14 janvier 2017

La nuit de la lecture 14 janvier 2017

Tonight, 14 January, the first Nuit de la lecture takes place all over France.
It's brilliant to see how many events have been planned and just how diverse they are. Check out the clickable map at the following link: La Nuit de la lecture to see what's happening in or near a French town that you know.

At our annual Bal musette, earlier this week, it was suggested that members might like to take the opportunity to share details of what they are presently reading.  In that way we could join in spirit with the French event.


Here's what some members are reading:

Chris:
I've started Le corps de ma mère by Tunisian writer, Fawzia Zouari. You can find details of the book on the publisher's page here.  I am not that far into the book but have already found that I can relate to some of the issues raised. Making me think.


Philip:
I'm reading A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker. This is in English but the story is based on Samuel Beckett life in Paris during WW2. You can find details on Good Reads at this link.


Gerry:
Has just finished reading the part-autobiography, Below Stairs by Margaret Powell.  Here's a Good Reads link.  The book has an intriguing handwritten French inscription inside the front cover.  It reads "En vue de la troisieme saison... Joyeux anniversaire."  Any detectives out there?  Gerry is now reading Graham Greene's A life in letters.  Greene was a great French-speaking traveller, visiting Vietnam, French Indo-China four times researching The Quiet American. While he was in Saigon the French Commander-in-Chief, Général de Lattre, concluded Greene was a spy.
Gerry also has a Tintin app on his iPad but he says that's another story...


Like to share what you are reading?
Then please send details to Philip at cfbelfast@gmail.com  or add them via comments below. 

03 janvier 2017

Fête des rois et bal musette




The Christmas holidays may have come to an end but you can still enjoy the festive spirit by joining in the Cercle Français de Belfast's celebration of La Fête des Rois.

This year our Fête des Rois Bal musette will be held on Wednesday 11th January 2017 at 19h30 in The Dark Horse Coffee House.

Please note:While this event is free for members, guests will be asked to make a contribution of £5.

Bonne année,
Philip



07 décembre 2016

Bulletin mensuel- décembre

Chers Amis,
The next meeting of the Cercle Français de Belfast will be …
on Mercredi 14 décembre 2016 à 19h.30 
in Dark Horse Coffee House, 

Topic: Les Fêtes de fin d’Année: Traditions et Gastronomie
Speaker: Claudine McKeown
From Christmas Eve to the end of January how the French say goodbye to the Old Year and welcome the New. (In French with English on screen) 


Bal Feirste Monthly Bal

Bal Feirste's next Workshop/Bal will take place ….
On Sunday 11th December
In the Sunflower Club, Union St, Belfast (upstairs)
Dance workshop: 19.00-23.00Free event (donations welcome), no partner nor experience necessary. Dance tuition from 7-730pm, and dancing to live music from 730-11pm. 


La Fête des Rois

La Fête des Rois, one of our most popular events of the year, will take place in The Dark Horse Café onmercredi 11 janvier 2017. Once again this year, in order not exceed the legal capacity of venue and to ensure that everyone has a good time, we shall be asking folk to register in advance.  Watch out for my email giving more information arriving in your inbox soon.


Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening.

À bientôt, Philip

18 novembre 2016

Café-causerie: la publicité

The next meeting of the Cercle Français de Belfast will be a Café-causerie.

On Mercredi 23 novembre 2016 à 19h.30 
in Dark Horse Coffee House,

Café-causerie:
La publicité française autour de trois produits: le parfum, le fromage et la voiture.
animé par Isabelle CHABOUD


… et en prime, vous pourrez découvrir quelques campagnes publicitaires sélectionnées pour ces trois produits.


This will be the first of our 'additional' evenings on which, in the cosy atmosphere of the Dark Horse Coffee House, you will have an opportunity of chatting in French about various aspects of French life. This time Isabelle will turn our attention to “la publicité” and as a bonus we will show you some selected advertising campaigns.

Whether you have only a few words, are a little rusty, have just started to learn the language or indeed are a fluent speaker come along and join in the 'craic'. 

As usual this event is free for members and £5 for guests.




À bientôt, Philip

French films at QFT - November


Fri 18 – Thurs 24 Nov

Les Innocentes 
The Innocents

Dir: Anne Fontaine 
France/Poland • 2016 • 1 Hr 55 Mins
Subtitled

This piercing drama by Anne Fontaine (Coco Before Chanel) is set in a convent in a ravaged
Poland at the end of WWII and based on a haunting true story.
Mathilde Beaulieu is a young doctor working for the French Red Cross. A Benedictine nun from a neighbouring convent comes to find Mathilde, pleading for her help. When Mathilde reaches the
convent, she discovers several heavily pregnant nuns, petrified by fear and shame. This is a poignant story of birth and rebirth, shattered faith and female solidarity.

And still to come in the French Film Festival at QFT …..

T
he Red Turtle (PG)T - Sat 19 Nov, 1pmMarseilles Trilogy: César (12+) - Sun 20 Nov, 3pm

Also as part of The Cinema of Ousmane Sembène QFT are screening ...

La Noire De…
Black Girl
Mon 28 Nov, 6.30pm

Dir: Ousmane Sembène • Senegal/France • 1966
1 Hr 5 Mins • Subtitled

Ousmane Sembène’s first feature is by turns tough, swift, and true in its aim. The film tells the tragic story of Diouana, a young Senegalese woman who finds work as a childminder for a French couple in Dakar. When the couple return to the south of France, she goes with them, dreaming of a life of luxury and fine clothes on the Côte d’Azur. However, things don’t turnout as she planned. Sembène’s “perfect short story,” wrote Manny Farber, “is unlike anything in the film library: translucent and no tricks, amazingly pure, but spiritualized.” A formative and eye-opening work, and one of Sembène’s finest.


À bientôt, Philip

16 novembre 2016

The Somme - Ulster's Tragedy



Following up on last year's talk on the Battle of Verdun, Ray LARGAN provided a very personal account of the Battle of the Somme following the experience of three young men from Belfast.

Report following....