Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

'The Drama' starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya hits theatres on April 3. The movie hinges on a dark secret that's already stirred up controversy before the film's release. Film critics Bilge Ebiri and Rachel Ho talk to guest host Amil Niazi about the controversy, and why the movie still lands even if you know the spoilers.

Plus, with Saskatchewan passing the Film Content Information Act that puts the onus on movie theatres to create their own content warning. Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by University of Saskatchewan professor Jerry White to talk about what inspired this act and its ramifications for moviegoers in the province and Canada writ large.

Elamin is joined by CBC entertainment reporter Jackson Weaver and filmmaker Kwame Mason to discuss the new TV series ‘Hate The Player: The Ben Johnson Story’ and the film ‘Youngblood’.

Plus, music/tech journalist Cam Gordon discusses his new book, ‘Track Changes: The Origin Story of Canadian Music on the Internet (1990-2010),’ and the unsung early online adopters who built the foundation of the country’s modern-day music industry.

A new anthology series 'Bread Alone: What happens when we run out of working-class writers?' edited by Kate Pasola begs the question: who gets to have a career in writing? And how does that inform the kinds of working class narratives that get published? Niko Stratis, Deborah Dundas and Catherine Hernandez join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to chat about being a working class writer in Canada, the value of labour in creative industries, and how not to sell out while trying to make ends meet.

A new musical by the legendary Cree playwright Tomson Highway is on stage in Ottawa. Theatre critic Aisling Murphy and Alessia Passafiume with the Canadian Press, join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about Rose -- and why a production that was written almost 35 years ago, feels more relevant than ever today.

Plus, the Goo Goo Dolls song 'Iris' was released 28 years ago. But it has enjoyed a massive resurgence in 2026 thanks to these viral 90's nostalgia reels where people share old pictures of themselves on social media. Music journalist Annie Zaleski explains how a grubby punk band from Buffalo wound up crafting one of the definitive power ballads of our time, and what its current popularity says about how we view the ‘90s.

A play about the children’s author Roald Dahl opened to rave reviews on Broadway – it delves into his antisemitic views, which were exposed by journalist Michael Coren more than 40 years ago. Michael saw “Giant” in New York – he tells Elamin Abdelmahmoud about his original interview with Dahl, what it’s like seeing it come to life on stage, and how he treats the author’s work now.

Plus, the new dark comedy miniseries ‘Bait’ imagines a world where a British Pakistani Muslim actor is up for contention as the new James Bond. Vulture’s Roxana Hadadi talks with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about why she feels this show could only have been made by Riz Ahmed, who wrote, created and stars in the series.