Antonio Aakeel, whose turn as Hassan Ahmed in Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses” brought him international recognition, has wrapped his first short film as a director. “Lessons in Pretending,” which Aakeel also wrote and stars in, is a darkly comic drama examining fame, shame and the performance of public redemption. The film follows Arun Khan, a […]

Conservationists say population rebound demands rethink of retention zones that allow thousands of the animals to remain in the park

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Feral horse numbers in the Kosciuszko national park have surged, with new survey data estimating populations climbed by thousands after the New South Wales government paused aerial culling in 2025.

Conservation advocates say the rebound in numbers demands an urgent rethink of retention zones that allow thousands of horses to remain in the park.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Editor’s note: Deadline’s It Starts on the Page (Drama) features standout drama series scripts in 2026 Emmy contention. The Season 5 finale of Apple TV’s Slow Horses marks the final episode for creator and executive producer Will Smith who left the spy thriller after five seasons. Smith, who has earned two writing Emmy nominations and one win for his […]

It was a particularly crowded field at Netflix last week, with the holdover hit Man on Fire fighting several new releases for the attention of viewers. Man on Fire has held the top spot on Netflix for two weeks in a row, despite competition from the British true-crime series Should I Marry a Murderer?, the second seasons of Worst Ex Ever and Running Point, and the critically acclaimed limited series Lord of the Flies. This is not counting overseas titles such as My Royal Nemesis and Straight to Hell. However, one show came out of nowhere to claim a spot in the top five.

Television has changed drastically in the last five years. Audiences just don’t have the time for surface-level stories and filler episodes anymore. The shift obviously became especially noticeable during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when people turned to TV for escapism. However, it also made them way more selective about what actually deserved their time. Almost every genre adapted to those changing expectations in one way or another, but thriller television absolutely thrived because of it.

British-Australian indie powerhouse See-Saw Films has signed a multi-year strategic slate production financing partnership with Paris-based investment firm Entourage Ventures. Under the deal, Entourage will invest up to $50 million in equity over the next three years across a slate of features for See-Saw, recently acquired by Mediawan. See-Saw is behind hit TV shows such […]

“I started doing photography as a way to express things I don’t understand or to convey a message I’m having a hard time explaining,” Austn Fischer says. “I often work in quite a backwards way, knowing exactly what I want to arrange in front of the camera but struggling to understand the significance in my life until I am able to reflect on it after.”

The Wisconsin-born, London-based photographer taps into fashion as performance, considering how our garments, style, and gestures convey parts of our identities. Contrast is key in Fischer’s work, and it emerges through unusual pairings like lace ruffs atop athletic garb or an angular, black gown with a dainty, horse-shaped wire armature. Whether a portrait or a more conceptual composition, each work harnesses an exuberant sense of play and homes in on our ability to remake ourselves anew.

“Growing up, I had a lot of questions around my sexuality and my own experience as a man. I naturally gravitated towards fashion because of the story clothing can convey in an image,” he adds. “The colours, shape, fabric, and the way clothing wraps around a model create a unique conversation around identity and the body.”

Fischer has collaborated with a range of editorial and commercial clients, shooting Ai Weiwei with a milkshake for The New Statesman, for example, and David Byrne seemingly under oath for Crack Magazine. Whether working on a personal project or a commissioned series, the photographer transforms a largely black-and-white palette that could appear harsh into scenes exuding warmth and softness.

Better understanding his own emotions is Fischer’s priority at the moment, following a series of painful experiences, both personal and professional, that have influenced what and how he’s creating. “Recently, I spent two weeks from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. painting a wall in a church white over and over to understand patience and reflect on myself. I’m working a lot on understanding emotion and myself through putting my body through different tasks or challenges,” he tells Colossal.

Explore more of Fischer’s portfolio on his website and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Contrast Reigns in Austn Fischer’s Conspicuous Black-and-White Photos appeared first on Colossal.