Amanpour – "Finding Light Amongst Darkness This Festive Season"

Date: December 20, 2025
Host: Bianna Golodryga (sitting in for Christiane Amanpour)
Main Theme:
Exploring hope, resilience, and the search for light during a season shadowed by violence and turmoil—within faith communities, through pop culture, political struggle, and global affairs. In this episode: the aftermath of a deadly anti-Semitic attack in Australia, an acclaimed Korean film on unemployment and dignity, Uganda’s presidential opposition under threat, the British monarchy’s modern reckoning, a refugee family’s story of freedom, and a celebration of Jane Austen.

Segment 1: Light in Darkness – Responding to Anti-Semitic Violence in Australia

[01:01–09:57]
Guest: Rabbi Gabi Kaltman, Melbourne
Topic: Aftermath of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack

• Attack Context:

  • Mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach; 15 killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi, and a Holocaust survivor.
  • The Jewish community in Australia is small (0.5% of the population, ~100,000 people) and deeply interconnected.

• Rabbi Kaltman on Community Impact:

  • “The community here in Australia, the Jewish community at least, is heartbroken. We're shattered. We're in the middle of just an unimaginable nightmare situation.” (03:03)
  • Describes knowing several victims personally.

• On Gathering and Spiritual Response:

  • Rabbi Kaltman emphasizes the importance of resilience:
    • “We must summon the strength and the character of the heroes of the story of Hanukkah, the Maccabees... To push away that darkness... We've been here before... Each time we've persevered, we've gotten up, we've shaken ourselves off and we've continued on with love, with hope, holding steadfast to our Torah, our traditions, our faith and our beliefs.” (04:31)

• On Safety and Government Response:

  • Jewish community leaders had warned the Australian government for years about rising anti-Semitism:
    • “For two years, anyone listening? We have been telling them that something's not right. And the evidence was in front of our eyes. When synagogues are being firebombed, that's not normal.” (06:30)
  • A sense of security has been lost:
    • “Over the past two years, that sense of safety has shattered. And now, tragically, we have people that are waking up as orphans, wives without husbands, and families really hurt and destroyed.” (06:30)

• Acts of Heroism:

  • The role of bystanders:
    • “That is the epitome of being an Aussie, of standing up and trying to do what you can to assist, to be there for somebody.” (08:30)
  • A victim sacrificed himself to save others:
    • “He stood in front of the gunman... he saved and allowed other people to get away while taking the attention of the gunman onto himself and sadly, tragically, paid for it with his life.” (08:30)

• On Moving Forward:

  • “Now is the time where Australians say, enough is enough. We need to put an end to this horrific anti-Semitism. And it's going to happen. Believe you me, it's going to happen.” (08:30)

Segment 2: Film and Society – "No Other Choice" with Park Chan-wook

[13:10–19:06]
Guest: Park Chan-wook, Director
Topic: His acclaimed film on unemployment and pride

• Film Overview:

  • “No Other Choice” centers on Mansu, an unemployed man whose downward spiral leads to murder.
  • The film was inspired by a novel Park read 20 years ago.

• On Mansu’s Morality and System Critique:

  • Park explains, “He had other options... But the realistic solution, perhaps it's a foolish solution that he came up with, was to murder his colleagues, which is also a brilliant method, in my opinion... The more [Mansu] realizes [his colleagues] are similar to him... the more difficult his plan becomes to execute. And that is the central plot and theme of the story.” (13:33)

• Notable Scene & Irony:

  • Mansu must re-enter alcoholism to carry out his plan:
    • “There's that sense of bitter irony and also comedy that comes from this moment.” (16:35)

• Social Commentary – Masculinity and National Trauma:

  • Park on Korean context:
    • “Korean society does have stronger traces of Confucian order and values... But after having screened it in multiple countries, audiences actually have very similar reactions.” (17:36)

• Global Korean Culture:

  • “I hope this is not a temporary trend... The reason for the success of Korea, Korean culture today is that Koreans have experienced many difficulties and pains in modern history... I actually quite feel bitter about that.” (18:32)

• Recognition:

  • The film “No Other Choice” has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Segment 3: Ugandan Democracy – Pop Star Bobby Wine vs. President Museveni

[20:31–24:35]
Report: Larry Madowo, CNN Kampala
Topic: Uganda's opposition movement and election violence

• Profile:

  • Bobby Wine (pop star turned politician) opposes President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 40 years.

• Atmosphere of Fear and Violence:

  • Opposition supporters are met with brutal police and military crackdowns:
    • “At the stop in northern Uganda, supporters formed a protective shield... as military officers whip them.”
    • “Some people have been shot dead at my rally. And I know the regime has me as the main target.” (22:00)

• On the State of the Election:

  • Bobby Wine: “Every time I go out to campaign, I know that somebody is going to be beaten, somebody's going to be killed... This is not an election to begin with. This is war.” (23:48)

• International Condemnation:

  • UN cites "arbitrary arrests, detentions, and the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against the opposition."

Segment 4: Royal Reckoning – David Dimbleby on the British Monarchy

[26:28–33:34]
Guest: David Dimbleby, Veteran British Journalist
Host: Christiane Amanpour
Topic: BBC docuseries “What is the Monarchy For?”

• Why Now?

  • “In Scotland and Wales, there's now a narrow majority against monarchy and a rising number of young people... So it seemed to me a good moment to say, is it working? Is it how it should be?” (26:47)

• On Royal Obfuscation:

  • “Getting people to speak about the monarchy was like blood out of a stone... They speak in a kind of cryptic way. Nobody comes out and says, well, this is this, this is that.” (27:34)

• On Royal Power and Boundaries:

  • Discussion about the monarch’s true influence, referencing “spider letters” Prince Charles sent ministers:
    • “I think he's... There's an element in him of sort of self righteousness that he sort of has thought things through that nobody else has thought through.” (30:54)
    • “The question is whether as head of state, it's his job, unelected, to push those views.” (31:37)

• The BBC’s Own Struggles:

  • On recent scandals and institutional change:
    • “The one problem... is that people are abandoning television in favor of all the other ways of getting information. But they're still compelled to pay... to watch television. And that's the stumbling block... If they can get that sorted, then the BBC will be okay. It's too important to Britain, maybe like the monarchy.” (32:19)

Segment 5: Refugee Resilience – A Polish Family’s Story of Freedom

[35:14–37:13]
Archive Field Report: Christiane Amanpour
Story: Eva and Andrej Kovalinska, exiled from Poland post-Solidarity crackdown, start anew in America.

• “We don't have hope. And because we don't have hope, we are here.” (35:14)
• Eva, once a Polish TV anchor, was jailed for refusing to follow party lines.
• On forging a new life: “We must be free. This is chance for our life. One chance for our life.” (36:59)

Segment 6: Jane Austen at 250

[37:13–End]

• Celebrations of Jane Austen’s legacy across the world at her 250th birthday.
• “Time will explain. Well, 250 years of time have made one thing abundantly clear, that Jane Austen's genius is one for the ages.” (38:00)

Notable Quotes

• Rabbi Gabi Kaltman:

  • “We must summon the strength... of the Maccabees... Each time we've persevered, we've gotten up... continued on with love, with hope.” (04:31)
  • “We need to put an end to this horrific anti Semitism. And it's going to happen. Believe you me, it's going to happen.” (08:30)

• Park Chan-wook:

  • “The more that happens, the more difficult [Mansu’s] plan becomes to execute. And that is the central plot and theme of the story.” (13:33)
  • “I hope this is not a temporary trend that's just in fashion. The great influence that Korean culture has today is truly the gain that we've gotten through the pain that we've experienced in our history.” (18:32)

• Bobby Wine:

  • “Some people have been shot dead at my rally. And I know the regime has me as the main target...” (22:00)
  • “This is not an election to begin with. This is war.” (23:48)

• David Dimbleby:

  • “Getting people to speak about the monarchy was like blood out of a stone.” (27:34)
  • “It's too important to Britain, maybe like the monarchy.” (32:19)

• Polish Refugee Eva Kovalinska:

  • “We must be free. This is chance for our life. One chance for our life.” (36:59)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:01] – Interview with Rabbi Gabi Kaltman
• [13:10] – Park Chan-wook on “No Other Choice”
• [20:31] – Bobby Wine and Uganda’s election violence
• [26:28] – David Dimbleby on the British monarchy
• [35:14] – Polish refugee family story
• [37:13] – Jane Austen 250th celebration

Overall Tone:
Respectful and searching, mixing solemnity with optimism and humor as guests and reporters explore how individuals and societies cope with adversity—and how, despite darkness, people continue to kindle “a little more light.”