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The Feed: Sept 21 – 25

Marc Fennell sits down with director M. Night Shyamalan and discusses the road back from disappointing projects.

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Next week on The Feed Marc Fennell sits down with director M. Night Shyamalan and discusses the road back from disappointing projects (most recently having success with TV’s Wayward Pines).

Also on the show the appetite for Shark Fins in Australia; the dowry negotiation process; and interviews two women who uncovered the real North Korea.

Shark Finning In Australia
Shark finning has been dubbed as one of the greatest threats to shark populations across the globe. With an estimated 70 million sharks killed every year, purely for their fins. The fins are turned into a soup, a traditional Chinese dish that is perceived to show wealth and prosperity. The appetite for shark fin in Australia saw 42 tonnes imported in the past two years, a practice that many people in Australia are fighting to stop.

Negotiating A Wife
There’s no free girl for a South Sudanese man – even in Australia. A dowry or bride price, paid from the man’s family to the woman’s, is an obligation that must be fulfilled before a wedding. The dowry negotiation can be lengthy and tense, as both families try to agree on a price. For certain groups, including the Dinka and the Nuer, the dowry can be as much as $80,000. Once paid in cattle, it’s now exchanged in cash and can require years of saving, or even taking out a bank loan. It’s something that weighs heavily on the mind of any young Dinka or Nuer man in Australia, chasing the woman of his dreams.

The Redemption Of M. Night Shyamalan
Back in 2000, M. Night Shyamalan was being touted as the new Spielberg. With iconic thrillers like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, he was riding high – then it all came crashing down. He’s been rubbished by critics and viewers everywhere with disasters like The Last Airbender and After Earth. In a stunningly candid interview with Marc Fennell, he opens up about the intense pressures of audience expectation, being known as ‘the plot-twist guy’ and why he felt the solution was to pour millions of his own money into the totally secret project, The Visit. Also the whole thing is worth watching because how often do you see two Indian bros talking to each other on Australian TV? Like, never.

North Korea: Undercover
We like to joke about North Korea. It is, after all, the world’s favourite, despotic nuclear capable nation of ‘brainwashed simpletons’ presided over by three hereditary leaders – each with increasingly preposterous undercuts. Except, maybe not. Two women wanted to find more. Suki Kim is an acclaimed South Korean-American writer whose family were cut in half by the Korean War; the wound has never truly healed. So she went undercover posing as a teacher at a school for North Korea’s elite. She documented her experiences and hid her writings on USB sticks kept on her body. Meanwhile Australian filmmaker Anna Broinowski talked her way into the North Korean propaganda machine and was even cast in North Korean blockbusters. They share their unique stories with Marc Fennell: The results are chilling, hilarious, heartbreaking and proof that everything we know about North Korea is almost definitely wrong.

7:30pm weeknights on SBS 2.

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