Cinema in One Take

Are Influencer Screenings Losing Their Influence? The Odyssey, Moana & Supergirl

For years, Hollywood has increasingly relied on influencers to help launch its biggest films. But is that strategy still working?
This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab explore whether influencer screenings are still shaping opinion after two very different blockbuster releases. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey largely avoided dedicated influencer screenings, while Disney's live-action Moana embraced them – and both have sparked fascinating conversations about who really influences audiences today.
Also, the latest revelations about Supergirl, as reports of studio interference raise questions about test screenings, creative control and whether Hollywood has become too risk-averse, and whether they're relying too much on the opinion of others rather than the director making it.
Joining us from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Kaleem explains why one of Europe's great festivals has left him far more optimistic about the future of cinema than he expected. We also discuss the Europa Cinemas Label winner, Miroslav Terzić's 3 Weeks After, along with Lucas Dhont's Coward and The Dreamed Adventurer, all showing at the festival.
🎬 In this episode:• Are influencer screenings still shaping opinion?• Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey and the influencer debate• Disney's Moana and the limits of social media buzz• What Supergirl reveals about Hollywood's studio system• Why Karlovy Vary has restored Kaleem's faith in film festivals• Europa Cinemas Label winner 3 Weeks After

Has A24 Lost Its Cool? AI Backlash, Backrooms & Supergirl

This week on Cinema in One Take, we're asking whether independent cinema's coolest studio has made its biggest mistake yet.
A24 has announced a $75 million partnership with Google DeepMind, prompting a fierce backlash from filmmakers and fans. Is the criticism justified, or is AI simply becoming another filmmaking tool that studios can't afford to ignore?
We also discuss the extended theatrical release of Backrooms and whether audiences will return for more of the viral horror phenomenon, while Kaleem gives his verdict on Supergirl—and explains why the latest DC blockbuster failed to take flight for him (or the wider box office) 
And in What We're Watching, we recommend A Matter of Life and Death, the inventive Saudi romantic comedy-horror from Anas Ba-Tḥaf and Sarah Taibah, and explore why YouTube creators are increasingly making the leap to feature films.

How Animation and Horror Are Winning the Box Office: Toy Story 5, Blair Witch & Jodie Foster's FrenchTriumph

Why are audiences flocking back to cinemas in 2026? Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab unpack the record-breaking opening of Toy Story 5 and ask why animation and horror have become Hollywood's safest bets, while superhero films appear to be losing their grip.
Is cinema entering a new era where audiences crave familiar worlds—just not necessarily superheroes?
They discuss the return of The Blair Witch Project, the rise of YouTube filmmakers, and Emma recommends one of Cannes' most intriguing discoveries, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Plus, a celebration of Welsh-language cinema after Effie o Blaenau sets a UK box office record, and a review of A Private Life, with Jodie Foster delivering a remarkable performance in French.
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Are Nolan and Cameron the Last Bankable Directors? Plus Toy Story 5, Venice & Welsh Cinema

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has broken BFI IMAX ticket sales records a month before release or before any reviews, raising a fascinating question: are Nolan and Avatar's James Cameron the last truly bankable directors in cinema?
This week, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab debate Nolan's unique relationship with audiences, and how many other directors could inspire those sales. Or is the box office also excitement about the topic of the film itself?
Staying with Greek myths, Emma explores the release of Welsh-language drama Effi o Blaenau, originally inspired by the Greek tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis via an acclaimed bok, Iphigenia in Splott, and what a new wave of Welsh and Irish language filmmaking says about the confidence of Celtic cinema.
The pair also look ahead to the Venice Film Festival, discussing whether Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning will be there, the prospect of Tom Cruise going to the Lido for Digger, and how important the Venice red carpet is for publicising a film.
Plus: Emma reviews Toy Story 5, Pixar's examination of childhood, screens and technology — and Kaleem makes the case for Toy Story as the greatest film franchise ever made.
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Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day and the Nadav Lapid Controversy

Steven Spielberg's long-awaited new alien epic Disclosure Day has finally landed. Is it his best film in 20 years, or a frustrating missed opportunity? Cinema in One Take's Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab disagree about what Hollywood's legendary director has created.
They also discuss the controversy surrounding Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid and his withdrawal from FIDMarseille after calls for a boycott if he attended, because his previous film Yes received money from the Israel Film Fund. Should filmmakers be judged by the actions of their governments - even when they're highly critical of them?
Plus, Kaleem pays a personal tribute to Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed director of Persepolis, who died last week, and Emma watched Dreams of Violets, the first fully AI-generated feature to premiere at a major film festival, in this case, Tribeca.
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Backrooms, Martin Scorsese and YouTube's Hollywood Takeover

What happens when YouTubers start making some of the biggest films in the world?
This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab dive into the extraordinary success of Backrooms and Obsession, two breakout hits from directors who built huge audiences online before stepping behind the camera. What took Hollywood so long to recognise the talent pipeline?
They also tackle the Tribeca-premiering Dreams of Violets by Ash Koosha to Martin Scorsese's latest AI venture, and ask when technology opens doors for filmmakers, and when it starts replacing people.
Plus, why are family films still more likely to feature a talking animal than a woman over 60 in a leading role? ( Not to mention a man called Chris)  Emma unpacks the latest industry figures and what they reveal about who Hollywood still thinks can sell a movie.
And, in new releases,  Kaleem recommends The Little Sister, the latest film from Hafsia Herzi, a moving coming-of-age drama that explores faith, identity and sexuality in contemporary Paris.
 

Fjord Wins the Palme d’Or: Inside the Cannes 2026 Awards

Our final Cannes Film Festival wrap-up is here!
In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones reports back from the Croisette after a whirlwind fortnight at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, while Kaleem Aftab joins to unpack the winners, surprises, controversies and biggest talking points from this year’s Palme d’Or race.
They discuss why Christian Mungiu’s Fjord emerged as the festival’s major winner, how films like Minotaur, Fatherland and La Bola Negra were also this year's big winners, and whether Cannes 2026 marked a shift away from easy ideological certainties in contemporary cinema.
The conversation also explores:
Why critics appeared divided over Fjord
The growing prominence of LGBTQ stories at Cannes
Why so many of this year’s prize winners were epic-length films
The emotional impact of Coward and A Man of His Time
The strongest discoveries from Un Certain Regard, including Every Time, Ben’Imana and Elephants in the Fog
Breakout cinema from Rwanda, Nepal and the Central African Republic, including Congo Boy
The British success of Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning
The devastating Iranian documentary Rehearsals for a Revolution
And why some of the festival’s most exciting films may have existed outside the main competition entirely
Plus: the Palm Dog winner La Perra, Cannes audience reactions, world cinema discoveries, and which films could now become major players in the Oscar conversation. 
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Cannes 2026: The Palme d’Or Race Is Wide Open

The Palme d’Or race at the Cannes Film Festival is becoming more unpredictable by the day as the festival enters its final stages. Emma Jones speaks to Kaleem Aftab from Cannes, to talk about the icy family drama Fjord starring Sebastian Stan, the politically charged Russian thriller Minotaur, and the visually stunning World War I love story Coward.
They also explore one of the festival’s biggest emerging themes: the remarkable number of LGBTQ+ stories this year, from Japanese romance dramas to queer wartime love stories and buzzy late-night festival title Jim Queen.
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The Mood at Cannes 2026: Monsters, Mafia and Missing Movie Stars

AI children. Korean monsters. Missing Hollywood stars. And Jacob Elordi as Bond?
In this Cannes dispatch, Emma Jones reports from the Film Festival as she and Kaleem Aftab break down some of the festival’s biggest premieres — from Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box to Na Hong-jin’s bonkers sci-fi feature Hope, James Gray’s mafia thriller Paper Tiger, and Léa Seydoux’s acclaimed turn in Gentle Monster.
They also ask:
Is Cannes losing its Hollywood glamour?
Why are critics so split this year?
Are genre films now dominating competition?
The growing buzz around breakout title Club Kid
Plus: Javier Bardem in The Beloved, Scarlett Johansson’s absence hits Cannes hard, and Emma wonders if two French actors could walk away with major prizes.
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Is Cannes Less Glamorous? Plus Fatherland, Farhadi & Festival Fatigue

Emma Jones joins Kaleem Aftab from the Cannes Film Festival to unpack the films, politics, and glamour (as well as the growing exhaustion) at Cannes 2026.
They discuss the strong early reaction to Pavel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, why critics are divided over Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, Sandra Hüller’s latest performance, Isabelle Huppert in Parisian meta-fiction mode, and whether Cannes critics have become too impatient with slow films.
Plus: the death of the legendary Cannes villa party, shrinking festival budgets, Women in Film  events and why the festival feels less decadent — but perhaps more revealing — than ever before.”
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