Quality of life isn’t just about cycle lanes and roof gardens; our cities need inspirational thinking and ideas from the cultural sphere, too. Here, we profile five players – from a South African rock band to a Tokyo web…
Singaporean director Royston Tan has challenged his country’s conventional narrative – which prizes prosperity and stability – by telling the stories of those living on the margins of society. But even the government has…
Ruben Östlund couldn’t create his idiosyncratic – and award-winning – films without his trusted team. From make-up artist to sound engineer, they’re the backbone of the creative process.
As artistic director for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Cameron Bailey watches 700 films a year. But with midnight meetings, hectic schedules and nervous producers, it’s not all fun and games for Toronto’s…
The managing director and saviour of furniture manufacturer Vitsoe on how he brought the eminent brand back from the brink, the importance of character and why money men are best avoided.
After studying architecture, Robert Cowper worked his way up from a draughtsman to become an art director on the sets of big-budget films. Monocle met him on the set of The Bourne Ultimatum in the week that the director…
As a shy teenager from an island off Rotterdam, Anton Corbijn only felt confident behind a camera. Described by Bono as the ‘fifth member of U2’, he has befriended many of the subjects he has shot and filmed in his 30-year…
While newspapers and broadcasters pull the plug on budgets for investigative journalism and documentary, Monocle meets Norway’s documentary filmmakers leading the charge to protect films that ask, answer and entertain.
The small community of Kirkenes is set to witness big changes as global warming opens up the Arctic. Can it cope with the influx of businesses keen to take advantage of its position on the Northern Sea Route?