Over a month into the Ukraine conflict, Anu Anand speaks to its artistic community and hears their personal stories.As ballet dancers join the front line, sculptors build road blocks and galleries protect their art, we hear from Darya Bassel, Film Producer and industry head at Kyiv’s Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival about how filmmakers have been turning their lenses to the frontline. One of Ukraine’s greatest writers Andrey Kurkov reflects on life in war-torn Ukraine. Like so many others he has had to leave his home with his family and Andrey has written a personal account for the BBC of what it means to become a refugee in his own homeland and of his new routine living in a country at war.Conceptual artist Pavlo Makov is representing Ukraine at this year’s Venice Art Biennale. He explains how he got part of his work, The Fountain of Exhaustion, quickly got out of the country and how the piece, which started as a local idea, became a global statement about the exhaustion of humanity and a democratic world.And the story behind the viral violin orchestra video of the old Ukrainian folk song, Verbovaya Doschechka, that starts with a single player in his basement shelter. Illia Bondarenko tells us why it was important for him to be part of this project and how it was recorded between the bombing and the sirens.(Photo: Andrey Kurkov)

Nigerian-born rapper Tommy Kuti travels across northern Italy to meet second generation artists who use music to highlight social issues and celebrate their multicultural identities.Milan, Brescia and Verona: it’s in the industrial heart of the country that new musical talents are born. They are influenced by the rich Italian tradition of singers and songwriters and by the sounds of the black diaspora. From the delicate notes of soul singer Anna Bassy to the hip hop rhythms of Mosè Cov; from the defiant attitude of trap artists like The Slings to David Blank’s dancing vibes. These emerging artists have one thing in common: they are the sons and daughters of African migrants who came to Italy looking for better job opportunities. Their music tells a universal tale of longing and belonging, shining a light on the day-to-day struggles of young generations who find themselves living in between cultures, in Europe and beyond.Producer: Alice Gioia Actor: Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong(Photo: (L), Anna Bassy, credit: Boredom studio, (C), Tommy Kuti, credit: Marco Montanari, (R) David Blank, credit: Michael Yohanes)

Playwright Mark Ravenhill celebrates the power and process of theatre, talking to some of its leading global voices. He’s joined by Indian playwright and director Abhishek Majumdar, James Ngcobo, Artistic Director of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lauren Gunderson, who’s been called America’s most produced living playwright and Chilean director Manuela Infante. There is behind the scenes insights, sharing their top tips for creating exciting, innovative theatre. They discuss the impact that theatre can have and their hopes for the future after the devastating impact of the pandemic. They are also joined by other inspiring theatre makers who discuss their own experiences, as well as answering questions posed by our virtual audience.Producers: Andrea Kidd and Lucy Collingwood (Photo: Mark Ravenhill. Credit: Scott Campbell/Getty Images)

Two years on from the start of the global Covid pandemic, we reflect on artistic reflections from across the arts, and the power of human resilience. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and since then over six million lives have been lost. The world as we knew it has changed.Documentary-maker Matthew Heineman reflects on filming the unfolding health crisis. In March 2020, as New York shut down, he embedded himself in one of America’s hardest-hit hospitals, and for four months filmed medical staff, essential worker patients, and families as they battled with the virus. His Oscar shortlisted film, The First Wave, documents the harsh realities of the early pandemic, and the terrible inequalities - but also the incredible strength of the human spirit.Hollywood’s Andrew Garfield on an actor’s life silenced during lockdown. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the arts: bringing productions to a halt, closing theatres, cinemas, and live music, and leaving artists without means to perform. It closed down film productions, including Oscar-nominated tick, tick…BOOM! Days into filming, lead actor - the award-winning British-American Andrew Garfield - suddenly found himself alone, without cast or crew to play to. Andrew talks to the BBC’s Anna Bailey about how he kept going in those quiet times, got back into filming, and is now up for an Oscar.Plus, writer Ilaria Bernardini considers the Italian people’s cultural response. Italy was the first country in Europe to be overwhelmed by the virus, the first in the world to shut down, and one of the slowest to reopen. During those first weeks of lockdown, the people of Italy united to keep their spirits up, and moving musical performances from balconies went viral. Two years on - from her home in Milan and with Italy still in a State of Emergency - writer Ilaria Bernardini reflects on life under strict lockdown, how artists brought hope in those uncertain times, and the changes she’s seen since.And the Zimbabwean artist sharing health messages through his sculptures. When the pandemic hit, artist, sculptor, and lawyer David Ngwerume decided he could help - through art. He tells us about his stone sculptures of people wearing masks and having vaccines - sculptures he hopes can help stem the spread of Covid, in a part of the world where vaccination rates are low. Producer: Emma Wallace(Photo: A still from Matthew Heineman’s documentary The First Wave: Dr Nathalie Dougé participating in protest. Credit: National Geographic)

In the 93 year history of the Oscars, only seven women have been nominated in the Best Director category and just two have won. Ahead of this year’s Academy Awards, Anu Anand talks to director Jane Campion and cinematographer Ari Wegner about their film The Power of the Dog. A Western set in 1920s Montana starring Benedict Cumberbatch, it has received 12 Oscar nominations – more than any other film this year and importantly, this includes history-making nominations for women in a very male-dominated film industry. Campion is now the first woman to have been nominated twice as Best Director – an otherwise all-male category – while Wegner is the only woman nominated as Best Cinematographer, only the second ever to be nominated.Dina Amer is an award-winning Egyptian-American journalist. She tells us about her debut film, You Resemble Me, which explores the troubled childhood and search for identity of a young French woman of Moroccan heritage, Hasna Aït Boulahcen, who was initially thought to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber. And Australian actor, playwright, novelist and director Leah Purcell on her film The Drover’s Wife: The Legend Of Molly Johnson. Set in the harsh Australian bush in 1893, Molly Johnson is desperate to keep her children safe at any cost and the film powerfully tackles themes of domestic violence and racism. The Drover’s Wife was originally a short story by the 19th century writer Henry Lawson. Leah explains why this story had such an impact on her and why it was important to represent strong First Nations women in film.(Photo: Ari Wegner and Jane Campion. Credit: Netflix)

Turkish, LA-based media artist Refik Anadol who uses data and AI to make new types of artwork, rethink art spaces, and visualise computer ‘dreams’. In his studio, he describes his work – which creates NFTs, 'data paintings' and 'sculptures', and digital immersive galleries, and is now moving to the metaverse. Plus, the gallery in the metaverse: the KAWS street art exhibition where art lovers are joined by virtual cartoon visitors – and which is now the first art show in Fortnite.And we hear from the women and non-binary creatives who want to make NFTs more diverse to improve representation in art.Producer: Emma Wallace(Photo: KAWS, SEEING, 2022, augmented reality sculpture at Serpentine North Gallery. Credit: KAWS and Acute Art)

On this week’s The Cultural Frontline Nawal Al-Mughafi explores how artists are responding to the landscape around them.Saudi artist Dana Awartani tells us about her latest piece, Where the Dwellers Lay, part of Desert X AlUla, which has been inspired by the desert landscape of the AlUla region of north west Saudi Arabia. She also discusses the role of female artists on the flourishing art scene in country. How we look at the landscape around us depends very much on our own relationship with it, whether it’s where generations of our family have taken root, or a place we intend to exploit. And that’s something explored by Zimbabwean author Blessing Musariri in her first adult novel, Only This Once Are We Immaculate. We invited fellow Zimbabwean author Ignatius Mabasa to talk to Blessing about her book. Although Blessing and Ignatius live in the capital Harare, but are both fascinated with the natural world beyond the cities.Highlighting light pollution and preserving natural darkness is an important subject for conceptual artist Rafael Y. Herman. For his upcoming exhibition called ‘ESSE’ in Palermo, he’s been making his way around the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding archipelagos, carrying only essential supplies and a camera to capture the most stunning and isolated parts of the Italian region, showcasing its natural beauty without lights, flashes or post-production. And we hear from the award-winning artist Miko Veldkamp. He was born in Suriname to parents of Dutch and Indonesian heritage and in his exhibition Ghost Stories, he explores his mixed race identity by putting varying versions of himself into paintings of the landscapes of his life, which features symbols from the different geographies in which he’s lived. (Photo: Dana Awartani. Credit: Desert X AlUla)

Just a few streets from the Louvre in central Paris, the Atelier des Artistes en Exil (the Agency of Artists in Exile) is a large studio space and cultural centre which has become a thriving hub for 400+ refugee professional artists.We join them for an “open doors” evening where visual artists, photographers, musicians and dancers are sharing their work with the public. Graffiti artist and sculptor Ahlam Jarban is our guide. Originally from Yemen, Ahlam now lives in France and has been a member of the Atelier since 2018. She shares a vibrant studio space with four other artists who have all fled their country - including Richie, a painter from Myanmar who arrived in June. Since coming to Paris, Richie’s art has become much more political.We also hear from Iranian artist Maral Balouri, Kurdish artist Bager Kaya, Afghan photographers Fatima Hossaini and Roya Heydari, and atelier director Judith DepauleThe Atelier provides practical support to refugee artists applying for asylum in France, in addition to professional development and project support. But bringing together exiled artists from 45 different countries has also created a strong sense of community and sharing of artistic ideas. It’s a place for preserving traditional culture but also developing new collaborations. The night ends with a joyful live concert outside in the courtyard.Presenter: Ahlam Jarban(Photo: Daouda Nganga. Credit: Fadi Idrees)

Painter and installation artist, Qu Lei Lei, co-founded the Stars movement in China in 1979, when a group of artists grabbed national attention by displaying their work in public outside official channels and marching under the slogans of political democracy and artistic freedom. Decades later, Qu Lei Lei is still creating art that is making waves internationally. His recent work highlights the use of misinformation for political purposes, and how vulnerable the lives of ordinary people are to being “knocked over” by politics, pandemic, and environmental or financial disaster. Our reporter Paul Waters interviewed him in the home he shares with co-artist Caroline Deane.And as China hosts the Winter Olympics, artists are marking the sporting contest in their own way. Inside the China Winter Sport Art Festival in Beijing, dozens of artists have been customizing snowboards. We hear from one of them, abstract painter Shuang Wu. And also from China’s controversial “pandaman”, artist Zhao Bandi, whose signature panda sculptures are on show in the festival courtyard.Plus: What lies ahead for China – and the rest of the world – after the Olympics? China’s science fiction authors are coming up with scenarios based on new technology, artificial intelligence, Covid, climate change and the other uncertainties of life. And they're also looking to new parts of the world for inspiration too. We hear from two award-winning sci fi writers. Chen Qiufan is the author of a series of short stories called AI 2041, 10 Visions of Our Future. And Xia Jia’s first English language collection, A Summer Beyond Your Reach, was published a few months ago.We also hear from Chinese electronic dance music star, Corsak, on how he tailors his music depending on whether it’s for a domestic or an international audience.Presenter: Chi Chi Izundu Producer: Paul Waters(Photo: Qu Lei Lei in front of his painting Mastering Our Fate. Credit: Paul Waters)