In a special pandemic edition of Talking Movies, the programme looks at how the coronavirus has devastated the movie industry in many parts of the world: releases have been postponed, productions closed down and hundreds of thousands in the film business have been left unemployed. But the show also hears from filmmakers, screenwriters and actors who have drawn inspiration from the crisis and plan to use cinema to explore the many pressing issues raised by the pandemic. Plus a survey of critics' picks of the best movies to watch in the midst of these disconcerting times.

In a special edition of Talking Movies, the focus is on the challenges faced by female film-makers at a critical time in the movie business, caused by the impact of the global pandemic. With a poll showing that more than 96 per cent of women in the UK film and television industry have lost all their income, we look at the ingenious ways in which women in cinema are continuing their movie-making around the world. Interviews include a conversation with top Indian film-maker Mira Nair, who is putting the finishing touches on her TV adaptation of the novel, A Suitable Boy, while working remotely with her film editor. We also visit the home of Welsh-Egyptian director Sally El Hosaini to find out how she is juggling motherhood with the challenges of completing a film during the pandemic.