© Emeric de Souancé
Concert
Embark on a musical journey through the verses of Ronsard, Verlaine and Victor Hugo with Les Fauristes. London French choir Les Fauristes, conducted by Blandine de Raulin and Maud Maestracci and accompanied on the piano by John Evanson, will take you through 500 years of courtly love and nature in chanson française with a programme including Renaissance madrigals, old folk songs, 19th century great poetry, pieces from Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Debussy and much more…
Screening
dir. Pierre Billon, 1947, 93 mins – Courtesy of SND
In this adaptation of Victor Hugo’s drama starring Danielle Darrieux and Jean Marais, Don Salluste’s devilish plots for revenge on the Queen, who has exiled him from court, are put to the test when the loyalty of his pawn Ruy Blas shifts. A servant he has introduced to the court as a nobleman, whose wits and looks soon attract favours and affection from the Queen, Ruy Blas is soon appointed as Prime Minister. When the masquerade is revealed, tragedy ensues.
Related event:
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Victor Hugo, Four Plays: Marion de Lorme; Hernani; Lucretia Borgia; Ruy Blas (Methuen Drama, 2004) |
CinéKids
dir. Christophe Honoré, 2016, 106 mins
Christophe Honoré’s adaptation of one of the most classic stories of French chilren’s literature, written by the Comtesse de Ségur. Sophie is not the model little girl one would like her to be and often gets into trouble. She cuts her mother’s fish into tiny pieces, she just misses burning herself wading through quicklime, she tortures her wax doll or she cuts off her own eyelashes to look prettier. In one word, Sophie is constantly up to no good!
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Comtesse de Ségur, Sophie’s Misfortunes (Simon & Schuster, 2011) |
Screening
dir. Saverio Cosranzo, 2018, 2x50 mins
Discover the two first episodes of the screen adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s best-selling novels My Brilliant Friend. When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship. A tale that attempts to unveil the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant friend. Her best friend, and her worst enemy.
Related events:
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Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend (Europa Editions, 2018) |
Screening
dir. Giacomo Durzi, 2017, 74 mins – Courtesy of Modern Films
Using re-enactments of scenes from her novels in the locations where they are actually set, as well as archival material, photographs and animation inserts, Ferrante Fever gives life to Elena Ferrante’s literary production. Giacomo Durzi’s documentary presents Ferrante’s deeply intimate writing and sketches the identity of an author, who despite an international success, keeps herself unknown.
Related events:
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Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend (Europa Editions, 2018) |
© David Prudhomme
Performance
Musician Mathieu Boogaerts will team up with illustrator François Olislaeger and graphic novelist David Prudhomme to offer a lively performance mixing music, songs and live drawing: a rhythmic and original concert combining the best of Chanson française with live graphic improvisation.
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© Stéphane Mahot & Eric Audebert
Drawing Session
In the run-up to their evening performance French graphic novelists François Olislaeger and David Prudhomme will lead a Drink and Draw session, during which they will guide their guests through the basis of drawing and composition, while simultaneously enjoying an informal chat about their outlook on art.
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© 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
CinéKids
dir. Simon Curtis, 2017, 107 mins
A rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh.
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Related / Latest Publication:
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh Classic Collection (Egmont, 2016)
Workshop
A special writing workshop for kids led by Anne Delorme during which children will discover everything there is to know about the art of haïkus and be taken on a creative journey where they will reflect on nature and create their own little poems. At the end of the workshop, parents and carers are invited to hear the children’s haïkus during a little tea ceremony.
Workshop
Open to everyone interested in discussing philosophical issues in an informal setting, the Institut’s Café Philo meets every Saturday. Following the lead of some of the books showcased in the festival, Christian Michel will be focussing on the nature of man and his (il)legitimate rule over nature and its animal peers, studying different philosophical considerations from Aristotle and Descartes to antispecism, through Darwin and vegetarianism.
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