Novara Media

Novara FM: Die Hard w/ James Butler

Die Hard is a perennial of festive TV, but is it really a Christmas movie? James Butler and Eleanor Penny explore what the 1988 action comedy reveals about corporate power, class antagonism, mid-century terrorism and women in the workplace.

Downstream: Germany, Russia and the Death of Europe w/ Wolfgang Munchau

Almost 140 or so years ago, Germany invented the car. In the subsequent century, it was central to two world wars; its manufacturing was the envy of much of the world, and in the latter half of the 20th century, it was vital to European integration.

Novara FM: We Need a New Wikileaks w/ Stefani Maurizi

In the 2010s, we found out that we were all being watched.  A series of leaks, from Wikileaks and others, put meat on the bones of what many had long suspected: that our governments were conducting mass surveillance operations on their own population…

Downstream: The Journalist Who Spent A Year With The Taliban w/ Ibrahim Nash’at

When the Taliban retook all of Afghanistan in 2021, it came as a shock to much of the West. The day after the last American soldier left, journalist and filmmaker Ibrahim Nash’at flew into Kabul to spend a year filming with their senior military lead…

ACFM Trip 48: Political Commitment

Which side are you on? Keir, Nadia and Jem consider the ebb and flow of political commitment with ideas and music from Jodi Dean, Gramsci, John Coltrane and the Raincoats. Is cultural production the same as political action?

Novara FM: The New Scramble for Africa in the Vacuum of Empire w/ James Pogue

In 1891, the French drew the borders of what became Mali. Like many colonial borders, they were arbitrary, absurd to the many nomads who supposedly lived within them. Now climate change is ravaging the Sahel region,

Downstream: Humans Could Become Immortal This Century w/ Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston

Humanity has long pursued an elixir of youth, and dreamed of eternal life. For the Abrahamic faiths physical immortality was lost in the Garden of Eden, with only the soul remaining of permanence. More recently,

Novara FM: Protect or Punish? The Stakes of Sex Worker Activism w/ Laura Watson

Imagine a person arrested for keeping a brothel. Who are they? An abusive pimp? Such people exist, no doubt, but the law isn’t set up just to catch abusers: it also targets sex workers working together to stay safe. With Labour in power,

Downstream: Trains Are Better Than Cars. Here’s Why w/ Gareth Dennis

While the first modern trains were built in the early 19th century – more people travel by rail today than ever before. Not only have passenger numbers risen in the UK but the likes of China, Iran and Uzbekistan now have high-speed networks.

Novara FM: The New Space Race Is an Arms Race w/ Daniel Deudney

In October 2024, SpaceX caught a rocket. An astonishing feat of engineering, it took humanity one giant leap closer to the era of everyday space travel – and possibly one small step closer to its own obliteration.