This week: so much to do, so little time...

This week, francophonie is being showcased in a big way with a series of fabulous African films showcased at The Filmhouse! (some are partly in French, others are in various Agrican languages: wolof, arabe, etc.)

Make sure that you also check out the Disco Bidochons free event next Monday - good times are sure back with this fab club!

Lise xox

Tuesday 24 October ::: 9-11pm
MEET PEOPLE ::: French/English @The World on Thistle Street - come and practise your French or your English with friendly native speakers....
Where? The World on Thistle Street
How much? FREE!

Wednesday 25 October ::: 6.00
FILM ::: Marie Antoinette

(12A) Coppola Jr follows her much lauded ’Lost in Translation’ with a punky biography of the misunderstood Queen of France, adapted from Antonia Fraser’s book on the subject. A daring and bold attempt to rework formulaic staid costume dramas or a feature-length pop promo that reaches new depths of shallowness? You decide.

US (2006)
Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn
Sofia Coppola
Duration: 122 mins.

Web: www.sonypictures.com/movies/marieantoinette/
 
Where? Well, it’s a bit like the Scarlet Pimpernel: here, there, and everywhere...
When ? Same as above, for a time at least.....
How much? That would depend on where and when... Check out The List for details.....

Wednesday 25 October ::: 6.00
FILM ::: Touki Bouki

(15) With a title that translates as ’The Hyena’s Journey2, this Senegalese offering follows two children on an odyssey towards the promised land of Western riches in France. Director Mambety has explained that it’s ’about Africans sick with the idea of Europe, Africans who consider that Europe is the door of Africa and that it’s necessary to have been there in order to be able to come back and be highly thought of’.
Senegal (1973)
Magaye Niang, Mareme Niang, Aminata Fall, Ousseynou Diop
Djibril Diop-Mambety
Duration: 85 mins.

Where? The Filmhouse
When ? Wednesday 25 October ::: 6.00pm
How much? erm, Filmhouse prices I guess.....
   
Thursday 26 October ::: on opening times of the French Institute
EXHIBITION ::: Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Have a look at an interesting exhibition, currently on at the French Institute:

The Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop invites us to view a selection of works from
the European Biennal of Contemporary Art, which took place in Nîmes, on 1-14
July 2006, under the title “Taboo or not taboo”. After a European tour, the IFE
exhibition will give the public the opportunity to discover the work of artists
from France, Scotland, Lithuania and Poland in the fields of sculpture,
photography and contemporary video.

Where? The French Institute, Randolph Crescent
When ? Wednesday 25 October ::: 6.00pm
How much? Hey, it’s free!.

Friday 27 October ::: 3.30pm & 6.00pm
FILM ::: Waiting For Happiness / Heremakono

Abderrahmane Sissako | Mauritania/France 2002 | 1h35m | 35mm | French and Hassianya with English subtitles | PG
Cast: Khatra Ould Abdel Kader, Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed, Nana Kiakite, Fatimetou Mint Ahmeda.

A sleep-walking, introverted youth, an elderly electrician who can’t make lights come on, and a child worker who likes to sing are some of the inhabitants of Nouadhibou, a costal town on the edge of the Mauritian desert.

Abdullah arrives to visit his mother before leaving for Europe. He hardly knows the local language, can’t communicate with the place and the people he came from, and doesn’t want to try. Yet he becomes increasingly involved in the lives of the inhabitants of this strange and unfamiliar world. Sissako’s film is so visually beautiful it almost hurts your eyes; so poignant you can feel it pull at your heart. A vivid examination of the conflict between progress and tradition, Waiting For Happiness is more about those who leave than those who stay. They leave by train, by boat, on foot and by death.

This screening is sponsored by the Departments of Film & Media, English and Languages, at the University of Stirling.

Where? The Filmhouse
When ? Friday 27 Oct ::: 3.30pm & 6.00pm
How much? erm, Filmhouse prices I guess.....

Saturday 28 Oct :: 1.15pm
FILM :: Abouna / Our Father

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Chad/France/Netherlands 2002 | 1h24m | 35mm | French and Arabic with English subtitles | PG
Cast: Liamza Moctar Agud, Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, Hamza Moctar Aguid.

Stunning, both visually and emotionally, Abouna is a story about family. Two young brothers look for their missing father only to find him where they least expect to. Their hunt takes them on a journey of love, loyalty and loss.

Taking place in director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s native country Chad, the landscape and the characters in Abouna form a breathtaking combination of picturesque aesthetics and unmitigated sincerity.

Where? The Filmhouse
When ? Saturday 28 Oct :: 1.15pm
How much? erm, Filmhouse prices I guess.....

Monday 30 October :: 1.15pm
MUSIC ::: Edinburgh Quartet - Edinburgh concerts 2006-2007
Thomas Erskine, Earl of Kelly String Quartet in A
Haydn String Quartet in G, Opus 54 No 1
Fauré Elegie Op 24
Fauré Piano Quartet in c minor Op15
(with Jill Morton, piano)

Where? All concerts will be held in Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe-Coburg Street,
Edinburgh
When ? Monday 30 October :: 7.30pm
How much? Ticket prices: £10, £7 conc, £2 students and schoolchildren (including a free glass of wine or soft drink). To book: The Queen’s Hall Box Office, tel: 0131 668 2019.....

Monday 30 October :: from 10pm
CLUB ::: DISCO BIDOCHONS

"La Disco Bidochons est de retour le lundi 30 Ocotobre. Pour les novices, c’est une soirée francophone en boite, environ tous les 2 mois. Ca se passe au Red Vodka Club, 73 the Cowgate, de 22h à 3h, entrée gratuite, boissons pas chères, et on a meme du ricard et de la chartreuse. Pour plus d’infos ou pour toutes suggestions, contactez moi thierry.dullieux@netcourrier.com"

Where? Red Vodka Club, 73 the Cowgate
When ? Monday 30 October :: 10pm-3am
How much? Free, and also, cheap drinks!...

Things to look forward to.... Yeepee!!!

10 Nov: 7.30 >>> Royal Scottish National Orchestra: A French Collection
Stéphane Denève directs Dame Felicity Lott in a series of sensual French works: Dukas’ ’La Péri’, etc... @ Usher Hall, 0131 228 1155 - £10-£28 (concessions available) 
Tue 14 Nov only >>> Bob le flambeur / Bob the Gambler
Melville’s famous film is showcased at the Filmhouse!
Fri 17 to Sun 19 Nov >>> Le Cercle rouge / The Red Circle
Another Melville’s work, with Delon, Montand, Bourvil... @ The Filmhouse
Thursday 23 November at 6.30pm >>> Philippe Meyer Event
@ the Institut Français d’Ecosse - Admission Free - Tel.: 0131 225 5366 - contact@ifecosse.org.uk
Writer, journalist, satirist, actor, director, animator, researcher and teacher of social sciences, all barely adequate to describe Philippe Meyer, as he has many strings to his bow. Among his investigations, he has studied the mysteries of the city of Paris through, on the one hand, a show called “Paris la Grande” based on texts and songs illustrating life in the capital and, on the other hand, a book under the same title. Not to be missed by those in love, the curious and the sceptical of the “ville lumière” and a must for the fans of Philippe Meyer!
22 Nov: 6.00 >>> The Watson Gordon Lecture: Caroline Elam
Roger Fry was Britain’s leading art critic in the first half of the 20th century. Caroline Elam will explore his journey from scholarship in Italian quattrocento art, to Post-Impressionism and modern French painting. @ National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, 0131 624 6200 - Free
Fri 1 to Sun 3 Dec >>> Du Rififi chez les hommes @ The Filmhouse
Thursday 7 December at 6pm >>> Lecture by Joëlle Pagès-Pindon: "Marguerite Duras, a myth, an opera" (also Friday 8 December at 5.45pm - Filmhouse: presentation and screening of “Hiroshima, mon amour”)
Marguerite Duras, a major figure of the 20th century French literary scene remains, a decade after her death, a controversial character. Her minimal novels and to her activities in theatre, film, and journalism have given her both a national and an international notoriety. This lecture will offer an opportunity to rediscover an outstanding personality. The following evening, the Filmhouse will screen “Hiroshima, mon amour”, a film by Alain Renais on a scenario and the dialogues of Marguerite Duras, of course!
14 Feb 2007: 2.15 >>> France in America
Alison McCleery explores the little-known French islands of St Pierre and Miquelon. @ Royal Museum Lecture Theatre, 0131 247 4219 - £6; free for students and RSGS members