Bilal Qureshi

The Toronto International Film Festival's lineup of new movies pushed back against the narrow definition of a "black film" and offered a feast of cinematic stories about black life.

At the Toronto film festival, actor and director Nate Parker faced the press about a 1999 rape charge against him. Parker's promoting a movie about Nat Turner's slave rebellion The Birth of a Nation.

French director Jacques Audiard won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his story of a Tamil Tiger who gives up the fight to try and find a better life in France.

As an art student, Shahzia Sikander used her region's miniature painting tradition to tell the story of a modern Pakistani woman. Now her work has moved beyond the page into animation and video.

Though she's made careful study of the history of South Asian music, Zeb Bangash's career defies easy assumptions about art and Islam.

Navina Haidar, an Islamic art curator at the Met, says she isn't interested in ideology: "The only place where we allow ourselves any passion is in the artistic joy ... of something that's beautiful."

Filmmaker Satyajit Ray earned a lifetime achivement Oscar for his beloved Apu Trilogy, released between 1955 and 1959. Badly damaged by fire, the original negatives have now been restored.

With its flashy swagger and quotable one-liners, Empire, the Fox series about a black music label, has become a cultural phenomenon. A watch party in D.C., had just as much.

Abderrahmane Sissako's film was inspired by the seizure of the Malian city by Islamist fighters in 2012. It has won international accolades with its lyrical beauty and critique of religious extremism.

David Oyelowo talks about playing Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oscar-nominated film Selma — as well as the LBJ controversy, slavery and how he learned about what it's like to be black in America.

The new Russian film Leviathan chronicles one man's struggle against a greedy mayor confiscating his property, providing an epic and timely portrait of Russian society.

Study after study reveals that women remain underrepresented in film, both on screen and off. But film festivals can play a role in closing the gap.

Bolivar liberated six countries from Spanish rule in the early 19th century. A new film about his life features epic battles, rousing speeches and stunning landscapes in the spirit of Braveheart.

The transition from one part of the world to another is filled with anticipation, conflict and drama.

The militant group threatens to kill parents who immunize their children. As a result, polio has come roaring back in Pakistan. Eradication now hinges on whether the country can control the virus.

Ayad Akhtar plumbs his past to grapple with what it means to be Muslim in America. While some accuse him of airing dirty laundry, Akhtar uses such questions not just for rupture but also for renewal.

The Immigrant and Zinda Bhaag are idea-driven films that delve into the global arc of migration from different corners of the world.

Kasem hosted one of the country's most popular countdown shows for four decades. (This piece originally aired June 15, 2014, on Weekend Edition.)

Casey Kasem, the countdown king of music radio and the voice of Scooby-Doo's Shaggy, has died at 82, his publicist confirmed Sunday.

Kasem hosted American Top 40 for four decades. He presented the week's hits with a sincerity and authority that made him essential listening for million of Americans ...

BookCon planners knew the event would be filled with panels, author stalking and autograph opps for the Twitter set. What they didn't anticipate was a firestorm over their all-white lineup.