16 novembre 2015

Paris: Condoléances


Courtesy: Àine MacParland
Members of our cercle français have been in touch to express their support and sympathy for those affected by the Paris attacks of last Friday.  Some recalled our January post, highlighting the words of a song, to affirm that Paris sera toujours Paris .

While many followed and shared updates on social media others used the platforms to convey their own reactions.  Two of those are posted here: the picture above from Àine, who provided our art talk last December, and this heart-felt piece in both French and English from our frequent contributor, Hélène.….. 

Hier soir, alors que je découvrais l’horreur des attaques à Paris et au Grand Stade, je suis tombée sur des commentaires de lecteurs disant que la France n’existait plus, qu’il fallait quitter le navire avant qu’il ne soit trop tard, des messages pessimistes et défaitistes. Au-delà de l’horreur, je découvrais une France qui avait peur. Et puis petit à petit, j’ai lu des nouvelles avec une lueur d’espoir, des récits héroïques sans héros, des histoires de personnes qui ouvraient leurs portes à ceux qui venaient d’être témoins du pire que l’espèce humaine puisse faire, des chauffeurs de taxi qui emmenaient les gens loin de la violence sans les faire payer, des personnes qui allaient au secours d’autres sans penser une seconde qu’ils risquaient leur vie, des personnes hissant de parfaits inconnus sur le toit du Bataclan… Hier soir, malgré l’horreur, au-delà de la violence et de l’horreur humaine, j’ai reconnu la France dont je suis fière, celle où nous restons unis et solidaires et plus forts que les ténèbres.

VIVE LA FRANCE !
#fieredetrefrancaise #notafraid

Last night, as I was discovering the sheer horror of the attacks in Paris, I came across comments about France not being France anymore, about people fleeing away from a sinking ship, messages full of pessimism and defeatism. Beyond the horror, I discovered a country that was scared. Then gradually, as I continued reading, I saw a glimmer of hope through heroic stories with unlikely heroes, stories of Parisians opening their doors to welcome people who had just witnessed the worst thing humans can do to each other, taxi drivers ferrying people away from the violence and not charging them, people rescuing others without thinking that they could lose their own lives, people lifting complete strangers onto the roof of Le Bataclan… Last night, despite the horror, beyond the violence and the horror of humankind, I recognised the France I am proud of, the one where we are united and standing together, stronger than darkness. 

VIVE LA FRANCE!
#proudtobefrench #notafraid


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Nos plus sincères condoléances


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Note:  A minute's silence was observed today in Belfast, reported here by BBC Northern Ireland, and a book of condolence for those killed and injured was also opened at Belfast City Hall. The French Embassy in Dublin has offered people the opportunity to e-mail messages of condolence to jesuisparisireland@gmail.com which will then be published online on this dedicated page of its site.





05 novembre 2015

Bulletin mensuel: novembre 2015

In addition to our monthly meeting, November sees a number of events with a French theme taking place in Belfast including a book launch, a Film Festival and of course Bal Feirste's regular session of French music and dance.

The next meeting of the Cercle Français de Belfast will be …

on Mercredi 11 novembre 2015 à 19h.30
in Dark Horse Coffee House,
30-34, Hill Street Belfast BT1 2LB (Directions attached)

Verdun: Devoir de mémoire Nos ADHÉRENTS

It is almost 100 years since the battle of Verdun. In this exploration of War and Memory members of the cercle share their reflections of this devastating event.


New Novel Links Belfast and France

'Snugville Street' by Angeline Kelly is a novel about a French exchange set in the Shankill.
Angeline studied French at university and when she took a career break in January to try to do some writing, her experiences of France were immediately put at the heart of her novel. 'Snugville Street' is a family drama that revolves around a French exchange. It's happy and sad, and layered with themes of identity and language as it moves from Snugville Street in the Shankill to Paimpol in Brittany. So far, the book has had great reviews. 'Snugville Street' will have its Belfast book launch in the Shankill Road Library on Thursday 19th November at 6.30pm.


A Feast of French Films at QFT.

This month QFT welcomes the 23rd French Film Festival – the only festival of Francophone Films in the UK. QFT will be screening seven films ….

Fri 6 Nov, 9.10pm
Un Homme idéal
A Perfect Man
Dir: Yann Gozlan • France • 2015 • 1 Hr 37 Mins
Subtitled • Age: 15+

Sun 8 Nov, 7.30pm
Comme un avion
The Sweet Escape
Dir: Bruno Podalydès • France • 2015 • 1 Hr 45 Mins
Subtitled • Age: 12+

Fri 13 Nov, 6.30pm
La Tête haute
Standing Tall
Dir: Emmanuelle Bercot • France • 2015 • 1 Hr 58 Mins
Subtitled • Age: 15+

Sat 14 Nov, 8.10pm
Journal d’une femme de chambre
Diary Of A Chambermaid
Dir: Benoît Jacquot • France/Belgium • 2015 • 1 Hr 36 Mins
Subtitled • Age: 18+

Thurs 19 Nov, 6.30pm
Microbe et Gasoil
Microbe & Gasoline
Dir: Michel Gondry • France • 2015 • 1 Hr 43 Mins
Subtitled

Sat 21 Nov, 3.40pm
Le Grand Bleu
The Big Blue
Dir: Luc Besson • France/Usa/Italy • 1988
2 Hrs 18 Mins • Subtitled

Thurs 26 Nov, 8.35pm
Mon Roi
My King
Dir: Maïwenn • France • 2015 • 2 Hrs 8 Mins • Subtitled • Age: 18+

In addition as part of their normal programme Qft is showing …

Belle De Jour
Tues 10 Nov, 8.30pm
Dir: Luis Buñuel • Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel • France/Italy • 1967
1 Hr 40 Mins • Subtitled

For full details of these and QFT's programme for November click here.


The monthly Bal organised by Bal Feirste will take place …
on Saturday 14th November 2015
Upstairs in Maddens Bar, Berry St, Belfast.
Following the new formate there will be a 30 minute dance workshop at 5.30pm (a chance to learn the steps) followed by dancing from 6-8pm.

Looking forward to seeing you in the Dark Horse Café on Wednesday 11thNovember.

À bientôt, Philip

12 octobre 2015

Caféfrancophilo Les objets qui vous tiennent à cœur 14 octobre 2015





Please note:
The caféfrancophilo on the theme of: Le Luxe, c’est quoi?
with Isabelle CHABOUD will now take place on Wednesday 16 December 2015 in The Dark Horse Coffee House at 7.30pm

07 octobre 2015

La Nouvelle Vague: Solène GUICHARD: 7 octobre 2015


This evening's presentation on La Nouvelle Vague, given by Solène GUICHARD, drew a large attendance of around 40 people with many new faces at this the first talk of the cercle's new season.

Solène prefaced her presentation with a slide of an important building in Paris inviting her audience to say where it was.  Having been there back in 2012 for a memorable exhibition of Tim Burton's work I ventured La cinemathèque française. Yes it was, but what I didn't know was that it was so influential an institution among film makers that without it there would have been no Nouvelle Vague.

As a concession to her large audience that included francophile as well as francophone participants, Solène switched effortlessly between French and English to introduce key directors and artists associated with the genre.

Next she engaged in an étude comparative between two films (Renoir, 1939 and Resnais, 1959) showing very effectively how the cinematic styles differed from one another: inside/outside; large crew/small crew; much/little equipment; famous/unknown lead actors and the differing reliance on character and text.  In a most interesting segment on the Resnais film, Hiroshima Mon Amour, she talked about le cinèma littéraire highlighting the screenplay for the film which had been written by Marguerite Duras.

Solène's talk moved to focus on what for her were les deux plus grands films de la Nouvelle Vague: François Truffaut's Les 400 Coups (1959) and Jean-Luc Godard's À Bout de Souffle (1959).  It was clear from audience comments that many listening considered these to be among their favourite films also.  Solène concluded with a quote from Jean-Luc Godard, "All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl !"  which provoked a lively exchange of questions and answers that probably could have gone on for quite some time, and certainly beyond our appointed finishing time, had our own film enthusiast, Philip, not stepped into director mode with his Lumières ! Caméra ! On tourne ! and brought proceedings to a close with rounds of audience appreciation for an excellent talk.

Solène. Un très grand merci !

02 octobre 2015

Bulletin mensuel: octobre 2015

The next meeting of the Cercle Français de Belfast will be …
on mercredi 7 octobre 2015 à 19h.30
in Dark Horse Coffee House,
30-34, Hill Street Belfast BT1 2LB

Topic: La Nouvelle Vague

Speaker: Solène GUICHARD

Solène Guichard explores the enduring cinematic legacy of the French Nouvelle Vague. Solène's talk will be in French and she has organised English subtitles to assist with important points. During her 45 minute presentation she will consider the Qui, Où et Quand aspects of La Nouvelle Vague and draw comparisons between key films. She will highlight important examples of the genre. It promises to be a blow by blow account that will leave you breathless.

À propos de ….
Note that QFT will be screening Jean-Luc Godard's “Une femme est une femme” this month. For details see 'French Films at QFT' below.


Bal in Belfast.

The monthly Bal organised by Bal Feirste will take place …
on Saturday 10th October 2015
Upstairs in Maddens Bar, Berry St, Belfast.
Following the new formate there will be a 30 minute dance workshop at 5.30pm (a chance to learn the steps) followed by dancing from 6-8pm.


Matisse in Antrim.

Showing in the Oriel Gallery at Antrim Castle Gardens, Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, is a Hayward Touring Exhibition from the Southbank Centre, London and will be on display until Sunday 18 October 2015.
Don't miss the chance to see these wonderful lithographic reproductions of Matisse's work, so full of colour an energy that is hard to believe they were produced by an elderly man in the last years of his life, confined to bed. Click on the link below for further details.


An invitation from the Alliance Française, Dublin
Café Historique: The Martello Tower
on Thursday 8 October – 6.30pm
in 
The Alliance Française Dublin,1 Kildare Street, Dublin 2
A failed assassination attempt links Killiney Bay and Napoleon. This talk will outline the defences of the bay against a French invasion (1793-1815) and the subsequent history and recent restoration of one of the Martello Towers (including display of a scale model).
Talk in English Q&A in French/English
Admission is free but you are asked to RSVP by clicking on this link RSVP


French Films at QFT.

By sheer good luck this month QFT will screen one of the most celebrated Nouvelle Vague films ...
Une femme est une femme

Fri 9 Oct, From 2pm
Godard: Then And Now

To mark the passing of Sam Rohdie earlier this year, the School of Creative Arts at Queen’s University Belfast and QFT have organised a screening and seminar dedicated to the work of Jean-Luc Godard.
In 1999, Sam was appointed as the inaugural Professor of Film Studies, and throughout his tenure at Queen’s the subject first developed its current undergraduate and postgraduate pathways, and initiated a number of important external collaborations.
A compelling, controversial teacher and critic, Sam’s work increasingly concentrated on the cinema of Godard during and after his time at Queen’s. This event is an acknowledgement of Sam’s passionate engagement with arguably the most important figure in postwar European cinema.
The event will include a screening of Une femme est une femme (A Woman is a Woman, 1961), introduced by Professor Geoffrey Nowell-Smith (Queen Mary), and an illustrated talk on Godard’s more recent work – especially, his Histoire(s) du cinéma - given by Professor Rod Stoneman (NUI, Galway).
Tickets £3 (FREE admission for students). For more information contact Des O’Rawe, d.orawe@qub.ac.uk.


Fri 2 – Mon 5 Oct

Fidelio, l’odyssée d’Alice
Fidelio, Alice’s Journey

Dir: Lucie Borleteau • France 2015 • 1 Hr 37 Mins • Subtitled
The life-and-loves of a free spirit at sea.
The ‘journeys’ that Alice (a wonderful Ariane Labed – who also appears in The Lobster) sets off on are physical, sexual and emotional. She has become a sailor – working as a mechanic on freighters – not necessarily to see the world but rather to find herself. When she boards the rickety Fidelio as a last minute replacement for a crew member killed in an accident, she finds the captain is her former lover Gael (Melville Poupaud).


Mon 12 Oct, 6.30pm

Fatima

Dir: Philippe Faucon • France 2015 • 1 Hr 29 Mins • Subtitled
Mother/daughter relationships are at the centre of this story of North African-born cleaner, Fatima, and her family living in France. Conflict and alienation inside modern French society is exposed through this sharp, insightful and warm slice of life.


And included in CINEMAGIC …....

Sat 24 Oct, 2.00pm

De toutes nos forces
The Finishers

Dir: Nils Tavernier • France/Belgium • 2013 1 Hr 26 Mins • Subtitled • Age: 12+
Wheelchair-bound teenager Julien is the apple of his mother’s eye, but he yearns for the approval of his brooding and bitter father, Paul. With his youth as an Ironman champion behind him, Paul distances himself from his disabled son. When Julien suggests the seemingly crazy idea that they join forces to compete in a triathlon in Nice, an incredible journey of persistence and determination begins. Inspired by a true story, this is an emotionally involving film that will melt the hardest heart.


Sat 24 Oct, 6.30pm

Le dernier coup de marteau
The Last Hammer Blow

Dir: Alix Delaporte • France • 2014 1 Hr 22 Mins • Subtitled • Age: 15+
In this profoundly moving drama, a talented young boy’s ailing mother sends him from their trailer park home to live with her parents. But instead, he decides to seek out his long-absent father, a famous conductor who is visiting a nearby town to present a Mahler symphony. Initially hostile, his father’s feelings slowly shift from an awkward tenderness to possibly love. Winner of the Laterna Magica Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award at last year’s Venice Film Festival.


Sun 25 Oct, 2.00pm

Birds Of Passage

Dir: Olivier Ringer • France/Belgium • 2015 1 Hr 14 Mins • Subtitled • Age: 10+
When Cathy’s newly hatched duckling mistakes best friend Margaux as its mother, it’s up to Margaux to live up to the role. But this scenario is at odds with Margaux’s parents who are determined to send the hatchling to the local duck farm. The third film by brothers Yves and Olivier Ringer is about the desire to be normal, and the need to be independent while celebrating family, friendship and responsibility. Winner of Best Film at the Montreal Children’s Film Festival.


Looking forward to seeing you in the Dark Horse Café on Wednesday 7th October.


À bientôt, Philip

28 septembre 2015

Soiree d'accueil 16 septembre


The new season got underway on 16 September with a mini-general meeting at which two new committee members were elected, Drew Millar and Isabelle Chaboud.  Bienvenue !
A mystery box was presented containing numbered items which were then given to members with the corresponding number.  Later in the evening when they had a chance to compose their thoughts they addressed the meeting sharing details about their mystery item - there were CDs, history and cookery books and a card game.
The upcoming programme was the main item of business and it was generally agreed that there was plenty to entertain and inform over the year ahead.

The meeting concluded with the provision of membership cards.  This year they will be date-stamped on each attendance and at the annual dinner those with full attendance can enter their card in a draw for a complimentary bottle of the featured wine.
If you haven't joined yet, don't worry you can start collecting those date stamps from the next meeting on 7 October.

12 septembre 2015

Bulletin mensuel: septembre 2015

Chers Amis,
C’est la rentrée and this year Cercle Français de Belfast is back with a programme that is even bigger, brighter and better than before. Our first meeting takes place on ...

Mercredi 16 septembre 2015 with a Joyeuse ouverture et assemblée spéciale.
An introductory session, including a short general meeting, to showcase the cercle and the year ahead.

As always we shall meet …
à 19h.30 in Dark Horse Coffee House30-34, Hill Street Belfast BT1 2LB


We are looking forward to seeing all our existing members on 16thSeptember and also to seeing some new faces. If you have not yet been to a meeting of the cercle don't be shy. The Cercle Français de Belfast is for everyone who loves, or has an interest in, France and things French. You do not have to be able to speak French.


French Dance and Music in the heart of Belfast.

New Look Bal Feirste!!!

Bal Feirste the group of French and local musician and dancers who have been bring the music and dances of France to Belfast for several years have been in touch with information on their 'new look'. Annette writes ….

We have been plotting and planning how we can do things better and came up with a revised format for our monthly event (beginning on Saturday 12thSept and still free!) starting promptly at 530pm with a 30 minute dance workshop, followed by our monthly Bal from 6-8pm, same venue - upstairs in Maddens Bar, Berry St, Belfast. This will include lots of practise of the new dances (covered during the workshop), building on these each month by adding more, and increasing your repertoire of the many regional dances of France, hope to see you there! Feel free to forward this email or bring friends.

Many thanks, Bal Feirste

In addition to the Bal on Saturday 12th Sept. Bal Feirste have been asked to perform at Culture Night. They will be outside Kelly Cellars from 8-9pm on Friday18th Sept.

I see too that Vanessa Franchetti will be teaching a French Dancing Workshop
at the Crescent Arts Centre
on Sunday 4 Oct, 2-4pm.
This workshop will focus on dances from Brittany and the Pays Basque.


Looking forward to seeing you in the Dark Horse Café on Wednesday 16thSeptember.

A bientôt, Philip