Throughout this second wave of the pandemic ministers have been keen to ensure that unlike the spring Lockdown School children do not miss out on time in the classroom. Almost half of secondary schools in england sent home one or more pupils because of covid incidents last week. Our education correspondent, elaine dunkley, reports. This is chesterfield high in crosby. Head teacher kevin sexton is faced with the daily pressure of educating children who are absent from school. 0k, we are going to go into year ten now to see some of the kids that have come back from being isolated, just to see if they are ok. Bonjour this week he has had to send him 400 children to self isolate. Almost a third of pupils at the school. Weve got some of our year 11s on the second round of two weeks now, theyve missed. Theyre going to miss four weeks out of seven. Ive got a member of the english team who has only seen his class for five hours out of 28 in the last seven weeks. We have had students and staff in the last six saturday mornings doing catch up work. Crosby is in a tier 3 area, which means it is under the toughest restrictions because of the high number of coronavirus cases. The worry here is that there is an unfairness, an inequality. Children here are missing out on more classroom time compared to those in other parts of the country, which leaves them at a disadvantage when it comes to exams. Macey is in year 12 and is worried about the constant disruption. Wed come back for five days and then got sent home for two weeks. Whats been the hardest thing for you . Its just like impacted the whole of learning, because we cant really settle in and get used to school because you dont know if youre going to get sent back home. Once youve completed those, please do anything you can online. Mr byrne is in his first year of teaching. Lessons delivered to an empty classroom. This is very different, obviously, to the training that we got. This is if you like, everyone is at the first step, really. So even experienced teachers are experiencing this for the first time. Remote learning has put pressure on resources. So this is our last laptop. Weve had about 200 of them. But we could do was probably about another 300, 400 of these. And there are also fears about the strain on teachers. Ive been on the phone to teachers at nine oclock asking them whether they have been in contact with the child who tested positive yesterday. For head teachers like mr sexton, at times it feels like there is no end in sight. I feel like it is about 75 of my time is now focused just on covid. It is a difficult balancing act of dealing with a pandemic and the demands of educating pupils. Elaine dunkley, bbc news, in crosby. Now on bbc news. Music plays hello from new york, im tom brook and as the us president ial Election Campaign gathers momentum, welcome to our cinema and politics edition of talking movies. President trump reportedly likes a hollywood classic, citizen kane. Joe biden has expressed the fineness of the british period drama, the kings speech. Weve been exploring the movie preferences of the president ial candidates and what they may signify. Murray, one small thing. Yeah . When you bring me out, can you introduce me asjoker . The moviejoker, the origin story for batmans biggest nemesis is among the films reportedly shown in the white house Screening Room during President Trumps tenure, as our Steven Spielbergs pentagon papers drama, the post, and the musical drama the greatest showman. But nobody for certain knows how these films resonated with the president , but out on the streets, new yorkers believe they have a sense of what movies donald trump really likes. I think President Trump would probably like titanic, Something Like that. Definitely something violent, i would definitely say, like an action movie, definitely, like rogue warrior. Anything with violence, i would say. I guess rosebud isjust a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. But it seems the president has quite sophisticated tastes when it comes to movies. He has said his all time favourite film is director orson welles citizen kane regarded by many eminent critics as the greatest movie ever made. Its central character is Charles Foster kane, a wealthy media magnate, a man who accumulates. When he sees Something Like citizen kane, he does see the pursuit, and hes always been about the pursuit of power and money and ego. Ive come here to say. Another classic, Francis Ford Coppolas the godfather is among president ials movie favourites, as is Martin Scorseses goodfellas. How bad were the Academy Awards this year . Did you see them . When it comes to movies, the president has been most vocal about films he doesnt like. After this years Academy Awards, he was upset with the south korean picture, parasite, had won best picture, it seems that perhaps it didnt sit well with his making America Great again ideology. Lets get gone with the wind, can we get gone with the wind back, please . Gone with the wind is, of course, a film thats been heavily criticised, especially for having racist stereotypes. I mean, this is a movie about the American South against the backdrop of the civil war and the reconstruction era. It involves a georgia plantation owner, and to some degree, there is something about the kind of mentality associated with trumps base that seems to resonate in some of the nostalgia that gone with the wind encapsulates. In a video thatjoe biden tweeted earlier this year, we hear his granddaughter ask him and his wife a pop culture question about their preferred tv shows and books. To run would be against gods law. They didnt get around to movies, butjoe biden has said that the british historical drama, chariots of fire, with its story of olympic runners, is a favourite. Theres a very famous scene in the film, and its a scene that he has been quoted as saying is his favourite scene, in which one of the main runners in the film refuses to do a race on a sunday due to his religious beliefs. And joe biden has been very open about being a catholic himself, and i think the film and that scene just kind of speaks to his integrity and to his beliefs in a really, really strong way. Perhaps you should change jobs . And what if my husband, were the king . Another british film, the kings speech, which chronicles the efforts of britains future king, george vi, to overcome a stutter is another ofjoe bidens favourite films, perhaps because the former Vice President himself has also struggled with a stutter. He did have a speech impediment when he was a younger person and overcoming that, im sure, took a great deal of work. You see the work that King George Vi does to overcome that impediment in order to lead the uk into world war ii successfully and come out on top. You are not japanese. I can do it. Although the 1988 martial arts action film, blood sport, is also a donald trump favourite, the president does seem to display a propensity for movie classics, citizen kane, and, the godfather. Joe biden, less so. But who knows what the candidates really like, because their publicly stated movie preferences are very calculated choices, designed to bring them votes. We have enough problems with south korea, with trade, on top of it, they give them the best movie of the year . Was it good . I dont know. Laughter donald trump has certainly motivated film makers, his brand of right wing populism has alarmed a wide range of directors who have often been prompted to tell stories that serve as a damning critique of the president. Tristen daley has been looking at what could be termed a wave of activist film making thats emerged during Donald Trumps days in the white house. There has never been a black cop in this city, we think you might be the man to open things up around here. A majorfilm dealing with themes relating to the trump era was spike lees blackkklansman about a black Police Officer who infiltrates the ku klux klan in the 1970s. Lee took a swipe at trump by showing david duke, the grand wizard of the ku klux klan at the time, uttering the phrase, america first. A slogan that trump used in his 2016 campaign. America first. America first the film also featured a tribute to heather higher, a young woman killed at the unite the right rally in charlottesville, virginia, where protesters clashed in 2017. Spike lee felt strongly about including this incident that has been described as an act of domestic terrorism. We wanted to remind people that this is notjust a period piece and when i saw that. American home grown active terrorism, i knew that would be the coda for this film. Chanting. In recent years, there have been narrative films that have cast a negative light on trump, but some believe that documentarians are especially equipped to use their medium to speak up in this political climate. Well certainly see lots of documentaries focusing on trumps attitudes to women, to African Americans to immigrants, and similarly, his attitudes to violence on the street thats going on in our cities now. If i had not come on as the ceo of the campaign, trump would not have won. Some films are able to critique trump by focusing on those that have been in his inner circle, such as the brink, a documentary about former trump adviser, steve bannon. In my film, you kind of watch bannons first year after hes become the most famous and powerful that he ever has been in his entire life because of his association with the Trump Campaign and then the trump white house. He leaves the white house, and he is trying to figure out how to maintain, if not extend and grow his power and influence. Allison claymans documentary joins a number of movies critiquing the trump administration. Many of these films have touched audiences and garnered acclaim, but when it comes to the real world, theres still a question of whether these pictures can bring about actual change. Its really hard to imagine what could convert someone. I think what film makers like me are doing is a little bit more about exposing, you see with your own eyes whats happening behind closed doors. I think you should let me run the country. Those who oppose trump arent the only film makers who have been enboldened during this time. Dinesh dsouza, a far right film maker who was convicted of Campaign Finance fraud was given a pardon by trump in 2018. His latest film from, trump card, criticises the Democratic Party and left wing politics and is slated for release next month. More generally, as for whether any of these films that oppose or promote trump can have an effect on the forthcoming election, that remains to be seen. These movies do reflect the deeply divided times. Music plays two two term terms president s, Ronald Reagan and barack 0bama, are represented in a new just released documentary called the way i see it. It chronicles the work of former white house photographer, pete souza, who served during the reagan and 0bama years. He was a man who had extraordinary access to the president. The film is directed by dawn porter. I know what happens in the oval office, and thats what scares me. Pete doesnt do a lot of posed photographs. He really looks for those moments that capture the feeling in the room as much as the people in a room. When i first met pete, his politics were not at all were not evident. Pete changed. An important part of the film is showing pete souzas transformation from what you could say is a muzzled Civil Servant or official employee of the government, to being an outspoken critic of president donald trump. How did that come about . Pete was just horrified at the casual strongman tactics that hes seeing. With your documentary, it could be said in a way that it ends up being a president 0bama love fest, because you devote a lot of time to 0bama and much less time to reagan. I mean, how balanced is this work . The point of this film isnt 0bama is perfect. It is seeing what qualities you need in a leader. And i think you see those qualities in president reagan as well. His love of his family, his deep concern about the decisions he made. You mention reagan then, he might have been a caring man in terms of his human day to day contact, but there are a lot of people in the United States liberals particularly who are very unhappy with his policies which many would say had a destructive effect. That doesnt come through in your film. Im not a president reagan fan as a politician, but i can recognise his humanity as a person. So ill leave it to other movies to dissect, you know, particular policy, you know, decisions, and i think that those movies are necessary and fair. I know that a big effort was made to get your film ready so it would be able to be released before the forthcoming us president ial election. Why was that . Do you want to come in a way, influence voters . Yeah you always want to influence voters. In the United States, we have become a little numb to some of the abhorrent and really dangerous processes in government. You know, we all wanted to remind people that this is not normal, that we are not in a regular political year, and that this kind of transcends party. The way i see it is fascinating to watch because of the intimate access pete souza had with the leader of the free world. But the film is a little unfocused, it also goes on a bit too long, making the point over and over that president 0bama was indeed a wondrous being compared to the current occupants of the white house. The presidency is a seriousjob. I was going to do everything i could to make sure people didnt forget that. In this covid 19 world, film festivals are trying to find their way, and the Venice Film Festival, which came to a close earlier this month, did pretty well. It showcased a powerful feature film called, and tomorrow the entire world. The subject matter of the picture is political. It explores the rise of the far right in germany and whether or not young people should use violence to oppose it. Emma jones reports from venice. This year, the Venice Film Festival offered a glimpse back into the world of celebrity. There were films asking tough political questions. Burnt in subs. One of them, and tomorrow the entire world, offers a young german perspective on the resurgence of the far right in their nation. A young idealistic woman, luisa, joins an antifascist group, full of people her age where shes soon confronted by choices of how far to go to achieve their aims. Is violence the only way to get noticed . The co writer and director, julia von hines, was writing from personal experience and wrote a first draft 20 years ago. Julia, i understand this movie is slightly autobiographical to you, is that right . Autobiographical is too strong of a word. Its very, very personal. It refers to a time when. It was actually a decade. From 15 25, i experienced a lot of things that louisa in my film experiences, joining a left wing group, all the Group Dynamic processes, the questions of loyalty, the questions whether violence can be a political mean. I ask myself all those questions. All but one of the main cast are under the age of 30, including the two leading actresses. They play friends whose closeness is severely tested over the question of whether their cause should use force. I think this movie is super important for all of us because we are living in a time where racism and nationalism is rising again. And i read the script and i was like, wow, that is so on point. And its crazy that julia was writing this movie or thinking about this movie 20 years ago. The last high Profile International film about young idealistic german activists was 16 years ago, the edukators, directed by hans van gardner and starring daniel bruel. But this is a story about anarchists rebelling against the consumerism of the 90s. This age, von hines believes, demands something else. In germany, there are many films about nazis, about historic nazis, but also about neo nazis, and i think this is so important, and im very happy that all these films exist, but there are also films about the left Wing Radical Movement from the 60s and 70s, but up from then there is no telling, there are no films about a very strong left wing movement. Of necessity, historically, film makers have given a lot of thought to germanys past and venice is also showing an out of competition documentary, final account, by the late british director, luke holland. He spent a decade interviewing the last generational alive who took part in world war ii. Some who were part of the elite nazi guard, the ss, have repented of their actions others still refused to acknowledge they did anything wrong. How do you think germany is going to react to your film . There might be hate from right wing groups against the film, but there might also be a lot of criticism from left wing groups because i dont idealize it, i try to be precise. 0ur movie is not giving a simple answerand that is what we need. We need movies to move us so we are confused after it. Angry young men and women wanting to remake a broken world are not to new ideas in cinema, but and tomorrow the entire world seems to tap and the frustration and restlessness that pervades so much of europes youth and where that might lead. This is a tumultuous time in america and a particularly tumultuous time in american politics, with the country deeply divided. In years to come, there will no doubt be documentaries and possibly future films about the trump biden contest. Any new film that does emerge will have to compete against a long line of political movie classics. Noah gittel has been looking back at some of the greatest political films ever made. And i saw three of them in this room. Senator, yield no sir, i will not yield at the top of nearly every list of the best political movies ever made our two films. The first is mr smith goes to washington, frank capras 1939 masterpiece starring Jimmy Stewart as a political novice who battles corruption in the us senate. Mr president , i did not say the senator was one of the congressman in the room. I was in that room got to get something on paper. Then theres all the president s men, the true story of how intrepid Washington Post reporters bob woodward and carl bernstein, played by Robert Redford and dustin hoffman, uncovered the watergate scandal which led to Richard Nixon becoming the first ever us president to resign from office. Besides being exceedingly well crafted, each film delivers the same promise of hope to a different generation of americans reeling from trauma. Mr smith goes to washington came at the end of the great depression, a decade of poverty and disillusionment in the american system. While all the president s men was a response to a profound loss of faith in american institutions, following both watergate and the vietnam war. The films succeed because they engage with our darker impulses, but still provide uplifting conclusions. Right now, political tensions in the us are boiling over, which makes these films more relevant than ever. Political films can motivate the populace. Mr smith goes to washington came out in 1939. That inspired a lot of people to go into politics, because at the end of the day, it was seen as idealistic even though i dont personally think that it really was. But we will put a pin in that. And then all the president s men inspires all these people to go intojournalism. They both have that galvanising effect on viewers, which is to bring you in enough to think, i want to do that. So they exerted that power that film can do, and they both did it beautifully. I honestly, i think thats down to the craft more than the explicit politics. Similar in tone but somewhat less heralded is the 2000 film the contender, in which a senator, played by joan allen, is nominated to fill the vice presidency, but is subjected to intense sexism during her confirmation hearings. It reckons seriously with the ugly side of politics on both sides of the aisle. But it still paints an aspirational portrait of the political process, and its focus on the double standard applied to women in politics feels prescient. I stand for a womans right to choose. I stand for the elimination of the death penalty. I stand for a strong and growing armed forces because we must stomp out genocide on this planet. And i believe that is a cause worth dying for. Rod lurie feels the contender, a film he directed and wrote, is in the tradition of other great political films. Theres no film like it since mr smith goes to washington where there is sort of an optimistic ending to a film about such a struggle. And i think what we are trying to say is that in our country, the good guys eventually win, that. Gravity is always toward civil rights and the rights of individuals in this case, to women. One of the most influential political films is z a 1969 political thriller by greek film maker costa gavras. Loosely based on real events in the film makers home country, z chronicles the assassination of a leftist politician and the efforts of a well intentioned prosecutor to sift through the systemic corruption and discover who was behind it. Even though politics find their way into so many movies, its surprising there arent even more films that directly address our political system. After all, politics is a subject almost everyone is interested in. And theres drama and tension inherent in the political process. Maybe for some, cinema is an escape from the politics that are so ever present in our lives especially in the us right now. For the rest of us, however, there is an endless treasure trove of great political films. Well, that brings a special cinema and politics edition of talking movies to a close. We hope you have enjoyed the show. Please remember you can always reach us online at bbc. Com talkingmovies. And you can find us on facebook and twitter. So, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production team, its goodbye, as we leave you with a musical moment from the movie bullworth a political satire from a few years back starring warren beatty. Yeah. Let me hear you say, big money big money big money, big money. Big money. One man, one vote, now is that really real . The name of our game is lets make a deal. No people got their problems, the haves and have nots. But the ones that make me listen pay for 30 second spots. 30 seconds, 30, 30 seconds. Tuesday may not have been the sunniest day of the month so far but it ended on something of a high. What a contrast as we move into the new day to see some really quite heavy rain moving into part of england and wales. It will feel cooler across some areas. Low pressure dominating the weather through tuesday, throwing the weather fronts across northern and western scotland but is towards the bay skate we look for the next development. That is tied in with storm barbara. The air is coming from the south so its not a cold start to wednesday, but it will be a wet one across southern areas and the rain keeps coming through the morning, easily 30 to a0 millimetres quite widely. Bits and pieces of weather to the north and rain across the Western Isles of scotland and the north and west of the mainland but the drip and drab getting into northern ireland. Top temperature will be 17. The rain becoming a little bit lighter perhaps as the area of low pressure and its energy gradually move away towards scandinavia. As we move into thursday, the isobars begin to open up a touch with the ridge of High Pressure meandering in from the atlantic. That is not to say it will be a completely dry day. Much drier for the greater part of england and wales, but the northerly brings in showers to the eastern side of scotland, some getting into the north of england. The odd shower a little bit further through wales, may be the south east and the high on the day, if you are lucky, around 16, but closer to 8 degrees. Make the most of the dry weather on thursday. Because here we are on friday with a new set of weather fronts bringing cloud, wind and rain back in from the atlantic. I am not promising anybody a dry day through friday. The rain starts off across northern and western parts, but the band weakens as it works its way down towards the south eastern quarter and through east anglia. Even here, there will be a spot of rain. Brighter skies following on behind at the temperature is pretty much where we would expect to see them for this time of year. A quick look at the weekend. We have another set of weather fronts working across northern and western parts, trying to get across towards east anglia and the south east. Just whether they make it is open to some doubt. Welcome to bbc news. Im Lewis Vaughan jones. Our top stories. Celebration as nasas space probe makes contact with an asteroid 300 million kilometres away in a mission that could give us a clue to how life on earth began. Reports of fatal shootings in nigeria as police try to clear Anti Government protests in the city of lagos. We have a rare interview with the top us commander in afghanistan who warns that the spike in violence is threatening the peace plan. And the rhetoric should not be threatening and inciting more violence. What everybody should be doing is finding ways to bring this down