Search results for

Novelist Eudora Welty and her mother Chestina once lovingly tended a family garden at their Mississippi home. Now it's open to the public. Writer Jeanette Hardy previewed the restored garden. She speaks with NPR's Linda Wertheimer

The new Israeli film Broken Wings has garnered international praise, winning top prizes not only in Israel but at film festivals in Toyko and Berlin as well. Critics say the melodrama about a dysfunctional family could take place anywhere. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

A German film now in U.S. theaters tells the story of an East German woman who falls into a coma in 1989, missing the fall of the Berlin Wall. When she awakes, her family must prevent her from learning anything that might shock her -- leading them to re-create the fallen communist regime. NPR's Bob Mondello has a review.

Actor and author Peter Ustinov has died of heart failure at a clinic near his home in Switzerland. A popular storyteller and actor who won two Oscars, Ustinov often worked as an author and director as well. For more than 30 years, he also served as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Hear NPR's Melissa Block.

Brick Lane, a novel set in the world of Bengali immigrants in London, is nominated for a prize from the National Book Critics Circle, which holds its 30th annual awards ceremony Thursday. The book, by first-time novelist Monica Ali, caused a sensation when it was published in Britain last year. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with Ali.

Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ has astonished Hollywood by recording blockbuster ticket sales. The Passion remains the nation's top film for a second straight weekend, taking in $53.2 million. In the 12 days since its release, the film has earned a total of $213.9 million. NPR's Kim Masters reports.

Filmmaker Pearl Gluck's documentary film, Divan, tells the story of an heirloom couch through oral histories that trace her family's history back to Hungary. The film also depicts Gluck's quest to find a place in the Hasidic Jewish culture she grew up in. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Gluck.

Singer-actress Bernadette Peters toured in the musical Gypsy when she was 9 years old -- now she's starring in the Broadway revival of the same show. Peters talks to NPR's Scott Simon about her interpretation of Mama Rose and explains why the role has been a life-changing one for her.

Thousands of musicians, music industry insiders and fans descend on Austin, Texas, this week for the 18th annual South by Southwest festival. At a time when employee layoffs and declining sales plague the music industry, the festival continues to grow. NPR's Rick Karr reports.

Author Sarah Dunant's historical novel The Birth of Venus is set in 15th-century Florence. The book portrays a young woman's growing appreciation for art -- and for one artist in particular. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and Dunant.