Malala Yousafzai on her Hollywood reinvention: ‘It’s been an incredible journey’
It’s almost 12 years to the day that a Taliban gunman shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai in the head as she travelled home from an exam on a school bus packed with fellow pupils.
Now one of Pakistan’s best-known public figures, the activist, Oxford graduate and youngest Nobel laureate in history is releasing her first feature.
Malala addresses the United Nations on her 16th birthday. Pic: Reuters
The 27-year-old tells Sky News: “I’m pretty new to Hollywood, but it’s been an incredible journey for me so far.”
An outspoken critic of Muslim under-representation in Hollywood films, Yousafzai founded her production company Extracurricular in 2021 in partnership with Apple TV + in a bid to “shake things up”.
She says: “There are so many passionate women and artists from different diverse backgrounds, including Muslim communities and people of colour and they have incredible stories.
“I hope to work with more incredible artists and directors out there in the many years ahead to help us bring more perspectives and more voices and reflections from people who don’t often get a chance.”
A 2022 study showed that Muslims are 25% of the population, but only 1% of characters in popular TV series.
As for whether it’s getting better, Yousafzai says: “There are incredible Muslim artists who are really changing the narrative, and I do hope that more of them will get a chance to tell their story and just bring more diversity to how stories are told.”
She says the documentary she’s just released – The Last Of The Sea Women, about a group of female divers in their 60s, 70s and 80s – is “an amazing beginning” to her new adventure as a Hollywood executive.
Extracurricular has previously said it would consider producing a fictionalised account of her attempted assassination but signalled they first need to find a “surprising way in” to the story.
And Yousafzai is full of surprises.
(R-L): Lee Hee Soon, Malala Yousafzai, Sue Kim and Jang Soon Duk. Pic: Apple TV +
Malala Made Me Do It
Earlier this year, she made her acting debut in the second season of Channel 4’s reverential and hugely popular comedy We Are Lady Parts.
Her episode even featured a spoof song inspired by her activism – Malala Made Me Do It.
Yousafzai’s passionate advocacy for access to education for women and girls in countries where it is restricted is now stepping into a new realm – entertainment.
Her deal with Apple will cover dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation and children’s series.
Future productions include a movie adaptation of Elaine Hsieh Chou’s book Disorientation, and a scripted series based on Asha Lemmie’s coming-of-age novel Fifty Words For Rain, about a woman’s search for acceptance in post-World War Two Japan.
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The Last Of The Sea Women tells the story of the Haenyeo, a “badass girl gang” of grandmothers living on South Korea‘s Jeju Island who dive to the ocean floor without oxygen to gather food for their community.
Earning a reputation as real-life mermaids, despite diving for centuries, their traditions are now under threat.
In a bid to save their way of life, they are now teaching younger women, who being from Generation Z, are sharing their stories on TikTok.
Haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island. Pic: Apple TV+
Elderly Asian women ‘as heroes’
The film’s director Sue Kim – who calls working with Malala “the joy and pleasure of my life” – says she was excited to showcase an underrepresented group in her work.
“It’s rare to see women portrayed as the sole heroes in the film. Two Asian women are not often portrayed as the soul heroes in the film. And then elderly Asian women.
“It’s three demographics where I do think there’s a bit of a gap of representation and portrayal in the heroic world. And that was something I was excited to show in the film.”
Yousafzai says of the Haenyeo: “When I look to them, I personally, as a woman, feel that there’s no limit to what I can do.”
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She goes on: “We would be in a very good place if we were under the leadership of the Haenyeo, for sure…
“We need women in leadership. We need a society where women can get equal opportunities. And a woman should never be told that she cannot be in a certain role.”
Previously nominated for an Oscar for the documentary short Stranger At The Gate, Yousafzai is optimistic The Last Of The Sea Women could be part of the next awards conversation too.
“Why not? I think it deserves all the applause and the credit.”
The Last Of The Sea Women is streaming now on Apple TV +
Entertainment
Eurovision members to discuss voting ‘interference’ rule changes – and potential Israel ban
Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will meet today to discuss Israel’s involvement in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The meeting at Eurovision’s organisers’ headquarters in Geneva will address the new rules intended to stop governments and third parties from disproportionately influencing voting.
Should members not be convinced about the new rules, there may be a vote on Israel‘s participation in 2026.
In November, the EBU changed the voting system for the song contest over allegations of “interference” from the Israeli government.
That came after Israeli singer Yuval Raphael received the largest number of votes from the public in this year’s contest, ultimately finishing as runner-up to Austria’s entry after the jury votes were counted.
After the final in May, Irish broadcaster RTE requested a breakdown in voting numbers from the EBU, while Spain’s public broadcaster, Radio Television Espanola, called for a “complete review” of the voting system to avoid “external interference”.
Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS added in September that there had been “proven interference by the Israeli government during the last edition of the Song Contest, with the event being used as a political instrument”.
Their statement did not elaborate on the means of “interference”.
Israel has not commented on accusations of interference in voting. File pic: AP
Israeli broadcaster still preparing entry
Israel has not commented on the accusations regarding voting for the contest, which stresses its political neutrality, but it has frequently claimed that it faces a global smear campaign.
KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, also said it is preparing for next year’s Eurovision content.
It added it will present its position on possible disqualification at the meeting.
Boycotts threatened over war in Gaza
It comes after Slovenia and broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland issued statements earlier this year saying they would consider boycotting the contest next year if Israel was allowed to enter over the war in Gaza.
In September, officials from the EBU announced plans for an emergency vote on Israel’s participation, with president Delphine Ernotte-Cunci saying “given that the union has never faced a divisive situation like this before”. The board agreed it “merited a broader democratic basis for a decision”.
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That was then called off in October after Israel and Hamas agreed to the US-backed peace plan for Gaza.
More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s war in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It was sparked by the 7 October 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza.
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third was The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
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Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth, and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
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