The Fabulous Picture Show (FPS) is the only English-language film programme to focus critically on independent and world cinema — and to place these films in their historical, cultural and political contexts. Packed with exclusive interviews and peppered with abundant clips, it’s like the ultimate “Directors Commentary” on the latest in contemporary cinema. There’ll be a new episode every fortnight — and all past episodes live forever online.

Presented by Al Jazeera English’s Entertainment Editor, Amanda Palmer, at London’s Everyman Cinema Club, FPS is filmed as a live event that brings filmmakers from around the world face-to-face with an enquiring public. Since the show launched in November 2006, more than 50 filmmakers and actors have taken part in these lively, insightful and often revealing Q&As.

Some highlights so far: Sir David Frost reminisced about the heady, epochal time of his life detailed in “Frost/Nixon”; Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and el grande screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga chatted about Arriaga’s directorial debut, “The Burning Plain”; Iraqi Mohamed Al-Daradji described how he was kidnapped twice whilst shooting his first feature, Ahlaam, in Baghdad; the cast of Hunger took us inside one of the most intense, uncompromising and harrowing films ever made; French superstar Guillaume Canet screened his Cesar-winning Tell No One, and described the challenges of being an actor-director; Lebanon’s Nadine Labaki presented her acclaimed debut, Caramel, and revealed “how to trick non-actors into acting”; Russia’s Sergei Bodrov, who directed the Oscar-nominated epic Mongol, taught us the correctly pronunciation of “Genghis Khan”; hilarious corporate pranksters The Yes Men came clean (or did they?) and explained how “The Yes Men Fix The World”; director James Toback took us behind the mask of boxing enigma Mike Tyson; Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen took us back to WW2 for an exciting look at the Danish Resistance in “Flame & Citron”; and Oliver Stone told us how he really felt about George W Bush.

Beyond these special screenings, the FPS team also scours the biggest

international film festivals year round — from Sundance to Berlin, Venice, Cannes, Rome, Toronto, Marrakech and this year’s first Doha Tribeca Film Festival, just to name a bunch — in search of exciting new specimens.

We’ve featured such legends as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Werner Herzog, Dario Argento, Ang Lee, Emir Kusturica, Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne and the late Sydney Pollack.

Amanda Palmer’s exclusive ONE-on-ONE with George Clooney led to a half hour special about the ever-charming leading man’s rise from pretty boy to red-carpet advocate – an FPS special that’s still one of our YouTubers’ favourites.

But let’s not forget the other great talents whose candid interviews and insights have made FPS a success: Mike Leigh, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Keira Knightley, David Cronenberg, James McAvoy, Danny Boyle, Errol Morris, Nick Broomfield, Michael Winterbottom, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Jackman, Ron Howard, Michelle Yeoh, Danish cult darling Nicholas Winding Refn, costume-design goddess Gabriella Pescucci, and scores more.