Client 9

Alex Gibney’s Client 9 documents the dramatic rise and fall of Eliot Spitzer, a New York district attorney turned governor who was widely considered a future presidential candidate.

Spitzer was on a mission to expose the recklessness of Wall Street top dogs like AIG and Merrill Lynch, long before the global financial meltdown laid them bare.

Nothing could stand in the way of his one-man crusade against greed and excess. Nothing, except for his Achilles heel – a fondness for glamorous ladies.

In 2008, Spitzer’s White House ambitions were spectacularly dashed when he was found to be “Client 9” in an action brought against a prostitution ring.

Could this have been a conspiracy forged by corporate fat cats and canny politicians?

Gibney talks to Amanda Palmer, Al Jazeera’s head of entertainment, and the FPS audience about what happened when he delved into this shady world of financial excess, political intrigue and eye-popping scandal.

Shankaboot

Despite the toll taken by years of conflict, Beirut is still affectionately regarded as the Paris of the Middle East – a sophisticated and progressive cultural capital that is striving to recover from its tumultuous recent past.

Unsurprisingly, the Lebanese are fond of a bit of escapism when it comes to television, and lightweight soap operas are a favourite.

But a new internet drama called Shankaboot, about a scooter-riding delivery boy and his friends, has captured the imagination of nearly half a million viewers.

Using a fresh, natural style that young Lebanese are lapping up, it also explores previously taboo themes like drug use, sex trafficking and domestic abuse.

Riding the wave of the Middle East internet boom and a recent International Digital Emmy, the Shankaboot team now have their sights are set on a full-length feature film.

Bollywood Posters

Traditionally, India’s blockbuster films were advertised using giant hand-painted posters which adorned walls and cinemas across India. Artists worked closely with film studios, using black and white stills to come up with brightly coloured scenes and characters, large enough to be seen from a distance.

But by the 1990s, the painters were fighting a losing battle against digital photography and printing. Today, although art galleries are snapping up vintage works, poster artist are sadly a rare breed. FPS‘s Sapna Bhatia reports.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

In Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Werner Herzog’s first 3D film, the legendary German director contemplates the wonders of the Chauvet cave in the south of France. Discovered in 1994, the caves house the oldest examples of human art ever to be discovered.

The 32,000-year-old wall paintings and their pristine surroundings are so delicate that mere human breath can cause catastrophic damage.

The film crew’s access was limited to just four hours a day for six days, using minimal lighting and keeping to narrow walkways.

As the caves are now closed to the public, this could be the world’s only chance to share the experience of this awe-inspiring time capsule.

This episode of The Fabulous Picture Show can be seen from Friday, April 29, at the following times GMT: 1930; Saturday: 1430; Sunday: 0430; Monday: 0830.